Music, the Moving Image and Ireland, 1897–2017 constitutes the first comprehensive study of music for screen productions from or relating to the island. It identifies and interprets tendencies over the first 120 years of a field comprising the relatively distinct yet often overlapping areas of Irish-themed and Irish-produced film. Dividing into three parts, the book first explores accompaniments and scores for 20th-century Irish-themed narrative features that resulted in significant contributions by many Hollywood, British, continental European and, to a lesser extent, Irish composers, along with the input of many orchestras and other musicians. Its second part is framed by a consideration of various cultural, political and economic developments in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from the 1920s (including the Troubles of 1968–1998). Focusing on scoring and other aspects of soundtrack production for domestic newsreel, documentary film and TV programming, it interprets the substantial output of many Irish composers within this milieu, particularly from the 1960s to the 1990s. Also referring to broader cultural and historical themes, the book’s third and final part charts approaches to and developments in music and sound design over various waves of Irish cinema, from its relatively late emergence in the 1970s to an exponential growth and increasingly transnational orientation in the early decades of the 21st century.
By:
John O'Flynn
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781138561779
ISBN 10: 1138561770
Series: Ashgate Screen Music Series
Pages: 306
Publication Date: 31 December 2021
Audience:
College/higher education
,
General/trade
,
Primary
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: Music, the moving image, and Ireland Conceiving the field A national cinema? Aims and methods Representing Ireland Musical tropes and their alternatives: a book of three parts Musical and ideological readings Part 1: Irish Themes on Screen and in Sound Chapter 1: The first half-century: From silent newsreel to narrative sound film The beginnings of Irish cinema Early Irish-themed sound film Max Steiner and Irish-themed film British and Irish film: the mid-to-late 1930s Irish-themed British film music: William Alwyn The luck of the Irish? Chapter 2: Harping on? The 1950s to the 1990s The early to mid-1950s Irish-produced and Irish-themed Fighters, writers and leprechauns Different directions in the 1970s Re-working sonic Irishness Chapter 3: Literature-to-film adaptations and music O’Casey and Synge Joyce, music and film New generations of writers Elmer Bernstein and adapted Irish screenplays End-of-century adaptations Part 2: Perception and Production from Within Chapter 4: Sounding nation and culture on screen Early perspectives on the independence struggle Anthropology and ideology Nation building Tourism, heritage and the natural world Commemoration Documenting tradition in a modern age Chapter 5: Soundtracks to Ireland’s troubles: dramas and documentaries The long 19th century on TV The Northern Ireland Troubles in documentary film The mid-1990s: A new aesthetic for Troubles documentaries? Critical perspectives on the Republic: the 1960s Continuing themes of unemployment, emigration and diaspora Abuse, abjection and marginalization Millennial perspectives on Irish history Chapter 6: Irish Composers and 20th-century film and TV Mid-20th century composers Combining tradition and modernity? Experimental scoring: Brian Boydell Composing for TV: A.J. Potter From newsreel to feature film: Gerard Victory The late 20th century: Seóirse Bodley, John Buckley and Roger Doyle Part 3: Cinematic and Musical Developments Chapter 7: Soundtracks for an emerging Irish cinema: Margins, borders, troubles On the margins: first wave Irish cinema Early narrative features on the Troubles Troubles films go mainstream South of the border: past troubles Chapter 8: A plurality of genres Documenting music on screen Traditional and folk soundtracks Traditional music and orchestral scores: Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Bill Whelan and Shaun Davey From stage to soundtrack: music hall, dance bands and jazz Popular music: composition and compilation The Irish music-film Chapter 9: 21st-century themes Soundtracks, places, spaces Crime drama Past traumas Looking back at the Troubles Outsiders Beyond Ireland Conclusion: Retrospectives and recent developments Music, the moving image and Ireland: the first 120 years 21st-century documentary features Retrospectives and (re)-composition Developments in screen music production Glossary of Musical Terms Selected Filmography Bibliography
John O’Flynn is Associate Professor of Music at Dublin City University. He is author of The Irishness of Irish Music (2009) and co-editor of several books, including Music and Identity in Ireland and Beyond (2014) and Made in Ireland: Studies in Popular Music (2020).
Reviews for Music, the Moving Image and Ireland, 1897–2017
"""Overall, I highly recommend Music, the Moving Image and Ireland, 1897–2017 as a seminal book that demonstrates the evolution of music in Irish-themed and Irish-produced films over the last 120 years."" - Lauren Alex O’Hagan, Örebro University"
