Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
The purpose of this thread is to simply document a list of the various Irish Classical Music composers in my collection at this point in time. It is not meant to be a comprehensive discography of Irish Classical Music composers but rather an introduction to the world of Irish Classical Music composition and an indication of the variety and quality of the music that is available by such composers. My collection is quite modest but interesting to me and my hope is that the automated bots that trawl this site will pick this up and therefore make this thread available to a wider audience who might interested in researching or pursuing this area of music. I will offer a brief biography of each composer based primarily on the material contained in the accompanying liner notes of the respective works that I present and I hope that this might lead in turn to further research.
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Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Michael William Balfe:
Balfe was born in Dublin in 1808 and died in Hertfordshire in England in 1870. During his lifetime he was an immensely popular composer with an international reputation and decoration. Balfe was by far the most prolific of all the composers of English operas active between the 1830s and the 1860s. He was battling against the then very fashionable taste for, and interest in, Italian opera. However, no other British composer was commissioned to write for two of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, Her Majesty’s in London (specialising in Italian opera) and the Opéra in Paris. Later in his career he collaborated with Piave, Verdi’s librettist, in writing Pittore e Duca (1854) for the Teatro Comunale in Trieste. Balfe was an acquaintance of Rossini and Bellini and his earliest operas had been produced in Italy during the late 1820s and early 1930s when he was preparing to embark on a career as a baritone.
The Bohemian Girl:
The Bohemian Girl, first performed at Drury Lane Theatre on 27 November 1873, is among the most successful English operas of any century. The libretto is by Alfred Bunn and the work is in the style of the then popular opera and it contains many lyrical arias (and choruses) the most famous of which is undoubtedly “I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls”. Bunn derived the text for the opera from the French ballet by Saint – Georges and Mazillier’s La Gypsy (1839).
(All notes based on those supplied by George Biddlecombe in the accompanying booklet to the above CD).
Balfe was born in Dublin in 1808 and died in Hertfordshire in England in 1870. During his lifetime he was an immensely popular composer with an international reputation and decoration. Balfe was by far the most prolific of all the composers of English operas active between the 1830s and the 1860s. He was battling against the then very fashionable taste for, and interest in, Italian opera. However, no other British composer was commissioned to write for two of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, Her Majesty’s in London (specialising in Italian opera) and the Opéra in Paris. Later in his career he collaborated with Piave, Verdi’s librettist, in writing Pittore e Duca (1854) for the Teatro Comunale in Trieste. Balfe was an acquaintance of Rossini and Bellini and his earliest operas had been produced in Italy during the late 1820s and early 1930s when he was preparing to embark on a career as a baritone.
The Bohemian Girl:
The Bohemian Girl, first performed at Drury Lane Theatre on 27 November 1873, is among the most successful English operas of any century. The libretto is by Alfred Bunn and the work is in the style of the then popular opera and it contains many lyrical arias (and choruses) the most famous of which is undoubtedly “I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls”. Bunn derived the text for the opera from the French ballet by Saint – Georges and Mazillier’s La Gypsy (1839).
(All notes based on those supplied by George Biddlecombe in the accompanying booklet to the above CD).
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Do be do be do: Sinatra
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Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
John Field
John Field (1782 -1837) was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi. Under his tutelage, Field quickly became a famous and sought-after concert pianist; together, master and pupil visited Paris, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. The Russian capital impressed Field so much that he eventually decided to stay behind when Clementi left, and from about 1804 was particularly active in Russia.
Field was very highly regarded by his contemporaries and his playing and compositions influenced many major composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt. He is best known today for originating the piano nocturne, a form later made famous by Chopin, as well as for his substantial contribution, through concerts and teaching, to the development of the Russian piano school.
Notable students include Prussian pianist and composer Charles Meyer.
The name Nocturne is usually attached to Romantic character pieces for the pianoforte, written in a somewhat melancholic or languid style, with an expressive melody over broken-chord accompaniment.
Nocturnes:
A very fine example of Field's and Chopin's Nocturnes may be found in this set of Nocturnes performed on the piano by Bart van Oort:
John Field (1782 -1837) was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi. Under his tutelage, Field quickly became a famous and sought-after concert pianist; together, master and pupil visited Paris, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. The Russian capital impressed Field so much that he eventually decided to stay behind when Clementi left, and from about 1804 was particularly active in Russia.
