“Remembering
By
Declan J Connaughton
He watched him die,
Saw the life slipping away
Amid the tears and the prayers –
Time standing still,
An unreality about it –
Can’t be happening – don’t want to know.
Still, the time was upon them.
As it would eventually wash over
The gathered crowd,
Assembled there to witness the end
But, not wanting to.
The son had seen the dead laid out,
Acquaintances, mostly,
But still feeling that frightening closeness –
Death is near.
And with death comes the end of an era,
A chapter in the boy who is a man now.
The years have gone so quickly –
The passage of time suddenly unwelcome,
A thing to be resisted, to be halted,
To be slowed down with effort of will.
But nothing can stand still,
And with the passage of each hour
His father sleeps ever more deeply,
Breathing shallow, and shallower still.
The face is not lined with age or care of hardship,
But time has set it’s mark upon his heart,
And now the breathing stops –
All at an end.
Where is he now, this father?
The son struggles to believe – does believe,
But cannot be sure,
Nobody can.
The son wipes his tears and sees the mother –
And holds her hand,
And will continue on her journey with her now
© 2009 Declan J Connaughton
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
“MOVIE MAESTRO – A PROFILE OF JOHN WILLIAMS
BY
DECLAN J CONNAUGHTON
Since the dawn of motion pictures, the soundtrack score has been one of the most important aspects in ensuring the success of any film. The “Spaghetti” westerns of the late sixties and early seventies were generally regarded not only for their stylised close-ups but also for their music. Indeed, the leading composer of the genre, Ennio Morricone, has stated that his scores were generally composed even before the film was even made.
As with all fields of life, there are the chosen few who dominate and succeed like no other, and the sphere of film composition is no exception.
John Williams was educated at Julliard School for the Performing Arts, along with some other famous film composers such as Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage. Initially, Williams’ main interest was in classics and jazz. However, he soon moved into the area of film composition and began quickly making his mark.
It wasn’t until the musical “Fiddler on the roof”, in 1970, that Williams was finally given the recognition he deserved – winning his first Oscar for his musical adaptation. From that point on, Williams was to become the leading composer of motion picture soundtracks. Among the various notable scores which Williams scored around this period were The Towering Inferno, The Cowboys, as well as the comedy A Guide for the married man, directed by Gene Kelly.
In 1975 Universal Studios assigned a then relatively unknown director, Steven Spielberg, to direct Jaws, from the best seller by Peter Benchley. Williams was commissioned to write the score for the picture, winning him another Oscar, and gaining him a wide audience. There are many who may have never seen the picture, but recognise the score. Two years later, Williams was again assigned to score a Spielberg picture, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, winning the composer another Oscar nomination. Following this success, Williams scored the 1977 space epic Star Wars – winning him yet another Oscar. 1978 saw Williams at work on John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday starring Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. IN 1979 Williams also scored John Badam’s remake of “Dracula”, with Frank Langella in the title role, and Laurence Oliver as Van Helsing.
The eighties heralded Williams’ rise to a position of Conductor the the internationally famous Boston Pops Orchestra. Speilberg’s ET won Williams his fourth Oscar, and among the other compositions he was to score during this period were the Indiana Jones trilogy, the remake of Superman, the concluding chapters of the Star Wars saga, as well as The Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicolson and Cher, and Spielberg’s Empire of The Sun. His most recent score to date had been Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July starring Tom Cruise. Indeed, Williams is strongly tipped to win his fifth Oscar for this film.
The main highlight of Williams’ career to date during the eighties, was when he was commissioned to score the music for the Los Angeles Olympics. He also scored The River, Starring Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson.
Williams himself has stated that film music at the end of this century will be what opera represents to us today. It has been generally agreed that Williams had been the composer most responsible for re-introducing a more serious element into film composition, something sadly lacking in recent years.
In a sense Williams encapsulates what Dimitri Tiomkin and Max Steiner represent from the thirties on right on through to the sixties. Once cannot view Jaws without Williams’ theme, just as it would be impossible to imagine Psycho without Herrmann or The Omen without Goldsmith, or The Alamo without Tiomkin.
It is now apparent that John Williams is the most honoured film composer of our day, just behind the greatest composer of them all – Alfred Newman – who has an astonishing nine Oscars to his credit. However, I suspect Williams may surpass him.
