The Patriot Game

Music embodies the vocal and/or instrumental sounds that are combined in such a way as to produce harmony, beauty, and expression of one’s emotion. This is especially true when listening to the traditional music of one’s ancestors. When listening to music that had such a meaningful impact on ones ancestors, it is likely that one may experience certain emotional responses. When listening to the music of my ancestors, it was clear that the traditional music of Ireland spoke to me the most. Some of this music focused on telling stories of the everyday Irish person, whereas other songs focused on retelling a particular historical event in Ireland. The specific piece of music I selected is called The Patriot Game by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy
The music reflects a mood of sadness and reflection on the terrible events that happened to Fergal O’Hanlon and Sean South. This music sample tells a story of a particular historic event in 1957. The song is about Fergal O’Hanlon (from Ballybay Co. Monaghan) and Sean South (from Limerick) who were both soldiers that were killed in an ambush in Brookorough R.U.C. station. This was Fergal O’Hanlon’s first active service since his training in Dublin two years prior. Fergal, Sean and a few others were ambushed from a machine gun being fired from the top window of the R.U.C. station. Bombs were being placed around them, and with gunfire coming from several directions it was decided that they retreat. Fergal, Sean and the others made there way out of town to an old farm building. Those who were able to walk escaped across mountains and fields for seven miles until they reached Co. Monaghan in The Republic Of Ireland. Fergal and Sean were to severely injured that they could not escape, but rather they stayed in the old farm building. It was not until eight o’clock the next morning that the R.I.C. recovered the bodies of Fergal and Sean from the farm building. Both were then given proper I.R.A. funerals (“The Patriot Game Lyrics And Chords.”
In terms of repetition, the vocalist constantly refers back to the title “The Patriot Game” at the end of every stanza, which aids in the rhyme scheme. This piece is primarily vocal, so the music comes out as mostly syllabic, though I would say there are a few moments where the lyrics sound melismatic. From what I have heard, there are no vocables used. Rhythmically speaking, this song follows a triple meter that is very easy to detect. The music is very organized and follows this meter throughout the song. I would say that the rhythm texture is thin because it is neither complex nor a compound meter. The melody is quite simple, with C, D, and G being the only notes played throughout the song. Although the melody is very thin, the music is still catchy and enjoyable to listen to. Furthermore, this song can be classified as being homophonic because it has a very clear melody and chords supporting it. All of the different parts generally follow the same rhythmic pattern as the melody (“The Patriot Game Lyrics And Chords.”