Field was very highly regarded by his contemporaries and his playing and compositions influenced many major composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt. He is best known today for originating the piano nocturne, a form later made famous by Chopin, as well as for his substantial contribution, through concerts and teaching, to the development of the Russian piano school.
Notable students include Prussian pianist and composer Charles Meyer.
The name Nocturne is usually attached to Romantic character pieces for the pianoforte, written in a somewhat melancholic or languid style, with an expressive melody over broken-chord accompaniment.
Nocturnes:
A very fine example of Field's and Chopin's Nocturnes may be found in this set of Nocturnes performed on the piano by Bart van Oort:
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Very nice Seán and your contribution is much appreciated. Field is a composer that I was going to mention and will probably say a few words myself as I believe that he made a great contribution to Music but seems to have been overshadowed by others in history.
I also have that recording that you own and like it very much.
I also have that recording that you own and like it very much.
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Do be do be do: Sinatra
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Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Gerald Barry:
Gerald Barry was born in Clare Hill, Clarecastle, County Clare in 1952. As a small child he listened to his uncle, a well known concertina player, and unknowingly developed a love for music. One late summer day in his early adolescence he went for a walk in the village churchyard. He wandered into the choir gallery and saw a closed harmonium and knew instantly that his whole life was there in this object. He did not have the words to describe to his mother what he was going to be and he cried for a week until she believed him. After seeing Heifetz perform on TV he bullied his mother into buying a violin, which he later pawned. The family did not have a piano but he demanded piano lessons. He bought records which he could not play because he did not have a record player but he brought the records along to his piano teacher insisting that his teacher play them. At night he would work on manuscripts even though he did not fully understand the notation.
Barry later went on to study music in UCD and later in Germany under Mauricio Kagel and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He also studied organ with Piet Kee. His music would be noted for its emotional abandon and his markings in his scores indicate this e.g. sad, angry, furiously, frenetic etc. He composes much of his music in his house in Clare overlooking the Atlantic. Some of his pieces begin as Irish ballads, which then have notes inserted or subtracted from them until the source disappears. Having set off in a particular direction Barry grinds the material paying particular attention to catching a mood and holding it as long as possible, before abruptly changing course with a strongly contrasting tempo and texture. His rhythm is mostly thrusting and stomping, set off against haunting moments of sensuality. Barry also has a penchant for fortissimo and his music is non-developmental; there is no climax, no pivotal point, no resolution, no dialectic. Barry’s music is not for the faint-hearted. Listen to it as loud as you dare.
Of Queens’ Park is an ingenious work and I really like the scoring and the textures of the music. It was written in 1986 and was commissioned by the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The piece develops material from Barry’s opera “The Intelligence Park”.
Chevaux-de-frise were barriers of metal spikes put up as a defense against cavalry charges in the seventeenth century. This piece, written in 1988 to mark the four-hundredth anniversary of the Armada, is more aggressive than defensive. It is like a fearsome war machine with a menacing air that pervades the whole work. It contains strident and dissonant harmonies. The piece was commissioned by the BBC for the Ulster Orchestra to play at the 1988 Proms, where it was greeted by some with cries of “Rubbish!” [Personally I do not agree with that reaction; I think that this is a powerful piece and it puts me in mind of the music of Carl Nielsen.]
Flamboys marks the four-hundredth anniversary of Trinity College, Dublin. The name is that of a flaming torch, but also refers to those who ran ahead of processions with torches. It is a brilliant overture, based on a collection of waltzes, hymns and hornpipes [which are given the typical Barry treatment and worked beyond recognition].
Sur les Points is derived from material written in 1980 for the Bremen City Ballet for Reinhild Hoffman’s ballet Unkrautgarten. Sur les Points (On Points) exists in several versions, and is best known in its incarnation as a large virtuoso piano piece. This short transcription for wind band has a mysterious expectant quality.
