Solfa and Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains
  • Maureen
    Posts: 678
    Since Paddy Moloney of the Celtic music group, The Chieftains, died recently, RTE (Irish public tv network) had a show with old clips and new interviews. About 12 minutes in, one of the interviewed people talks about how Paddy was taught solfa by their singing teacher at school, Br. McCaffrey.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pBXQnWww_s

    Please pray for his soul.

    Also, of course the Chieftains' members were closely associated with the composer Sean O Riada. (They talk about him, too, about 19 minutes in.)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • It's the only way to sightread. A new choirmaster arrived and taught tonic solfa to the children's choirs first, then to the reluctant adults who became less reluctant as they heard how it helped their kids learn their own parts on a hymn. I never want to go back to waiting while each part is repeated on the piano and learned by rote. We rehearsed a capella with solfa and then words. Helped our intonation immensely due to better awareness of the tonic and the relation of every note to that rather than just to the previous note.
    Thanked by 1Paul F. Ford