Celt and Magyar Connection and Iconic Realism: Part Two (Music)

       

                                        Celtic Uillean Pipes                                               Hungarian Duda
                                                                      (Both photos from 'Duck Duck Go' images)

A piece of music can contain iconic structures within the two variables of musical arrangement, dynamics and instrumentation. A melody contains structure in the form of rhythm, meter and pitch, arranged in various degrees of intensity.  Often, a particular arrangement will reflect the culture of a community, for example, an Irish jig or a Hungarian czardas. Eventually, this becomes an iconic structure, representing the entire culture. When one hears an Irish jig or Hungarian czardas, usually an image of the corresponding culture comes to mind, making this musical piece iconic. Both the czardas and the jig are forms of folk dances. Personally, I learned how to do the czardas as a child, attending many a wedding celebration. 

The Hungarian pitches and frequencies follow the same structure as the songs associated with the Celtic musical experience, which later had become the Hungarian czardas and Irish jig. Another common musical link between the Irish and the Hungarian is the bagpipe. In Hungary, it’s called the duda, the bag is made from goat’s skin and the instrument usually has a carved goat’s head as the chanter; in Ireland, it is the Uilleann pipes. According to historian, Winnie Czulinski: 

The Hungarian bagpipe…was rescued from near distinction by classical composers Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. Look for bagpipes, too, in just about any of the other lands the ancient Celts deflowered and defamed, from Poland to Macedonia to Sicily. The most multicultural pipes of all may be the Eryri pipes, made by Goat Industries in North Wales, that manage to combine Scottish, Irish, Hungarian and Bulgarian ideas.[1]

                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq3m_R3Lnu4 

                            (Irish Uilleann pipes) 

                            https://youtu.be/PITLPH-Yq3E?feature=shared 

                            (Hungarian duda)

The realism aspect of this example rests in the physical nature of the sound production. The sound waves of the bagpipe produce high frequencies similar to those interpreted by the human ear to emanate the human voice, singing in a specific tone. Not only do these sound waves vibrate at the same or similar frequency, but also the audience often associates the timbre of the sound source in the bagpipe with that of a strong, human voice; whereas sound waves associated with the flute symbolize either a frail human or a bird and provides the semiotic structures for realistic interpretation. 

Composers arrange musical configurations and assign instruments containing the pitch and timbre that the audience will associate with specific elements of its culture. In this way, the audience forms the association of sound to memory and interpretation ensues. This not only occurs with instrumentation, but appears in the retelling of oral stories passed down through generations of all cultures.

Therefore, to illustrate iconic realism within the musical compositions of Irish and Hungarian folksongs, we hear the same pentatonic scales, situated in similar formats, with similar meanings, yet from two cultures that many would not associate as having these elements in common.

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[1] Czulinski, Winnie. Drone On! The High History of Celtic Music. Sound and Vision, 2004.

Celt and Magyar Connection and Iconic Realism: Part One (Linguistic Elements)

Map of the Germanic Kingdoms and East Roman Empire in 486 A.D. 

Map by William Robert Shepherd (1871-1934)

Map from Google Images

From my paper, presented at the American Conference for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana: 

In three parts, I will bring attention to the music, art, and linguistic elements that have proven to be common between the Celts and the Magyars of approximately 5-600 A.D. I will demonstrate the similarities in cultural traditions through the prism of iconic realism. For instance, found in ancient Magyar burial grounds near Budapest were weaponry, bearing the same symbolic features of those used by the Celts. This anthropological find indicates the significance of cultural rituals and artistic renderings among a group of people not usually associated with each other. That is where iconic realism enters the discussion.  The three components of this theory follow: 

1.    The artist presents a realistic icon in a work of art.

2.    The artist places the icon in a realistic setting unusual for this icon.

3.    The purpose for this placement is to make the audience aware of a need for cultural transformation.

The study of iconic realism in this presentation will demonstrate the similarities in the way that the Hungarians and Irish have struggled throughout history to maintain cultural identity. In the sense of comparison between the Magyars and the Celts, let’s look at some commonalities in a linguistic sample of both languages, hailing from the Finno-Ugraic linguistic root:

A cup of mead:  Celtic MEDUHun  MEDOS (Hungarian "mézes") 

