Interview with Colin Harte about his New Book Focused on the Bodhrán

Colin F. Harte, PhD, Ethnomusicology and professor at City University of New York (CUNY)-Irish Studies-Music has published a new book dedicated to the iconic Irish frame drum: The Bodhrán: Experimentation, Innovation, and the Traditional Irish Frame Drum.

We talked to Colin Harte to learn more about the bodhrán and his book.

When did you become interested in the bodhrán?

My brother had bought one and was playing it in the house and I toyed around with it. I started playing the bodhrán more consistently while attending the University of Limerick’s MA program in Ethnomusicology. I continued playing the drum at sessions and in a few Irish traditional music bands when I returned to New York. I began playing and teaching the drum in my world percussion classes for the New York City Department of Education. During these classes, I began performing different world music percussion pieces on the drum, in addition to Irish traditional music.

At what age did you start playing the bodhrán?

23 years old.

Where did get your first bodhrán?

I borrowed my first bodhrán from my brother Liam and later from the University of Limerick music department. I bought my own bodhrán from David Settles in 2008.

When did you decide to write a book the bodhrán and why?

I initially wrote my University of Limerick MA thesis on the bodhrán. I decided to build upon that research and turn it into a book. It is intended for undergraduate and graduate area studies courses in music, ethnomusicology, music history, anthropology, literature, European Studies and Celtic/Irish Studies. It unfolds as a general study of Irish traditional music in relation to the percussion instrument, the bodhrán, including a chapter on its historical, organological development; followed by a chapter on organological experimentation and innovation; then features a study of the instrumental performative practices; and, finally, a chapter on bodhrán pedagogy.

The central academic focus of the text is the recent, rapid developments in bodhrán design, performance practices and pedagogy. Due to the global spread of the bodhrán, a cosmopolitan discussion of the bodhrán in different musical contexts and geographical locations including Ireland, Scotland, North America and Europe. The book concludes with a discussion of current bodhrán pedagogical trends that are witnessed around the globe. This text draws from interviews with primary sources including professional bodhrán makers, professional and amateur performers and pedagogues.

How long did it take you to write the book and what was the process?

The ethnographic research included conducting over 40 interviews, visiting makers and performers. I wrote the entire book over a four-month period. The research period started in 2007 and continued until 2018.

Tel us about some of the people you featured in the book and why you chose these specific individuals.

My research involved building relationships and spending time with key bodhrán makers (Seamus O’Kane, Darius Bartlett, Brendan White, Christian Hedwitschak), performers (Colm Phelan, Cormac Byrne, Eamon Murray, Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Steve Forman, Martin O’Neill, and Jim Sutherland) and educator (Junior Davey) amongst many others.

Through participant observation and in-depth interviews, I engaged the aforementioned music educators, makers, performers and scholars; viewed rehearsals and classes; experienced community events; observed performances; participated with local musicians on the bodhrán; and visited certain bodhrán maker’s workshops.

I also collected audio and video footage to document my interviews, rehearsals and performances. These makes and performers were selected amongst many others for their creative, innovative and experimental approaches to building and performing on the bodhrán. Their developments have helped push forward the evolution of bodhrán making and performance practices.

In your research you mention how the bodhrán has evolved in the past decades. Can you tell us what some of those changes are?

From its humble beginnings as a ritual instrument to its development as new national symbol of Ireland, the bodhrán or Irish frame drum, is an instrument that is found in a variety of contexts from professional ensembles, tourist outlets, school bands, and international football [soccer] matches. However, this is not just a story of popularity or even iconicity. It is about the technical, sophisticated technical development of a small frame drum that enjoys an ever-expanding community of practitioners, pedagogues, makers and educators.

Due to the dearth of comprehensive, ethnomusicological, bodhrán publications, this research aims to bring together in one comprehensive, critical edition, the story of the bodhrán; its history and origins; its development; its globalization as part of the globalization of Irish music, as well as local, site-specific case studies of contemporary makers, players, musical entrepreneurs, and educators.

This study comes under new organology (the study of musical instruments and their classification) which looks not just at the materiality of the instrument out of context, but its performance and social life in context and in relation to human agents. Drawing upon Irish music studies and ethnomusicology, the bodhrán is examined in specific cultural contexts, which explores the function of the instrument in relation to maker, performer and educator.

