Sonny Brogan

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Sonny Brogan


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Background =
Birth_name = Patrick Brogan
Alias =
Born = 4 July 1907
Died = 1 January 1965 (Age 57)
Origin = Prosperous, Co Kildare, Ireland
Instrument = Accordion
Voice_type =
Genre = Irish Traditional
Occupation =
Years_active = 1930s-1964
Label = HMV, EMI, RTE, Topic Records
Associated_acts = Lough Gill Quartet,
Ceoltóirí Chualann
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Notable_instruments = Hohner Single-row Melodeon,
"Paolo Soprani" Double-row B/C Button Accordion

Sonny (Patrick) Brogan (4 July 1907 – 1 January 1965) was an Irish accordion player from the 1930s to the 1960s, and was one of Ireland's most popular traditional musicians. [http://www.xs4all.nl/~hspeek/irishbox/Cooley/cooley.html Cooley - sleeve-notes by Tony MacMahon ] ] [ [http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1768298-Music-Alternative Download MP3 Live In Dublin - WORLD: Celtic - Alternative ] ] [ [http://www.jameskeane.com/ JamesKeane.com ] ] [ [http://www.sueduffyassociates.com/fingal.html FINGAL ] ] He was one of the earliest advocates of the two-row B/C button accordion in traditional music. [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sean_quinn/psoprani/psoprani5.htm Paolo Soprani and the Irish Box (5) ] ] http://www.jstor.org/pss/852759] He originally played on a single-keyed Hohner melodeon, and later the two-row Paolo Soprani which he used until he died. It is not known who has this instrument now.

Background

Sonny Brogan was born in Prosperous, County Kildare, [http://www.ceolas.org/cgi-bin/ht2/ht2-fc2/file=/tunes/fc2/fc.html&style=&refer=&abstract=&ftpstyle=&grab=&linemode=&max=250&isindex=Lough%20Gill&submit=Search Ceolas: The Fiddler's Companion ] ] the eldest of three children born to Alicia Browne and Andrew Brogan. The family moved to Dublin when Sonny was still a small child. On a holiday trip to Kildare as a young boy, he first heard Irish music played on the accordion by his uncle, Thomas Cleary. His mother, when opening luggage on returning home, found a melodeon hidden there 'stolen' by Sonny who had taken a fancy to it. He was allowed to keep the instrument and taught himself to play it.

Growing up he attended music classes for piano, and learned how to read basic music notation. He soon found, however that his ear served him better as a teacher, and abandoned "paper music" as he called it. The teacher in question offered to teach Sonny free of charge if he returned, but he declined.

Sonny had a great love of music in general and possessed many 78rpm records of artists like Amelita Galli-Curci, apart from a huge collection of Michael Coleman, the Sligo fiddle player, who he admired more than any other musician.

1930s and 1940s

In the 1930s and 1940s, alongside his close friend Bill Harte, he played with the Lough Gill Quartet. [http://tullamore.info/recordings/wawy-sd.html Sonny's Dream ] ] Sonny gathered a lot of tunes from Bill Harte, some of which he would write down in tonic solfa for the record, and others which he simply committed to memory. It has been said that both Bill Harte and Sonny Brogan "are reputed to have been among the pioneers who saw the potential for Irish music making in the button accordion pitched B/C and subsequently devised and disseminated the fingering method". [Sleeve Notes, Irish Dance Music (CD), Topic Records, TSCD602]

Sonny went to England briefly in the 1940s, and on his return, George Rowley (fiddler originally from Co Meath) and Ned Stapleton (flute player from Dublin) wrote "Sonny's Return" in honour of him. Ned called it "The Wanderer’s Return", but it is more commonly known as "Sonny's Return".

A regular in The Piper's Club in Thomas Street [ [http://www.mustrad.org.uk/news13.htm News and Comment 13 ] ] , Dublin, Sonny played alongside John Kelly Sr [http://www.iol.ie/~ronolan/kelly.html John Kelly ] ] , Tom Mulligan, Tommy Potts, piper Tommy Reck (who often played at Sonny's home), Leo Rowsome, Sean Seery and many other traditional musicians of the day. Sonny had his own Céilí Dance Band during the 1940s who played in Barry's Hotel and in the Teachers' Club, Parnell Square, Dublin.

"Sonny Brogan's Mazurka" [ [http://www.tomkeays.com/music/wiki/irish/mazurkas/sonny_brogans Sonny Brogan's Mazurka - Wikimusica ] ] is a very well known Irish Mazurka [ [http://www.mp3hitsdownloads.com/album/the_chieftains_the_celtic_harp/ The Chieftains The Celtic Harp MP3 Mp3 hits downloads ] ] and has been made popular in more recent years by The Chieftains.

