Mouth Music—Tunes From the Mouth

Mouth Music?  Tunes from the mouth?  What is that?!  Don’t all sung tunes come from the mouth?

It’s an ancient Scottish and Northern Irish musical tradition, also called diddling, lilting, port-à-beul, puirt-à-beul (and a various other spellings) that is the vocal equivalent of instrumental music.   Port-à-beul literally means “mouth music”, and often uses what are called vocables (meaningless syllables) to recreate instrumental effects.  It’s fast, light, rhythmic, and a tour de force of vocal gymnastics.  The tongue and the lips have to move, at lightning speed!

And MCE is rehearsing a port-à-beul arrangement, called, appropriately enough, Mouth Music.

Here is a video of perhaps the most famous diddlers, Delores Keane and John Faulkner, singing their rendition of Mouth Music.

Mouth music is sung at weddings, dances, during chores, or just for the fun of it.  It came about when traditional instruments such as pipes and violins were banned by the powers-that-be in centuries past.  But, being stubborn cusses (I’m Scottish myself, so I’m familiar with the trait), the defiant Scots created their own small vocal dance bands, and diddled and danced away.

It’s irresistible.  When you hear it, you won’t be able to resist the urge to tap your toes, maybe even leap up and dance!

Dr. Linda Gingrich, D.M.A
Artistic Director/Conductor

Master Chorus Eastside