Hard D was commissioned in 1992. The D of the title refers to the lowest note on the Uilean pipes, known as hard D because of its open, abrasive sound. The piece is in fifteen sections, each of which (with few exceptions) is based on a different Irish ballad. Barry set out to write one section a day and the piece has an immediacy born of rapid gestation.
Diner is also derived from material commissioned in 1980 for the Bremen City Ballet for Reinhild Hoffman’s ballet Unkrautgarten. It is based on two dances from the ballet, one a can-can the other a waltz. The cannibalise a melody from “___”, a 1979 ensemble piece speeded up out of all recognition, and harmonies from “Sur les Points”.
[As has been mentioned above Barry’s music is not for the faint-hearted. It is challenging but is rewarded by repeated listening and attempts at understanding. Thus I have included Kevin Volans’ notes to help guide those who may find some of this music on YouTube.]
Gerald Barry was born in Clare Hill, Clarecastle, County Clare in 1952. As a small child he listened to his uncle, a well known concertina player, and unknowingly developed a love for music. One late summer day in his early adolescence he went for a walk in the village churchyard. He wandered into the choir gallery and saw a closed harmonium and knew instantly that his whole life was there in this object. He did not have the words to describe to his mother what he was going to be and he cried for a week until she believed him. After seeing Heifetz perform on TV he bullied his mother into buying a violin, which he later pawned. The family did not have a piano but he demanded piano lessons. He bought records which he could not play because he did not have a record player but he brought the records along to his piano teacher insisting that his teacher play them. At night he would work on manuscripts even though he did not fully understand the notation.
Barry later went on to study music in UCD and later in Germany under Mauricio Kagel and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He also studied organ with Piet Kee. His music would be noted for its emotional abandon and his markings in his scores indicate this e.g. sad, angry, furiously, frenetic etc. He composes much of his music in his house in Clare overlooking the Atlantic. Some of his pieces begin as Irish ballads, which then have notes inserted or subtracted from them until the source disappears. Having set off in a particular direction Barry grinds the material paying particular attention to catching a mood and holding it as long as possible, before abruptly changing course with a strongly contrasting tempo and texture. His rhythm is mostly thrusting and stomping, set off against haunting moments of sensuality. Barry also has a penchant for fortissimo and his music is non-developmental; there is no climax, no pivotal point, no resolution, no dialectic. Barry’s music is not for the faint-hearted. Listen to it as loud as you dare.
Of Queens’ Park is an ingenious work and I really like the scoring and the textures of the music. It was written in 1986 and was commissioned by the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The piece develops material from Barry’s opera “The Intelligence Park”.
Chevaux-de-frise were barriers of metal spikes put up as a defense against cavalry charges in the seventeenth century. This piece, written in 1988 to mark the four-hundredth anniversary of the Armada, is more aggressive than defensive. It is like a fearsome war machine with a menacing air that pervades the whole work. It contains strident and dissonant harmonies. The piece was commissioned by the BBC for the Ulster Orchestra to play at the 1988 Proms, where it was greeted by some with cries of “Rubbish!” [Personally I do not agree with that reaction; I think that this is a powerful piece and it puts me in mind of the music of Carl Nielsen.]
Flamboys marks the four-hundredth anniversary of Trinity College, Dublin. The name is that of a flaming torch, but also refers to those who ran ahead of processions with torches. It is a brilliant overture, based on a collection of waltzes, hymns and hornpipes [which are given the typical Barry treatment and worked beyond recognition].
Sur les Points is derived from material written in 1980 for the Bremen City Ballet for Reinhild Hoffman’s ballet Unkrautgarten. Sur les Points (On Points) exists in several versions, and is best known in its incarnation as a large virtuoso piano piece. This short transcription for wind band has a mysterious expectant quality.
Hard D was commissioned in 1992. The D of the title refers to the lowest note on the Uilean pipes, known as hard D because of its open, abrasive sound. The piece is in fifteen sections, each of which (with few exceptions) is based on a different Irish ballad. Barry set out to write one section a day and the piece has an immediacy born of rapid gestation.
Diner is also derived from material commissioned in 1980 for the Bremen City Ballet for Reinhild Hoffman’s ballet Unkrautgarten. It is based on two dances from the ballet, one a can-can the other a waltz. The cannibalise a melody from “___”, a 1979 ensemble piece speeded up out of all recognition, and harmonies from “Sur les Points”.
