Welcome to Challenge Your Ear, where you can find music from different parts of the world every week, arranged thematically and occasionally with some historical and ethnomusical context.
As you might guess from my banner, I am a huge fan of Julie Fowlis, a traditional musician from Scotland who grew up absorbing the community musical traditions of the Outer Hebrides, and has dedicated her career to reviving that music and bringing it to the world in her native Gaelic.
First, a bit about her:
This is by far my favourite tune, sung by women as they worked the tweed cloth, as she explains above.
Some Puirt a beul, “mouth-music,” a rhythmic form of singing traditionally accompanying dance. I looked up the lyrics and am now more confused than before.
And of course, I would be remiss if I left out her collaboration with her Irish counterpart, Muireann nic Amhlaoibh. Skip to 9:10 for the music.
Challenge Your Ear 