August/September 2009

Reelan

Reelan

Reelan

The Crooked Picture, A Selection of Original Irish Music SPCD001

Published on 1 August 2009

Niall Keegan is a traditional flute player and Associate Director at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.

A Missionary Spirit

A Missionary Spirit

A Missionary Spirit

In an extract from his biography of Irish Times music critic Charles Acton (1914–1999), Richard Pine discusses the role of the critic from the 1950s up to the 1980s.

Published on 1 August 2009

Richard Pine, Director of the Durrell School of Corfu, is a former Concerts Manager in RTÉ. He is the author and editor of books on Irish music history and of definitive studies of Oscar Wilde, Brian Friel and Lawrence Durrell.

Around the World for Sport

Around the World for Sport

Around the World for Sport

Ciaran Carson remembers how we was driven by music when he had no car...

Published on 1 August 2009

Ciaran Carson (1948–2019) was a poet, prose writer, translator and flute-player. He was the author of Last Night’s Fun – A Book about Irish Traditional Music, The Pocket Guide to Traditional Irish Music, The Star Factory, and the poetry collections The Irish for No, Belfast Confetti and First Language: Poems. He was Professor of Poetry at Queen’s University Belfast. Between 2008 and 2010 Ciaran wrote a series of linked columns for the Journal of Music, beginning with 'The Bag of Spuds' and ending with 'The Raw Bar'.

The Beat of a Big Heart

The Beat of a Big Heart

The Beat of a Big Heart

Tony MacMahon remembers Joe Cooley, the larger-than-life musician that set him on his musical journey, and also discusses the music of Frankie Gavin and Martin Hayes, and traditional-music broadcasting.

Published on 1 August 2009

Tony MacMahon (1939–2021) was a traditional musician and television producer in RTÉ, where he produced The Pure Drop, The Green Linnet, Aisling Gheal, The Long Note, The Blackbird and the Bell and many other series. He made three solo recordings, Tony MacMahon (1972), MacMahon from Clare (2000), and Farewell to Music (2016) and recorded I gCnoc na Graí (1985) with Noel Hill and Aislingí Ceoil (1994) with Noel Hill and Iarla Ó Lionáird. Read our full obituary here: https://journalofmusic.com/news/rip-tony-macmahon

When Parents Stop Singing to Their Kids

When Parents Stop Singing to Their Kids

When Parents Stop Singing to Their Kids

Parents sing, sing, sing to their children in the pre-school years... and then it stops. Why?

Published on 1 August 2009

Toner Quinn is Editor of the Journal of Music. His new book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music, is available here. Toner will be giving a lecture exploring some of the ideas in the book on Saturday 11 May 2024 at 3pm at Farmleigh House in Dublin. For booking, visit https://bit.ly/3x2yCL8.

What Rock Is

What Rock Is

What Rock Is

What is rock, really?

Published on 1 August 2009

Peter Rosser (1970–2014) was a composer, writer and music lecturer.

He was born in London and moved to Belfast in 1990, where he studied composition at the University of Ulster and was awarded a DPhil in 1997. His music has been performed at the Spitalfields Festival in London, the Belfast Festival at Queen’s and by the Crash Ensemble in Dublin.

In 2011 the Arts Council acknowledged his contribution to the arts in Northern Ireland through a Major Individual Artist Award. He used this award to write his Second String Quartet, which was premiered in 2012 by the JACK Quartet at the opening concert at Belfast's new Metropolitan Arts Centre (The MAC).

Peter Rosser also wrote extensively on a wide range of music genres, with essays published in The Journal of Music, The Wire, Perspectives of New Music and the Crescent Journal. 

He died following an illness on 24 November 2014, aged 44.

Live: Beyond the Wall

Live: Beyond the Wall

London Symphony Orchestra, Lang Lang (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tan Dun (conductor), Wu Man (pipa), Kronos Quartet, Mamer, Hanggai, FM3, Xiao He, Yan Jun, Wu Na, WhiteBarbican, LSO St Luke’s and Union Chapel; London21 March – 16 May 2

Published on 1 August 2009

Stephen Graham is a lecturer in music at Goldsmiths, University of London. He blogs at www.robotsdancingalone.wordpress.com.

Online Radio

Online Radio

Classical/Early   CD Review Andrew McGregor Sat, 9:00am bbc.co.uk/radio3/cdreview/Classical Collection Sarah Walker Mon–Fri, 10:00am bbc.co.uk/radio3/classicalcollection Composer of the Week Donal Macleod Mon–Fri,...

Published on 1 August 2009

Book: Tuned Out

Book: Tuned Out

Fintan VallelyTuned Out: Traditional Music and Identity in Northern IrelandCork University PressTuned Out is the story of Irish traditional music in Northern Ireland and its transformation there into a cultural form associated mainly with N

Published on 1 August 2009

Valerie Francis

Valerie Francis

Slow DynamoVF Records (VF1)With Slow Dynamo, Valerie Francis is introducing herself to the pantheon of Irish female singer-songwriters with a firm handshake and steady eye, armed with a brand of alt-folk which seems as informed as much by t

Published on 1 August 2009

Anna Murray is a composer and writer. Her website is www.annamurraymusic.com.

Sunn O)))

Sunn O)))

Monoliths and DimensionsSouthern Lord RecordsThe beautiful ambient/minimalist electronica of Australian anti-guitarist Oren Ambarchi has been one of the discoveries of the last five years for me.

Published on 1 August 2009

Ian Wilson is a composer

Radar

Radar

Radar

U2 Donate 5M Euro to Music EducationMusic education in Ireland is to benefit from a substantial philanthropic gift of €5 million by U2 along with a further €2 million pledged by the Ireland Funds.

Published on 1 August 2009

From the Editor

From the Editor

Arts funding continues to look vulnerable in this economic recession, but it always has been, and we have to seriously look at why this is.Arts communities have continually put forward economic, cultural and social arguments for funding for

Published on 1 August 2009

Toner Quinn is Editor of the Journal of Music. His new book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music, is available here. Toner will be giving a lecture exploring some of the ideas in the book on Saturday 11 May 2024 at 3pm at Farmleigh House in Dublin. For booking, visit https://bit.ly/3x2yCL8.