1950s

Sonny was admired by Barney McKenna of The Dubliners (to whom he gave lessons), and when the young Co Clare accordion player, Tony MacMahon came to Dublin first in 1957, he made it a priority to seek out Sonny Brogan about whom he heard, meet him and ask for lessons. Tony and Barney regularly visited him for lessons and Tony MacMahon has always to this day given special mention to Sonny at each of his own concerts. He had other pupils and he always urged them to develop their own individual style and not to copy other players. Tony MacMahon and Sonny Brogan have both been cited as influences more recently by Mick Mulcahy. [ [http://www.celticcafe.com/celticcafe/EarleHitchner/Columns/Top10Lists/06_Top10_2005.html Top 10 Albums, 2005 - Earle Hitchner at the Celtic Cafe ] ]

1960s

Sonny was one of the original musicians selected by Seán Ó Riada in 1960 to perform music for the play "The Song of the Anvil" by Bryan MacMahon, and subsequently became one of the original members of Ceoltóirí Chualann. [ [http://www.irishabroad.com/ireland/irish-music/seanpotts.asp Irish People and Ireland - Irish news, events in Ireland, Irish culture, genealogy, music, Ireland travel ] ]

In 1963, Sonny wrote an article for the folk music journal "Ceol," in which he outlined his reaction to older melodeon style players and those of the current modern style. He showed his unease at the new modern style, while distancing himself from the intolerance of puristic commentators like Seán Ó Riada, who accused the modern style accordion of being an unworthy instrument for the rich melodic traditions of Ireland, and saw its characteristic melodic techniques as fundamentally alien to his conception of Irish dance music.

Even though he had some reservations about the style, Sonny pointed out the attractiveness of the "bright musical tone", which was drawing a new generation of highly skilled players to the instrument. Sonny also strongly disagreed with his friend Brendan Breathnach who saw the modern players as having no respect for tradition. In 1963, Brendan Breathnach was commissioned by the Educational Company of Ireland to produce an illustrated book on Irish Dance Music. The music published was given to him by Sonny from his knowledge of tunes during the course of several visits to his house. No 82 of the Reels, Éilís Ní Bhrógáin, was dedicated to his daughter Éilís.

Seán Ó Riada wrote "One of the very few players who can make their music sound like Irish Music is Sonny Brogan of Dublin. He understands the limitations of his instrument but strives to counteract these, not by wrongly placed ornamentation but by emphasising the traditional elements. His ornamentation is usually confined to a single cut, or grace note, and the roll, as in these reels, where restrained ornamentation and subtle variation are far more telling and eloquent than the fashionable plethora of chromatics. We should always be able to hear the tune distinctly". [Our Musical Heritage, Page 71]

On 19th February 1963, Sonny made recordings at RTE Studios in Dublin, where he played Gorman's Reel, The Hut in the Bog, Morrisson's Jig, The Fourpenny Loaf, Jenny Picking Cockles and Repeal of the Union. [The Irish Traditional Music Archive Database]

Tributes

Sonny is buried in Prosperous, County Kildare. Among those attending the funeral in the snow, and who travelled a long distance in bad weather conditions, was Ronnie Drew.

Tributes were paid to Sonny after his death on 1 January 1965, and Seán Ó Riada, during the radio programme "Reachtaireacht an Riadaigh" on Radio Éireann, when paying respects to Sonny, said that he "was a library of Irish Music and when you want to find something out you go to the 'library'".

John Kelly, the fiddle player, has said that Sonny was the best musician he had ever heard of for his vast knowledge of tunes and the fact that he could remember all the different versions and names of each tune and the history behind them.

Desún MacLiam wrote of him "Is cinnte nach mbéidh a leithéid arí againn" (It is certain we will never have the likes of him again)

Éamon de Buitléar did a special programme on Radio Eireann devoted to Sonny Brogan, on 19 March 1965. Ciarán Mac Mathúna also had often included some of Sonny's recordings in his radio programmes and spoke highly of him.

Seán Ó Riada published the following tribute following Sonny's death :

"It was in the autumn of 1960 that I first met Sonny Brogan. I had been asked to supply music for Bryan MacMahon's play "The Song of the Anvil" at the Abbey Theatre, and has conceived the idea of using a group of traditional musicians for this purpose - the first time, as far as I am aware, that such a step had been taken. It was Éamonn De Buitléar who introduced me to Sonny, who was at first rather shy and reserved, until he realised what was wanted of him. The play went on and, though it did not find favour with the public which it more than merited, the music seemed to succeed with everyone, not least of all the actors and backstage staff, who used to be entertained by impromptu concerts given by the musicians in the dressing rooms. Sonny was, of course, a prime mover in all this and one of the reels which they used play most often backstage, commonly called "Redigan's", was re-christened by us privately "The Abbey Reel".

When the run of the play was over I hated the idea of parting from the musicians and so formed "Ceoltoirí Chualann", of which, during the few years we have been functioning Sonny was a mainstay. I would not suggest for a moment that our association was all sweetness and light. Many the argument we had - it is well known that musicians argue more fiercely about traditional music than about anything else. However, we always saw eye to eye in the finish and each argument served only to make us better friends.

Sonny's qualities as a musician were rare. He had an astounding memory, so much so that I was inclined to regard him, with John Kelly, as our living reference library. He could recall three or four different versions of a tune going back through three or four layers of time and often through three or four changes of title. He had a passion for the pure, simple essence of tunes, uncluttered by mistaken ornamentation. He was also, of course, an outstanding accordion player, one of the very few who could make it sound suitable for playing Irish music.

As a person, Sonny was - well, he was contentious, convivial, argumentative, loyal, dogmatic, witty, utterly reliable, a tiger when his temper was roused (which was rare), and at the same time curiously gentle and courteous. He was a good friend. I shall miss him.

Beannacht Dé lena anam."

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