Seóirse Bodley (1933- )
Seóirse
Bodley is one the most important Irish composers of the older
generation and was probably, in the 1960s and 1970s, the most moder
voice sounding from Ireland. From three visits to the famous summer
courses of new music at Darmstadt (1963-65) he returned to Ireland with
an awareness of modern continental trends in music which resulted in
many pieces of great complexity. From 1972 he combined these modern
influences with elements from Irish traditional music, producing a
highly original music of contrasts. His works from the early 1980s
returns to a more simple language maintaining many qualities of his
earlier styles in more sublte reflections. Bodley's case is certainly
one of an often misunderstood and today far too little recorded
composer.COMPOSITIONS Bodley Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Bodley on Bodley
O Mistress Mine, baritone and piano (1950)
A Cradle Song, soprano and piano (1950)
Music for Strings, string orchestra (1952)
The Fairies, baritone and piano (1953)
Stróll, baritone and piano (1953)
Paidir [2], baritone and piano (1953)
Paidir [1], baritone and piano (1953)
Ná Déan Gáire, baritone and piano (1953)
Do Bhádhasa Uair, baritone and piano (1953)
Deire Fomhair, baritone and piano (1953)
Cré, baritone and piano (1953)
A Drinking Song, baritone and piano (1953)
Cúl an Tí (The Black House), chorus (1954)
Four Little Pieces, piano (1954)
Movement for Orchestra (1955-56)
An Bhliain Lán (The Full Year), tenor and chorus (1956)
Salve Maria Virgo, orchestra (1957)
Sonata, violin and piano (1958; rev. 1968)
Symphony No. 1, orchestra (1958-59)
Gogaí-ó-Gaog, voice and piano (1960; arr. for English horn and piano, 1960)
Cuirfimid Deaindí Deaindí, female chorus (1960)
Caoineadh na dTrí Muire, female chorus (1960)
An Teicheadh go hÉigipt, female chorus (1960)
An Bás is an Bheatha (Life and Death), chorus (1959-60)
Divertimento, string orchestra (1961)
Trí Aortha (Three Satires), chorus (1962)
Prelude, Toccata and Epilogue, piano (1963)
Chamber Symphony No. 1, chamber orchestra (1964)
Never to have lived is best, soprano and orchestra (1965)
Configurations, orchestra (1967)
String Quartet No. 1 (1968)
Scintillae, 2 Irish harps (1968)
Ariel's Songs, soprano and piano (1969)
In Memory of Seán Ó Riada, flute and piano (1971)
Meditations on Lines from Patrick Kavanagh, alto voice and orchestra (1971)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, 2 pianos (1972; arr. for solo piano, 1977)
September Preludes, flute and piano (1973)
Ceathrúintí Mháire Ní Ogáin (Mháire Ní Ogáin's Quatrains), soprano and orchestra (1973)
A Small White Cloud Drifts over Ireland, orchestra (1975)
Mass of Peace, unison chorus and organ (1976)
The Tightrope Walker Presents a Rose, piano (1976)
A Chill Wind, chorus (div.) (1977)
Aislingí (Dreams), piano (1977)
Hymn to St. John of God, chorus, voices and organ (1978)
The 'O' Antiphons, chorus and organ (1978)
A Girl, mezzo-soprano and piano (1978)
Transitions, mezzo-soprano, 2 speakers, piano and prepared piano (1978)
From Ireland's Past, TV series score, ob, hn, 2 tpt, trb, tuba and string quartet (1978)
The Radiant Moment, chorus (1979)
Mass of Joy, counter-tenor, unison voices and organ (1979)
Hymn to Our Lady of Knock, chorus and organ (1979)
Pslamn 45, chorus and organ (1979)
Michael Davitt and the Land League, TV documentary score, fl, ob, bsn, hn, timp, pf and strings (1979)
Ceol: Symphony No. 3, soloists, chorus, semi-chorus, children's choir, speaker, audience and orchestra (1980)
I Have Loved the Lands of Ireland: Symphony No. 2, orchestra (1980)
Three Congregational Masses, counter-tenor, unison voices and organ (1977-81)
James Joyce, BBC TV documentary score, flute, cornet, trombone, piano and string quartet (1981)
Chamber Symphony No. 2, chamber orchestra (1982)
Celebration Music, 3 trumpets and string orchestra or string quartet (1983)
The Banshee, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass and live electronics (1983)
A Concert Mass, soloist, chorus and string orchestra (1984)
Caught in a Free State, TV mini-series music [episode #1.1] (1984)