A sunny disposition: (Irish SCOIR = szór; Irish SCORAIOCHT = Hungarian szórakozás / SORCHA

In Irish CHELL = trick, game CALAOIS = to trick, CEALG to trick, to fish, CEALA =to make something disappear, to hide; In Hungarian: csal, csel, csali

BODUA is the Celtic word for "victory" and it is possible that the incoming Hun troops were greeted with a joyful exclamation of "Bodua!" The victorious Huns were considered liberators because their society did not practice the inhuman institution of slavery of the "civilized" Romans. After the "victory" BUDA was built, the "Ancient Buda" (Ős-Buda), which we know as "Atilla's castle" (Etzilburg) from history.

The proud city of Sicambria, the Celtic city, which could have been called SICAN-BHARR before it became Latinized. This name means "Szék-bérces" in Hungarian (a 'Seat' upon a hill) - this type of word composition was also part of the Hungarian language structure; for further examples see Hegy-magas at Lake Balaton, or Becs-kerek in the Bánság. (In Irish, SUIOCHAN (Hungarian: szikán) means a seat, seating place, bench; seat as a seat of a settlement, a residence; a gathering, assembly, a court of law)

In the sense of comparison between the Magyars and the Celts, let’s look at some commonalities in a linguistic sample of both languages, hailing from the Finno-Ugraic linguistic root: 

A cup of mead:  Celtic MEDUHun  MEDOS (Hungarian "mézes") 

A sunny disposition: (Irish SCOIR = szór; Irish SCORAIOCHT = Hungarian szórakozás / SORCHA

In Irish CHELL = trick, game CALAOIS = to trick, CEALG to trick, to fish, CEALA =to make something disappear, to hide; In Hungarian: csal, csel, csali

BODUA is the Celtic word for "victory" and it is possible that the incoming Hun troops were greeted with a joyful exclamation of "Bodua!" The victorious Huns were considered liberators because their society did not practice the inhuman institution of slavery of the "civilized" Romans. After the "victory" BUDA was built, the "Ancient Buda" (Ős-Buda), which we know as "Atilla's castle" (Etzilburg) from history.

The proud city of Sicambria, the Celtic city, which could have been called SICAN-BHARR before it became Latinized. This name means "Szék-bérces" in Hungarian (a 'Seat' upon a hill) - this type of word composition was also part of the Hungarian language structure; for further examples see Hegy-magas at Lake Balaton, or Becs-kerek in the Bánság. (In Irish, SUIOCHAN (Hungarian: szikán) means a seat, seating place, bench; seat as a seat of a settlement, a residence; a gathering, assembly, a court of law)

Clearly, there is a phonetic as well as semantic correlation between some relevant terms in both the Gaelic and the Hungarian (Magyar) languages. These correlations also appear in aural structures as well.

Sydney Owenson's, Florence Macarthy, and Iconic Realism through Patriotic Rhetoric

From my second book and presentation at the American Conference for Irish Studies: 

Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) embarks on another adventure of writing a national tale centered on the title character of her novel, Florence Macarthy, A National Tale. In 1818, Irish government is now firmly established as one emanating from British rule. The British have just lost another war with the Americans, and with that loss, have endured a reduction of pride. France is in the process of rebuilding its own government, so Ireland is in a position whereby discussions with the British may be able to develop in regaining possible individual rights within the law. Owenson seizes this opportunity to enlighten her reading audience with a renewed spirit of empowerment. However, she also needs to increase her book sales among those with the economic means, so she relies on her usual technique of expressing a revolutionary consciousness through her characters’ dialogues and actions.  

Owenson sees this as an opportunity to reach into the mind-sets of the Irish and the English through the linguistic arrangement within her tales that correlate with both the Irish and British readers. She has a current reading audience now, so she uses this forum of writing national tales to demonstrate the fortitude needed to realize revolutionary reform. In her 1818 novel, Owenson’s title character, Florence Macarthy, addresses a Marquis of Dunore and boldly states: 

I never will call you my lord, till the day of judgment; that is, till all’s proved; and your lordship, the great Marquis of Dunore (which you are at the blessed moment), taking possession of your castle; for fortune, though she be portrayed to stand upon a rolling stone, as being flighty by nature, yet for the most part she helpeth such as be of courageous mind, and valiant stomach. – Did not Thomyris the Scythian queen, and the collateral ancestor of the Macarthies, by her great spirit, with a few hundred followers, bate Cyrus intirely, with many thousands? And did not --, but I will not bother your lordship with needless tediousness, only just will defy the world, from this day out, to prove that I care a testoon for you. (F.M. p. 200)

