eisteddfod

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Summer Festivals Eisteddfod by Sten Grynir Eisteddfod is a Welsh word for festival of song. Here in the US it has come to denote a folk festival, and for years such a festival was held in August at U.Mass. Dartmouth. Not restricted to Celtic music, the Dartmouth Eisteddfod featured singers and instrumentalists from all over the Northeast, and, in fact, from all over the world. Due to financial problems, the Dartmouth Eisteddfod hasn't been held for several years. This year the Eisteddfod was revived in Brooklyn under the aegis of the New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club, the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, and Polytechnic University, Brooklyn.

As with the Massachusetts Eisteddfod, the workshops provided a varied selection of international song. From the kickoff concert hosted by Oscar Brand to the final Sunday afternoon concert, the musical sessions presented established, first-tier artists doing what they loved best: singing, playing and reciting in their favorite styles. In addition to the workshops and concerts, of course, informal jamming by attendees was encouraged. Unlike NEFFA, the New England Folk Festival that takes place every April in Natick, MA, the jamming was not non-stop in every hallway; nevertheless it is a integral part of Eisteddfod.

Workshops covered such disparate themes as Old Time Bluegrass, The Hungarian Tradition, Songs of the American Civil War, and Woody Guthrie's Musical Evolution. Guitar, banjo and fiddle styles were presented all through Eisteddfod.

Unusual for a folk festival, but possibly the most enjoyable workshop, was the one on the English Music Hall, with John Roberts and Tony Barrand, David Jones, Maggi Peirce and Heather Wood. The humorous and sentimental songs, with an informal discussion of their origins and the milieu in which they were sung (as well as the best faux explanation of why a musician's job is called a gig) were given to the audience by performers who were obviously enjoying themselves and each other enormously, and knew and loved the music hall tradition. The workshop which followed, on Monologues, was led by many of the same performers and was an appropriate sequel to the Music Hall workshop. As John Roberts said, "If you can't sing, do a recitation."

Not all workshops were done by native-born followers of the workshop's tradition. A poll of the participants on stage for the Southern Mountain Music session as to who was born farthest south had a performer from Asbury Park, N.J. as the winner. A few minutes later, Kentucky-born Jean Ritchie arrived and provided authenticity. Regardless of place of birth, the workshop performers put on an exciting show.

Although attendance did not appear to be as large as the Eisteddfod's sponsors might have hoped, the festival was an artistic success. Better publicity should boost next year's attendance.