A Passionate Love, mezzo-soprano and piano (1985)
Canal Bank Walk, mezzo-soprano and piano (1986)
Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano (1986)
The Naked Flame, medium voice and piano (1987)
The Fiddler, speaker, violin, viola and cello (w/opt. chorus, percussion and instruments) (1987)
Upon My Lap My Sovereign Sits, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
The Enniscorthy Christmas Carol, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Suantraí na Maighdine, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Song for Jerusalem, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Let Folly Praise What Fancy Loves, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
In Bethlehem City, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Carta Irlandesa, medium voice and piano (1988)
Bí 'Íosa im Chroíse, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Ar Éireann ní neosfainn Cé hÍ, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
A Carol for Twelfth Day, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
A Carol for Christams Day, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
W.B. Yeats, BBC TV documentary score, fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, trom, perc, harp, pf and strings (1988)
Phantasms, flute, clarinet, cello and harp (1989)
Symphony No. 4, orchestra (1990-91)
Symphony No. 5, orchestra (1991) [for the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Siege of Limerick]
String Quartet No. 2 (1992)
By the Margin of the Great Deep, medium voice and piano (1995)
Ceremonial Music, brass quintet (1995)
Fraw Musica, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (1996)
Fraw Musica, mezzo-soprano and piano (1996)
Piano Concerto (1996)
Pax Bellumque, soprano, flute, clarinet, violin and piano (1997)
Look to this Day!, voice and piano (1997)
News from Donabate, piano (1999)
Chiaroscuro, piano (1999)
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1999)
Earlsfort Suite, soprano and orchestra/or piano (1999-2000)
In Quiet Celebration..., piano (2000)
An Exchange of Letters, piano (2002)
After Great Pain, song-cycle, mezzo-soprano and piano (2002) [in commemoration of those killed on September 11, 2001]
Three songs and a recitative on poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
Wandrers Nachtlied, mezzo-soprano and piano (2003) [text: Goethe]
Mignon and the Harper, soprano, baritone and piano (2004)
Metamorphoses on the name Schumann, orchestra (2004)
String Quartet No. 3 (Ave atque Vale) (2004)
Squall, soprano and piano (2006)
Islands, guitar (2006)
String Quartet No. 4 (2007)
Amra Choluim Chille (Amra Cholm Cille), chorus (2007)
WORKS BY GENRE Bodley Links ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
Music for Strings, string orchestra (1952)
Movement for Orchestra (1955-56)
Salve Maria Virgo, orchestra (1957)
Symphony No. 1, orchestra (1958-59)
Divertimento, string orchestra (1961)
Chamber Symphony No. 1, chamber orchestra (1964)
Configurations, orchestra (1967)
A Small White Cloud Drifts over Ireland, orchestra (1975)
Ceol: Symphony No. 3, soloists, chorus, semi-chorus, children's choir, speaker, audience and orchestra (1980)
I Have Loved the Lands of Ireland: Symphony No. 2, orchestra (1980)
Chamber Symphony No. 2, chamber orchestra (1982)
Celebration Music, 3 trumpets and string orchestra or string quartet (1983)
Symphony No. 4, orchestra (1990-91)
Symphony No. 5, orchestra (1991) [for the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Siege of Limerick]
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1999)
Metamorphoses on the name Schumann, orchestra (2004)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Celebration Music, 3 trumpets and string orchestra or string quartet (1983)
Piano Concerto (1996)
Chorus w/Orchestra
Ceol: Symphony No. 3, soloists, chorus, semi-chorus, children's choir, speaker, audience and orchestra (1980)
A Concert Mass, soloist, chorus and string orchestra (1984)
Fraw Musica, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (1996)
Choral
I will walk with my love, chorus (????)