Published “Orbit” Magazine March 1990
BY
DECLAN J CONNAUGHTON
Since the dawn of motion pictures, the soundtrack score has been one of the most important aspects in ensuring the success of any film. The “Spaghetti” westerns of the late sixties and early seventies were generally regarded not only for their stylised close-ups but also for their music. Indeed, the leading composer of the genre, Ennio Morricone, has stated that his scores were generally composed even before the film was even made.
As with all fields of life, there are the chosen few who dominate and succeed like no other, and the sphere of film composition is no exception.
John Williams was educated at Julliard School for the Performing Arts, along with some other famous film composers such as Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage. Initially, Williams’ main interest was in classics and jazz. However, he soon moved into the area of film composition and began quickly making his mark.
It wasn’t until the musical “Fiddler on the roof”, in 1970, that Williams was finally given the recognition he deserved – winning his first Oscar for his musical adaptation. From that point on, Williams was to become the leading composer of motion picture soundtracks. Among the various notable scores which Williams scored around this period were The Towering Inferno, The Cowboys, as well as the comedy A Guide for the married man, directed by Gene Kelly.
In 1975 Universal Studios assigned a then relatively unknown director, Steven Spielberg, to direct Jaws, from the best seller by Peter Benchley. Williams was commissioned to write the score for the picture, winning him another Oscar, and gaining him a wide audience. There are many who may have never seen the picture, but recognise the score. Two years later, Williams was again assigned to score a Spielberg picture, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, winning the composer another Oscar nomination. Following this success, Williams scored the 1977 space epic Star Wars – winning him yet another Oscar. 1978 saw Williams at work on John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday starring Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. IN 1979 Williams also scored John Badam’s remake of “Dracula”, with Frank Langella in the title role, and Laurence Oliver as Van Helsing.
The eighties heralded Williams’ rise to a position of Conductor the the internationally famous Boston Pops Orchestra. Speilberg’s ET won Williams his fourth Oscar, and among the other compositions he was to score during this period were the Indiana Jones trilogy, the remake of Superman, the concluding chapters of the Star Wars saga, as well as The Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicolson and Cher, and Spielberg’s Empire of The Sun. His most recent score to date had been Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July starring Tom Cruise. Indeed, Williams is strongly tipped to win his fifth Oscar for this film.
The main highlight of Williams’ career to date during the eighties, was when he was commissioned to score the music for the Los Angeles Olympics. He also scored The River, Starring Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson.
Williams himself has stated that film music at the end of this century will be what opera represents to us today. It has been generally agreed that Williams had been the composer most responsible for re-introducing a more serious element into film composition, something sadly lacking in recent years.
In a sense Williams encapsulates what Dimitri Tiomkin and Max Steiner represent from the thirties on right on through to the sixties. Once cannot view Jaws without Williams’ theme, just as it would be impossible to imagine Psycho without Herrmann or The Omen without Goldsmith, or The Alamo without Tiomkin.
It is now apparent that John Williams is the most honoured film composer of our day, just behind the greatest composer of them all – Alfred Newman – who has an astonishing nine Oscars to his credit. However, I suspect Williams may surpass him.
Published “Orbit” Magazine March 1990
A Profile of Joe Dowling
By 'Deagidn O 'Connacfitdin
'You can't take it with you" marks the welcome return of director Joe Dowling to the Abbey. Since his departure in 1985 Joe has reintroduced drama onto the Gaiety stage. Among the many acclaimed productions to his credit to date are "Borstal Boy", with Niall Toibin in the title role, "John Bull's Other Island" with stage giant Cyril Cusack, his internationally acclaimed production of "Juno and the Pay-cock" with Donal McCann, Geraldine Plunkett and John Kavanagh. That production also saw the welcome, and long awaited return of Maureen Potter in the role of Mrs Madigan. In recent years Joe has been closely associated with the works of Brian Friel, having directed seven of his plays. The Gate theatre saw a marvellous interpretation of "Twelfth Night",as well as "Blith Spirit".
