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Caoine for a Dead Child

from Transcendence by Ilse de Ziah

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Caoine for a Dead Child (Caoineadh do Leanbh Marbh)
In 1951 ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax recorded Kitty Gallagher singing this in a hotel room in Letterkenny on a bitter hard afternoon during a blizzard. The keening practice in Ireland is called Caoineadh, which means literally ‘to cry, to weep’. The earliest record is from the 8th century. Keening is a ritualised lamentation for the dead which took place at home around the coffin or in a communal setting. Led by a bean chaointe (keening woman), who was often paid for the service, it could go on for days and would build in intensity. Improvised verses were sung based on a formulaic opening line, followed by short rhymed lines. The keen would include a litany of who the person was, with both positive and negative themes expressed. Groups of women would join and support the bean chaointe, singing choruses, rocking, kneeling and clapping. They would cry their hearts out in a huge cathartic release of grieving. The tone could be hard and intense, with tremendous power. When you heard them keening it was said the hair would rise on the back of your neck.

There are no recordings of keening during a ceremony, and the nature of the music meant it was not documented. The few recordings that exist are only examples of what would be sung. Keening was banned by the Catholic church from 1670 for being a pagan remnant. The church dictated that women could not be a conduit between

earth and the afterlife, as this was the priest’s job. There are stories of priests whipping women away from the graves as they wailed.

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from Transcendence, released September 18, 2020
Ilse de Ziah composer, cello

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Ilse de Ziah Ireland

Irish-Australian cellist and composer Ilse de Ziah has a deep passion for composing, arranging and performing music for the cello. Using traditional Irish melodies as source material, she creates contemporary arrangements perfectly suited for the cello. With the marriage of classical detail and folkloric tradition, this makes for a transcendent musical experience. ... more

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