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Pavel Vejvanovský and the Kroměříž Music Collection: Perspectives on Seventeenth-Century Music in Moravia (review)

Both exercises are impressive, but perhaps better presented in journal articles than in a book, which could have wider circulation. O’Flynn begins to expound his own argument on page 17, and it is tempting to suggest readers begin here, using the excellent index to reference the other scholars whose ideas are discussed in the previous pages. Throughout the book, the style is difficult. Clarity has been sacrificed to avoid any repetition of phrases, even one the author advises us on page 8 will be key: “The phrase ‘national identity and music’ is used throughout the book”—but in fact other formulations of the same conceptual linkage, most clearly stated as “Irishness in music,” are used as often. Chapter 1 is spiked with unnecessary neologisms such as “cognized” (pp. 8, 21). Many sentences expressing key ideas are awkwardly constructed: several examples appear in pages 101–03, a crucial section of the argument. Too many sentences are interrupted by long parenthetical source citations: there is one on page 21 that takes up three lines on the page! While it is desirable to maintain the difference between citations and content notes, it is also good to show some deference to readability. One could wish for more sensitive editing of a text full of good ideas. The author’s sensitivity to the socially negotiated essence of his topic is clear despite his sometimes difficult expression. O’Flynn uses sophisticated concepts of hegemony drawn from a variety of sources to describe accurately the fluid nature of both national identity and musical style. Dialectical models, binary oppositions, and dualities are occasionally overemphasized, as in the discussion of musical products in chapter 2. Here O’Flynn applies participatory and performance models of music to the principal style categories of Irish music, making the important point that “events, broadcasts and recordings can all be considered as part of music’s overall production” (p. 66). However, the diagram on page 66 modeling the products of traditional, popular, and classical musics, despite acknowledging that these styles have secondary cultures, obscures the chronological dimension that animates not only individual artists’ careers but also any music’s position in society. Chapters 3 and 4 contain several diagrams and charts, all well positioned within the text. Publicity shots of bands, artists, and venues mentioned are also strategically placed throughout the book and clearly reproduced in black and white. The interview quotes in chapters 5 through 8 are all clearly set in. In addition to a bibliography, a “select discography” and filmography are provided, which will be useful to readers not specializing in Irish studies, because compilation albums and films have been principal vehicles for national self-presentation. One minor quibble is the absence from either list of Celtic Woman and Riverdance. Both shows are frequently referenced in the text; both also have been tweaked into various versions, all recorded and marketed as recordings. While most readers will be able to infer from their own experience of these ubiquitous products, specific references might still be needed by others. The Irishness of Irish Music is one of several important studies in this field recently published; see Helen O’Shea, The Making of Irish Traditional Music (2008) and Fintan Vallely, Tuned Out: Traditional Music and Identity in Northern Ireland (2008), both from Cork University Press. Of these, O’Flynn’s work provides a solid foundation on which to build further analyses of Irish musical styles, while proposing several models for further exploration. This will be an exemplary comparative case study for scholars working in other contemporary musical cultures, as well as all areas of Irish Studies.