In 1986, Joe founded The Gaiety School of Acting of which he remains director. His position at The Gaiety is that of Artistic cjirector. Among the many actors and ac-tfessed Joghas directed are the late sorely
missed Ray McAnally, Niall Toibin, Dar-ragh Kelly, Siobhan McKenna, Cyril Cusack, Bernard Hughes (twice), Donal McCann, John Kavanagh, Phillip O'Flynn and Anita Reeves. Joe also directed the highly entertaining musical "One of our own" with Niall Buggy. Joe has continued the tradition of the Christmas Panto at The Gaiety with the Marvellous Anita Reeves usually heading the cast. Maureen Potter has now become assistant director. Joe also starred in and directed "A Day in the death of Joe Egg". Joe was also director of The Peacock Theatre from 1974 to 1976, before being replaced by his friend and fellow actor Patrick Laffan (Twelfth Night, You Can't Take It With You), who is also involved in The Gaiety School of Acting. In an interview with Stage and Screen, Actor Donal McCann said that Joe always got the mix right and one always felt totally secure in Joe's hands. Taking Joe's checkered career into consideration I'm not surprised. (Published "Orbit Feb 1990)
By 'Deagidn O 'Connacfitdin
'You can't take it with you" marks the welcome return of director Joe Dowling to the Abbey. Since his departure in 1985 Joe has reintroduced drama onto the Gaiety stage. Among the many acclaimed productions to his credit to date are "Borstal Boy", with Niall Toibin in the title role, "John Bull's Other Island" with stage giant Cyril Cusack, his internationally acclaimed production of "Juno and the Pay-cock" with Donal McCann, Geraldine Plunkett and John Kavanagh. That production also saw the welcome, and long awaited return of Maureen Potter in the role of Mrs Madigan. In recent years Joe has been closely associated with the works of Brian Friel, having directed seven of his plays. The Gate theatre saw a marvellous interpretation of "Twelfth Night",as well as "Blith Spirit".
In 1986, Joe founded The Gaiety School of Acting of which he remains director. His position at The Gaiety is that of Artistic cjirector. Among the many actors and ac-tfessed Joghas directed are the late sorely
missed Ray McAnally, Niall Toibin, Dar-ragh Kelly, Siobhan McKenna, Cyril Cusack, Bernard Hughes (twice), Donal McCann, John Kavanagh, Phillip O'Flynn and Anita Reeves. Joe also directed the highly entertaining musical "One of our own" with Niall Buggy. Joe has continued the tradition of the Christmas Panto at The Gaiety with the Marvellous Anita Reeves usually heading the cast. Maureen Potter has now become assistant director. Joe also starred in and directed "A Day in the death of Joe Egg". Joe was also director of The Peacock Theatre from 1974 to 1976, before being replaced by his friend and fellow actor Patrick Laffan (Twelfth Night, You Can't Take It With You), who is also involved in The Gaiety School of Acting. In an interview with Stage and Screen, Actor Donal McCann said that Joe always got the mix right and one always felt totally secure in Joe's hands. Taking Joe's checkered career into consideration I'm not surprised. (Published "Orbit Feb 1990)
July 25, 2004
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald Goldsmith, an Academy Award-winning composer, died on July 21 after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.
The Los Angelino was only six years old when he first began to study music. Trained by famed pianist Jacob Gimpel and pianist/composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Goldsmith originally planned to enjoy a career in classical music. But a passion for movie scores blossomed after he viewed the 1945 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, "Spellbound," at the University of Southern California. The film featured an Oscar-winning score written by his professor, Miklos Rozsa.
Goldsmith landed his first job in show business in 1950 as a typist at CBS. He eventually revealed his talent for writing music and was hired to create scores and theme songs for live radio programs and early TV shows, including "The Twilight Zone," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "The Waltons" and "Dr. Kildare."
The prolific and versatile composer's film career took off in the early 1960s when he composed music for "Lonely Are the Brave" and "The Blue Max." Over the next four decades, Goldsmith created hundreds of scores, building melodies and moods in films such as "Planet of the Apes," "Patton," "Chinatown," "Poltergeist," "Basic Instinct," "Forever Young," "First Knight," "Mulan," "The Mummy," "L.A. Confidential" and the "Star Trek" movies.
Goldman was nominated for 17 Academy Awards, and won one for the 1976 horror film, "The Omen." He received nine Golden Globe nominations and took home five Emmys. Goldsmith also taught a graduate course in music composition at the UCLA School of Music and composed the cantata, "Christus Apollo," from the epic 1969 poem written by Ray Bradbury.