Frame drums are found in many cultures. How old is the bodhrán and do we know its origin?

Frame drums can be found in cultures around the globe due to their simple yet effective design and appealing sound. In Chapter 2, I constructed a historical narrative of the organological development of the bodhrán and its associated performative practices. This chapter lays the historical groundwork for a discussion of current trends in bodhrán design, performative practices and pedagogy.

This historical foundation grounds the reader in the possible origins of the bodhrán; its different musical roles in various cultural practices and the techniques and processes involved in older models of bodhrán construction.

Seminal bodhrán makers and performers are discussed in detail, analyzing their influential contributions in chronological order. While there are certain secondary sources such as texts and paintings that indicate the bodhrán has been around for centuries, concrete physical evidence of the drum (e.g. a three hundred year old bodhrán) has not been located. This could be due to decomposition of the organic materials of the drum.

You are a bodhrán player yourself. Are you active as a musician or educator?

I earned my PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Florida’s School of Music, where I founded and performed with the UF Irish Traditional Music Ensemble. I earned my Masters in Educational Leadership from CUNY-Hunter College in 2018. I received a Master’s in Ethnomusicology from the University of Limerick.

As a New York City Teaching Fellow, I received a Master’s in Education from CUNY- Lehman College while teaching band, general music and percussion ensemble at a Bronx, public middle school.

I currently teach a world music curriculum for the New York City Department of Education at KAPPA High School in the north Bronx where I direct a 50 student West-African percussion ensemble, keyboard lab, world music courses, and music technology courses with the school recording studio. I teach ethnomusicology courses including a course on Irish traditional music for CUNY. I also have created a free online bodhrán instruction series entitled Bodhrán Around the Globe. As a pianist and bodhrán percussionist, I am active in the New York jazz, Latin and Irish traditional music communities.

The bodhrán is now played by many musicians outside of Ireland. Why do you think it has become so popular among percussionists?

It is a versatile drum that works well in a variety of musical contexts. It is also in a period of development which encourages different approaches to playing the drum. Its increase in popularity in the realm of Irish traditional music can be attributed indirectly to the spread of Riverdance and Irish trad.

The professionalization of Irish trad and related musical multimedia have also introduced the drum to the world. In addition, the ever increasing technical prowess of professional bodhrán players and makers has inspired musicians to play the drum.

In your opinion, who are some of the leading bodhrán players in Ireland and elsewhere?

There are many bodhrán players worth exploring from Robbie Walsh to John Joe Kelly to Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh to the hand striking of Seamus Tansey. The more you start to listen to and investigate bodhrán music making, you will find a great diversity and inventiveness to accompaniment, sound production and aesthetics.

Are there any recordings you recommend that feature notable bodhrán playing?

There are too many to list. However, chapter 4 of my book includes an annotated repertory section listing influential recordings, videos and instructional materials.

Who are the leading bodhrán makers at this time?

There are an assortment of great bodhrán makers from Seamus O’Kane to Christian Hediwtschak to Rob Forkner to Brendan White to John Blackwell. It really depends on the sound you are trying to get from the drum.

Based on your guiding aesthetics, different drum makers can provide you with the instrument you need to properly express your own music. In order to find the right drum, it means talking with makers; listening/playing their drums; and assessing whether you and the drum can produce the sounds you are trying to achieve.

Can you tell us about the best schools, instructors, camps or workshops to learn bodhrán?

Junior Davey runs a wonderful bodhrán academy in Gurteen Sligo. There is the bodhrán festival Craiceann which is great. There is Bulabuzz, which provides bodhrán instruction. There is a wealth of bodhrán online lessons and instructional videos including my own free educational series Bodhrán Around the Globe which explores playing different musics of the world on the drum.

Is there a place where you encountered the bodhrán that surprised you?

I have been enjoying exploring the possibilities of musical intersections of Irish traditional music and Indian classical music, particularly the tabla. Other bodhrán players such as Cormac Byrne, Rónán Ó Snodaigh, and John Joe Kelly have performed and recorded music that incorporates the bodhrán into different forms of Indian music.

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.