An Dreóilín, female chorus (????)
Cúl an Tí (The Black House), chorus (1954)
An Bhliain Lán (The Full Year), tenor and chorus (1956)
Cuirfimid Deaindí Deaindí, female chorus (1960)
Caoineadh na dTrí Muire, female chorus (1960)
An Teicheadh go hÉigipt, female chorus (1960)
An Bás is an Bheatha (Life and Death), chorus (1959-60)
Trí Aortha (Three Satires), chorus (1962)
Mass of Peace, unison chorus and organ (1976)
A Chill Wind, chorus (div.) (1977)
Hymn to St. John of God, chorus, voices and organ (1978)
The 'O' Antiphons, chorus and organ (1978)
The Radiant Moment, chorus (1979)
Mass of Joy, counter-tenor, unison voices and organ (1979)
Hymn to Our Lady of Knock, chorus and organ (1979)
Pslamn 45, chorus and organ (1979)
Three Congregational Masses, counter-tenor, unison voices and organ (1977-81)
The Fiddler, speaker, violin, viola and cello (w/opt. chorus, percussion and instruments) (1987)
Amra Choluim Chille (Amra Cholm Cille), chorus (2007)
Chamber
String Quartet No. 1 (1968)
Scintillae, 2 Irish harps (1968)
From Ireland's Past, ob, hn, 2 tpt, trb, tuba and string quartet (1978) [from film score]
James Joyce Film Music, flute, trombone, cornet(?), string quartet and piano (1981)
Celebration Music, 3 trumpets and string orchestra or string quartet (1983)
Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano (1986)
The Fiddler, speaker, violin, viola and cello (w/opt. chorus, percussion and instruments) (1987)
Phantasms, flute, clarinet, cello and harp (1989)
String Quartet No. 2 (1992)
Ceremonial Music, brass quintet (1995)
String Quartet No. 3 (Ave atque Vale) (2004)
String Quartet No. 4 (2007)
Solo Instrument
Sonata, violin and piano (1958; rev. 1968)
Gogaí-ó-Gaog, English horn and piano (1960) [from work for voice and piano, 1960]
In Memory of Seán Ó Riada, flute and piano (1971)
September Preludes, flute and piano (1973)
Islands, guitar (2006)
Piano
Four Little Pieces, piano (1954)
Prelude, Toccata and Epilogue, piano (1963)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, 2 pianos (1972; arr. for solo piano, 1977)
The Tightrope Walker Presents a Rose, piano (1976)
Aislingí (Dreams), piano (1977)
News from Donabate, piano (1999)
Chiaroscuro, piano (1999)
In Quiet Celebration..., piano (2000)
An Exchange of Letters, piano (2002)
Vocal
O Mistress Mine, baritone and piano (1950)
A Cradle Song, soprano and piano (1950)
The Fairies, baritone and piano (1953)
Stróll, baritone and piano (1953)
Paidir [2], baritone and piano (1953)
Paidir [1], baritone and piano (1953)
Ná Déan Gáire, baritone and piano (1953)
Do Bhádhasa Uair, baritone and piano (1953)
Deire Fomhair, baritone and piano (1953)
Cré, baritone and piano (1953)
A Drinking Song, baritone and piano (1953)
Gogaí-ó-Gaog, voice and piano (1960; also arr. for English horn and piano)
Never to have lived is best, soprano and orchestra (1965)
Ariel's Songs, soprano and piano (1969)
Meditations on Lines from Patrick Kavanagh, alto voice and orchestra (1971)
Ceathrúintí Mháire Ní Ogáin (Mháire Ní Ogáin's Quatrains), soprano and orchestra (1973)
A Girl, mezzo-soprano and piano (1978)
Transitions, mezzo-soprano, 2 speakers, piano and prepared piano (1978)
The Banshee, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass and live electronics (1983)
A Passionate Love, mezzo-soprano and piano (1985)
Canal Bank Walk, mezzo-soprano and piano (1986)
The Naked Flame, song cycle, medium voice and piano (1987)
Upon My Lap My Sovereign Sits, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
The Enniscorthy Christmas Carol, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Suantraí na Maighdine, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Song for Jerusalem, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Let Folly Praise What Fancy Loves, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