• Filmography
• Listen to NPR's Appreciation of GoldsmithPosted on July 25, 2004 11:49 PM
Tributes
The first LP I ever had of Jerry Goldsmith was the score for "Poltergiest" in 1982. I always had a distinct ear for classical music which is why orchestral film scores have always appealed to me. I can remember very well listening to that score's haunting melodies breathing life through my stereo system, and being overcome with the "Rebirth" movement of the piece. Steven Spielberg in his sleeve note used the term operatic when articulating "Poltergiest"'s definition, and fellow composer John Williams has always maintained that film music at the close of this century will be what opera was to the last. You knew there was a serious composer at work, and a serious imagination, conjuring up nighttime beauty, but also fear and terror. And terror was something Jerry Goldsmith did very well.From the opening credits of "The Omen", it is the jangly musical Oscar winning score which takes centre stage through it's legendary combination of orchestra and chorus. It sets the ominous tone, and underlines the ultimate fatalism, as Gregory Peck tries to discover exactly where his diabolical child came from. Then there is the lone trumpet cry of "Patton", a score which captures the essence of a man, through music, who was fanatical about being a soldier, and who believed himself to be reincarnated through all the battles in all the world. That score was lampooned by Goldsmith himself in "The Burbs", and has made it's way onto "The Simpsons". For all Star Trek fans Goldsmith will forever be the voice of the starship enterprise, first "The Motion Picture" and then onwards with "The Next Generation", culminating in the the majority of the Star Trek franchise and "Deep Space Nine". "First Contact" being one of my favourites.There are other scores which clearly stamp Jerry Goldsmith into them - "The Cassandra Crossing", "Twilight's Last Gleaming" and "The Boys from Brazil", as well as "The Swarm", "Capricorn One" and "Outland". He ventured west with "Wild Rovers", "Bandelero", "13 rifles" and "Rio Lobo" always embellishing his own unique colours. The turbulent and tragic final credit sequence of "In Harm's Way" was another Goldsmith masterpiece and "The Blue Max" will always remain an eternal favourite of film music collectors.Part of the composer's astonishing popularity was that he made the transition in film music from the nineteen fifties right on through to the present, adapting to modern film production and tastes. He was equally at home scoring for TV, with "The Waltons" and "Dr Kildare". He was never shy of using unique sounds as in "MacArthur", using the piano chords as an introduction. Modern scores such as "First Knight", "Air Force One" and "The Haunting" all benefited from his expertise and his recent non film "Christus Apollo" harkens back to his essentially classical training and preference.There were a few "unused" scores such as "Legend", now thankfully realised on CD.The first time I actually saw Jerry Goldsmith was on an interview on TV. His pony tail was the first thing that one noticed, tying back his almost luminous white hair. The other thing were his eyes. Jerry Goldsmith had very young eyes, almost like that of a child. You got the distinct impression that he would never be done experimenting, and his close friend Robert Towansand said that being with Jerry was like being on a magical adventure. While he won only one Oscar, his popularity would cry out for hundreds of Oscars, because he was hip. It was cool to listen to Jerry Goldsmith. He had that aura about him. Film composition was fun. If I was to play one track to send him on his way I think it would be the gentle Illy's theme from "Star Trek - The Motion Picture", or to be more dramatic the finale of "First Knight".Jerry Goldsmith, like all truely great artists, will live on - either on celluloid, where his music loves and feels with the characters, but most especially on the thousands of silver discs whcih turn to bright and shining gold, with his passing. Posted by Declan J Connaughton on August 28, 2004 10:00 PM
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald Goldsmith, an Academy Award-winning composer, died on July 21 after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.
The Los Angelino was only six years old when he first began to study music. Trained by famed pianist Jacob Gimpel and pianist/composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Goldsmith originally planned to enjoy a career in classical music. But a passion for movie scores blossomed after he viewed the 1945 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, "Spellbound," at the University of Southern California. The film featured an Oscar-winning score written by his professor, Miklos Rozsa.
Goldsmith landed his first job in show business in 1950 as a typist at CBS. He eventually revealed his talent for writing music and was hired to create scores and theme songs for live radio programs and early TV shows, including "The Twilight Zone," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "The Waltons" and "Dr. Kildare."
The prolific and versatile composer's film career took off in the early 1960s when he composed music for "Lonely Are the Brave" and "The Blue Max." Over the next four decades, Goldsmith created hundreds of scores, building melodies and moods in films such as "Planet of the Apes," "Patton," "Chinatown," "Poltergeist," "Basic Instinct," "Forever Young," "First Knight," "Mulan," "The Mummy," "L.A. Confidential" and the "Star Trek" movies.
Goldman was nominated for 17 Academy Awards, and won one for the 1976 horror film, "The Omen." He received nine Golden Globe nominations and took home five Emmys. Goldsmith also taught a graduate course in music composition at the UCLA School of Music and composed the cantata, "Christus Apollo," from the epic 1969 poem written by Ray Bradbury.