[As has been mentioned above Barry’s music is not for the faint-hearted. It is challenging but is rewarded by repeated listening and attempts at understanding. Thus I have included Kevin Volans’ notes to help guide those who may find some of this music on YouTube.]
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
I have the wonderful John O'Conor playing the Nocturnes....,
I discovered these on foot of a documentary about Chopin where field was credited with the abandonment of traditional structured forms in favor of the new nocturne form (which incidentally reminds me of finger style acoustic blues.... the sonorous bass lines with chromatic melody in the right hand mirroring the thumb and fingers separation on the guitar)
I discovered these on foot of a documentary about Chopin where field was credited with the abandonment of traditional structured forms in favor of the new nocturne form (which incidentally reminds me of finger style acoustic blues.... the sonorous bass lines with chromatic melody in the right hand mirroring the thumb and fingers separation on the guitar)
- Attachments
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Brass Bands are all very well in their place -
outdoors and several miles away....
outdoors and several miles away....
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Thanks a lot for that Johnny. Your contribution is the kind of thing that I was hoping for namely either other works not listed or other versions of those works listed. I really should have a copy of that CD; I greatly admire John O'Connor.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
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Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Seoirse Bodley:
Seoirse Bodley was born in Dublin in 1933 and led a very active academic life as a lecturer and later as Professor of Music at UCD. His talent was recognised at an early age in the mid nineteen fifties with the performance of some remarkable choral pieces.
His music has displayed his intense interest in the authentic Irish tradition but uniquely among Irish composers of his generation he studied in eminent German schools which influenced both his early and later works. His work also developed a synthesis of these influences coupled with the integration of an authentic Irish traditional note into a highly developed and sophisticated personal style. His output includes a large quantity of choral music, chamber music and settings for solo voice.
“Ceol” (Symphony No. 3) was commissioned by RTE for the opening concert of the inauguration of the National Concert Hall on September 9th 1981. It is a symphony that incorporates parts for both choir and soloists with words by the poet Brendan Kennelly. It is a fine example of Bodley’s blend of traditional and modern techniques in an extended and impressive form.
(All notes by Venetia O'Sullivan and Gerard Victory).
Seoirse Bodley was born in Dublin in 1933 and led a very active academic life as a lecturer and later as Professor of Music at UCD. His talent was recognised at an early age in the mid nineteen fifties with the performance of some remarkable choral pieces.
His music has displayed his intense interest in the authentic Irish tradition but uniquely among Irish composers of his generation he studied in eminent German schools which influenced both his early and later works. His work also developed a synthesis of these influences coupled with the integration of an authentic Irish traditional note into a highly developed and sophisticated personal style. His output includes a large quantity of choral music, chamber music and settings for solo voice.
“Ceol” (Symphony No. 3) was commissioned by RTE for the opening concert of the inauguration of the National Concert Hall on September 9th 1981. It is a symphony that incorporates parts for both choir and soloists with words by the poet Brendan Kennelly. It is a fine example of Bodley’s blend of traditional and modern techniques in an extended and impressive form.
(All notes by Venetia O'Sullivan and Gerard Victory).
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Sean O'Riada is mainly known for reviving Irish music but he wrote some classical stuff himself. Very little of it is available as recordings.
In the 70's there was an LP called 'Vertical Man' with 'Hercules Dux Ferraire' and 'Four Holderlin Songs'
'Hercules Dux Ferraire' has been reissued -- see above.
He has a large choral work called 'Nomos No. 2' [I think 'Hercules Dux Ferraire' is Nomos No. 1 and the piano concerto is Nomos No. 3 .. 'nomos' is Greek for 'law']
Nomos No. 2 is based on the Greek text 'Oedupus at Colonos' [Sophocles].
Some references ....
http://www.cmc.ie/composers/composer.cfm?composerID=97
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_%C3%93_Riada
http://test.seanoriada.ie/saothair-works
"Change is Possible" [Parking Meter in Dundrum Shopping Centre]
Re: Irish Classical Music Composers in my collection
Thank you for your contribution James.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra