No readings in Glassie PTT for this section
Carson “Johnny Going to Ceili,” “Dowd’s No. 9,” “Around the World for Sport”
“Johnny” is mostly about words, their associations, and their power. What words does he explore in detail? Whose words does he borrow? What does he use these explorations and borrowings to achieve? (Hint: I think this chapter in part seeks to evoke the almost magical or transformative power that words—particularly when “played with”—have in Irish rural culture.
“Dowd’s” is about the memory, and the idea of tunes as “memes” (a “meme” being a unit of cultural information which has the capacity to reproduce itself from person to person; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme). How does Carson connect tunes and the art of memory with other historical and scientific approaches to this art? Who does he cite?
“Around the World” we have already touched on, but please read the balance of the chapter, paying particular attention to the concepts of time and of space (particularly performance space).
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Carson rather beautifully captures an insightful picture of being "in tune." He speaks of musicians in tune when they are "in time" together. It is not that they tune to a particular pitch, they are in the same moment, co-existing in the experience and shaping the experience.
His words make me think of that etheral symbiotic relationship between people who are really close and know each other so well where words are not necessary to communicate thought.
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