• Filmography
• Listen to NPR's Appreciation of GoldsmithPosted on July 25, 2004 11:49 PM
Tributes
The first LP I ever had of Jerry Goldsmith was the score for "Poltergiest" in 1982. I always had a distinct ear for classical music which is why orchestral film scores have always appealed to me. I can remember very well listening to that score's haunting melodies breathing life through my stereo system, and being overcome with the "Rebirth" movement of the piece. Steven Spielberg in his sleeve note used the term operatic when articulating "Poltergiest"'s definition, and fellow composer John Williams has always maintained that film music at the close of this century will be what opera was to the last. You knew there was a serious composer at work, and a serious imagination, conjuring up nighttime beauty, but also fear and terror. And terror was something Jerry Goldsmith did very well.From the opening credits of "The Omen", it is the jangly musical Oscar winning score which takes centre stage through it's legendary combination of orchestra and chorus. It sets the ominous tone, and underlines the ultimate fatalism, as Gregory Peck tries to discover exactly where his diabolical child came from. Then there is the lone trumpet cry of "Patton", a score which captures the essence of a man, through music, who was fanatical about being a soldier, and who believed himself to be reincarnated through all the battles in all the world. That score was lampooned by Goldsmith himself in "The Burbs", and has made it's way onto "The Simpsons". For all Star Trek fans Goldsmith will forever be the voice of the starship enterprise, first "The Motion Picture" and then onwards with "The Next Generation", culminating in the the majority of the Star Trek franchise and "Deep Space Nine". "First Contact" being one of my favourites.There are other scores which clearly stamp Jerry Goldsmith into them - "The Cassandra Crossing", "Twilight's Last Gleaming" and "The Boys from Brazil", as well as "The Swarm", "Capricorn One" and "Outland". He ventured west with "Wild Rovers", "Bandelero", "13 rifles" and "Rio Lobo" always embellishing his own unique colours. The turbulent and tragic final credit sequence of "In Harm's Way" was another Goldsmith masterpiece and "The Blue Max" will always remain an eternal favourite of film music collectors.Part of the composer's astonishing popularity was that he made the transition in film music from the nineteen fifties right on through to the present, adapting to modern film production and tastes. He was equally at home scoring for TV, with "The Waltons" and "Dr Kildare". He was never shy of using unique sounds as in "MacArthur", using the piano chords as an introduction. Modern scores such as "First Knight", "Air Force One" and "The Haunting" all benefited from his expertise and his recent non film "Christus Apollo" harkens back to his essentially classical training and preference.There were a few "unused" scores such as "Legend", now thankfully realised on CD.The first time I actually saw Jerry Goldsmith was on an interview on TV. His pony tail was the first thing that one noticed, tying back his almost luminous white hair. The other thing were his eyes. Jerry Goldsmith had very young eyes, almost like that of a child. You got the distinct impression that he would never be done experimenting, and his close friend Robert Towansand said that being with Jerry was like being on a magical adventure. While he won only one Oscar, his popularity would cry out for hundreds of Oscars, because he was hip. It was cool to listen to Jerry Goldsmith. He had that aura about him. Film composition was fun. If I was to play one track to send him on his way I think it would be the gentle Illy's theme from "Star Trek - The Motion Picture", or to be more dramatic the finale of "First Knight".Jerry Goldsmith, like all truely great artists, will live on - either on celluloid, where his music loves and feels with the characters, but most especially on the thousands of silver discs whcih turn to bright and shining gold, with his passing. Posted by Declan J Connaughton on August 28, 2004 10:00 PM
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Requiem - Sean O Riada (1931 - 1971)
The glory of evocative visions
Rises up before me,
Unclothed, naked......brutal.
Perceptive was the Mind
Weavomg this fabric of colours -
The crash of the sea against the cliffs of Arann,
The gentle slpe of moist, green hills.
Tall stand the mountains
But.....there is a lonely stillness here.
Stung now, are the eyes
Which never shed a tear,
Pierced are the hearts
Of those, long unmoved -
Dark are the clouds gathering at the East.
The Spirits of Generations are still called back,
When once the enchanted fingers
Caressed the delicate chords,
And eyes as clear as the River in Cul Aodha
Read the printed miracle -
- The life which springs from death -
And the majesty of it all.
Rest, now, a Sheain
I can hear in the distance them chant
Mo Ghile Mear,
Rest with eternal Ruth, hands clasped together.
For a darkness has descended -
The harpsicord long unplayed -
There will, I think, be rain today....................................
(c) Declan J Connaughton 1988,2009
Originally published Maynooth Newsletter June 1988
Monday, February 16, 2009
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