Martin Mulvihill
Encyclopedia
Martin Mulvihill was an Irish traditional musician
, composer
, teacher
, and author
. He composed roughly 25 tunes in the Irish traditional style.
Although his mother played the fiddle
, Martin, the youngest of her ten children, was the only one to become a musician.
He began his study of music at the age of nine. From a violin player in the neighboring town of Glin
, he learned the rudiments of the fiddle and how to read and write music; from his mother he learned the Irish traditional style. His early repertoire was learned both from written sources such as Roche, Ker, and O’Neill's 1001, and from local musicians.
In 1951 he emigrated to Northampton
, England
; there he married Olive McEvoy from County Offaly
, with whom he had his four children, Brendan, Brian, Gail, and Dawn. Mulvihill continued playing music during this time, expanding his skills to include button accordion
and piano accordion
. The latter became his main instrument for several years.
In 1965 the Mulvihill family relocated to New York City
. He began teaching music lessons part-time, but as his reputation grew this quickly became his full-time occupation. He taught in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
, and New York. Former students include Eileen Ivers
, Mary Rafferty (of Cherish the Ladies
), Willie Kelly and Patrick Clifford
.
In 1984, Mulvihill was honored with a NEA
National Heritage Fellowship
.
In 1986, he published a book, "First Collection of Traditional Irish Music"
On 21 July 1987, while on vacation in Ireland, he suffered a heart attack and died.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He composed roughly 25 tunes in the Irish traditional style.
Although his mother played the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, Martin, the youngest of her ten children, was the only one to become a musician.
He began his study of music at the age of nine. From a violin player in the neighboring town of Glin
Glin, County Limerick
Glin is a village in the northwest of County Limerick, Ireland. It is on the south shore of the River Shannon's estuary, on the N69 road between Foynes and Tarbert. The population of the village in 2006 was 566.- History :...
, he learned the rudiments of the fiddle and how to read and write music; from his mother he learned the Irish traditional style. His early repertoire was learned both from written sources such as Roche, Ker, and O’Neill's 1001, and from local musicians.
In 1951 he emigrated to Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; there he married Olive McEvoy from County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, with whom he had his four children, Brendan, Brian, Gail, and Dawn. Mulvihill continued playing music during this time, expanding his skills to include button accordion
Button accordion
A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys. There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments...
and piano accordion
Piano accordion
A piano accordion is an accordion equipped with a right-hand keyboard similar to a piano or organ. Its acoustic mechanism is more similar to that of an organ than a piano, as they are both wind instruments, but the term "piano accordion"—coined by Guido Deiro in 1910—has remained the popular...
. The latter became his main instrument for several years.
In 1965 the Mulvihill family relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He began teaching music lessons part-time, but as his reputation grew this quickly became his full-time occupation. He taught in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and New York. Former students include Eileen Ivers
Eileen Ivers
Eileen Ivers is an Irish-American musician.Eileen Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents and grew up in the Bronx. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nine. Her teacher was the Irish fiddler Martin Mulvihill. She toured with Mick Moloney's band The...
, Mary Rafferty (of Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
), Willie Kelly and Patrick Clifford
Patrick Clifford
Patrick Clifford is a musician, songwriter, and producer of Irish and folk music, best known as a key member of Four to the Bar--a mainstay of the 1990s New York Irish music scene....
.
In 1984, Mulvihill was honored with a NEA
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
.
In 1986, he published a book, "First Collection of Traditional Irish Music"
On 21 July 1987, while on vacation in Ireland, he suffered a heart attack and died.
Discography
- Traditional Irish Fiddling from County Limerick (1978), with Mick MoloneyMick MoloneyMichael "Mick" Moloney is a traditional Irish musician and scholar. Born in Limerick, County Limerick, he was an important figure on the Dublin folk-song revival in the 1960s. In 1973, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- Irish Music: The Living Tradition (1978), Martin Mulvihill School