In Bethlehem City, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Carta Irlandesa, medium voice and piano (1988)
Bí 'Íosa im Chroíse, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
Ar Éireann ní neosfainn Cé hÍ, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
A Carol for Twelfth Day, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
A Carol for Christams Day, mezzo-soprano and Irish harp (1988)
By the Margin of the Great Deep, medium voice and piano (1995)
Fraw Musica, mezzo-soprano and piano (1996)
Pax Bellumque, soprano, flute, clarinet, violin and piano (1997)
Look to this Day!, voice and piano (1997)
Earlsfort Suite, song cycle, soprano and orchestra/or piano (1999-2000)
After Great Pain, song-cycle, mezzo-soprano and piano (2002) [in commemoration of those killed on September 11, 2001]
Three songs and a recitative on poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
Wandrers Nachtlied, mezzo-soprano and piano (2003)
Mignon and the Harper, soprano, baritone and piano (2004)
Squall, soprano and piano (2006)
Incidental/Film
From Ireland's Past, TV series score, ob, hn, 2 tpt, trb, tuba and string quartet (1978)
Michael Davitt and the Land League, TV documentary score, fl, ob, bsn, hn, timp, pf and strings (1979)
James Joyce, BBC TV documentary score, flute, cornet, trombone, piano and string quartet (1981)
Caught in a Free State, TV mini-series music [episode #1.1] (1984)
W.B. Yeats, BBC TV documentary score, fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, trom, perc, harp, pf and strings (1988)
Electronic
The Banshee, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass and live electronics (1983)
BODLEY LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Ambassador Launches First Book on Ireland’s Foremost Living Composer, Seóirse Bodley
CD Review: Seóirse Bodley (Dick O’Riordan, The Post.ie)
A Hazardous Melody of Being: Seóirse Bodley's Song Cycles on Poems of Micheal O'Siadhail (Peter Lang Pub)
Michael Dungan Talks to Composer Seóirse Bodley (Michael Dungan, Contemporary Music Centre Ireland)
A New Book on Seóirse Bodley is Now Available from Field Day Books (Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland)
What's It Like to be Seóirse Bodley? (Contemporary Music Centre Ireland)
Composer website (@ Contemporary Music Centre Ireland) . . . contact Seóirse Bodley: SeoirseBodley(at)eircom(dot)net
Bodley @ Wikipedia
Bodley @ Answers.com
Bodley @ arts.jrank
Bodley @ Aosdana
Bodley @ Association of Irish Composers (AIC)
Bodley @ Carysfort Press
Bodley @ Classical Music.ie
Bodley @ ClassicsToday
Bodley @ Contemporary Music Centre Ireland also here
Bodley @ Facebook
Bodley @ Field Day Press
Bodley @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Bodley @ Irish Classical Recordings: A Discography of Irish Art Music (Axel Klein, Greenwood Pub Group, books.google.com)
Bodley @ Irish Museum of Modern Art/The Moderns
Bodley @ LinkedIn
Bodley @ MusicWeb International
Bodley @ Naxos
Bodley @ REC Music Foundation /The Lied and Art Song Texts Page
Bodley @ Records International
Bodley @ RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Publisher
Bodley @ Composer website (@ Contemporary Music Centre Ireland) - listings under individual works
Streaming Audio
Bodley @ Contemporary Music Centre Ireland/Interview
Bodley @ Carysfort Press also here (via books.google.com)
Bodley @ last.fm
Bodley @ RTE Radio 1/Interview with Miriam O'Callaghan
Recordings
Bodley @ ArkivMusic
Bodley @ ClassicsOnline
Bodley @ Discogs
Bodley @ Great Indie Music
Video
Bodley @ YouTube
Bodley @ Google Video
~ top of page ~
Bodley on Bodley: Interviewed on the Occasion of His 75th Birthday
Bodley on Bodley: Interview with Miriam O'Callaghan & Micheal O'Siadhail (streaming audio)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
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