Owenson clearly demonstrates a courageous stance in the lexicon she chooses her character to use here.  The bold statement, “I never will call you my lord,” emphasizes dissolution of the feudal state, yet it focuses on the necessity for individuals to state their claims of autonomy. Furthermore, she alludes to Thomyris, the Scythian queen, to authenticate her point of view, illustrating the strength within her bloodline. In her decorous conclusion of this passage, Owenson announces through her character, “I will not bother your lordship with needless tediousness…”, utilising the use of negative phraseology, ‘will not bother’ and “needless tediousness,” along with the equally negative, yet bold verb, ‘defy’ to express very politely her defiance juxtaposed with national pride. 

This novel embodies the determination of a patriot who refuses to allow any governing entity total control over its free-thinking populace. As she moves her characters through the novel, they become stronger in their fortitude to withstand any societal or political pressures, and they overcome any weaknesses through their united allegiance to the ability of each individual to express her or himself in a way that moves humanity forward to positive transformation.  Thus, Owenson transforms her own consciousness by releasing through her characters’ dialogue and actions any anxiety, which her contemporaries may inflict in their critique of her nationalistic penchant.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Iconic Realism

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, photo from Google Images

After reading an older article about Saint Teresa of Calcutta, I realized that her selfless acts of love among the diseased and poverty stricken exemplify iconic realism. As a Catholic nun, she epitomized the concept of purity in mind and body. Yet, there she was, providing comfort to a population from which many would rather turn away. Through her presence in this challenging setting, she demonstrated the necessity for and beauty of human compassion. 

Her memorial day is September 5. 

One of my favorite quotes from this brilliant woman is as follows: 

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

Iconic Realism through Cognitive Dissonance in James Joyce's Ulysses

A view of Dublin from the top floor of the Guinness Factory

An excerpt from a paper I presented at an American Conference for Irish Studies:

Throughout his novel, Ulysses, James Joyce illustrates iconic realism through cognitive dissonance by means of language that contains semantic components directly correlating with his characters and their settings. In turn, the readers interpret those linguistic features according to knowledge of the language and manner in which the semantic elements align with their personal experience. 

As Joyce pens this novel, the world around him deals with the repercussions of World War I, and the general reaction is one of stalwart patriotism to culture. Joyce acknowledges this through his resonating dissonance between characters devoted to traditional elements within the Irish community and those attached to more dissonant coexistences, eventually leading to Bloom realizing the isolation in his own life. 

An example is through examination of linguistic and structural patterns employed by Joyce, through a distinctive, realistic element, the human act of breathing. Considering that Ulysses was once banned by libraries in the United States, and as recently as just a few years ago, clear breathing in public places has been banned due to mask mandates during the covid pandemic, a conscientious reader just might find release from the stifling, cognitive dissonance while reading through Joyce’s realistic representation of the aromatic Dublin travels of Leopold Bloom. One needs only to read the gaseous lines from this novel to imagine the dissonance of Joyce’s mind and Bloom’s physicality. 

However, Leopold Bloom also experiences personal and religious revelations through each inhaling and expelling of air. One such vivid example is in the chapter, entitled, Aeolus. Here, Joyce uses the heaving air of a pompous society’s fickle response to Bloom’s Jewish culture. In this chapter, we are introduced to various comparisons between Jesus Christ, Stephen Daedalus, and Bloom: their dissonant placements in their individual societies and how each has dealt with these discrepancies. Joyce describes the editor as having a ‘scarlet beaked face,’ a ‘comb of feathery hair’ and a harsh voice, similar to that of a cock crowing, once again referring to the Biblical reference of Peter rejecting Christ on the morning of his crucifixion (Blamires 49). Such reflections illustrate the iconic realism that Joyce incorporates in this novel, as he uses these iconic images within Bloom’s mind, occasionally audibly articulated by Bloom, but mostly present only in his mind, to bring the audience in alignment with the dissonance present in Bloom’s, and Joyce’s, Dublin.