An Chláirseach agus an Choróin: Seacht gCeolsiansa Stanford - Liam Mac Cóil

Cumadóir mór ceoil ba ea Charles Villiers Stanford, b’fhéidir gurb é an cumadóir ba mhó é a tháinig as Éirinn riamh. Sa leabhar breá sómasach seo déantar iniúchadh, ní hamháin ar cheol Stanford agus ar cheol na nGael, ach ar chúlra cultúir an chumadóra chlúitigh seo. Go deimhin, ní minic leabhair Ghaeilge ag scrúdú an tSasanachais, mar atá déanta sa leabhar seo a théann i ngleic le ceist an Éireannachais agus le ceist an tSasanachais, agus lena bhfuil i gceist le bheith i d’Éireannach anglafónach, agus i do Ghael. Is é Charles Villiers Stanford an cumadóir ceoil is mó a tháinig as Éirinn riamh – nach raibh Gaeilge aige! Is é is mó a chuir ceol na nGael – ár gceolna, ceol lucht labhartha na Gaeilge – ag fuaimniú ar stáitsí an cheoil ealaíne san Eoraip agus sna Stáit Aontaithe.

Charles Villiers Stanford was a great composer, perhaps the greatest composer to have ever come from Ireland. In this beautiful-looking book, not only is Stanford’s music and Gaelic music examined, but also Stanford’s cultural background. Indeed, it is not often we get an Irish book which examines Englishness, as is done in this book which gets to grips with both the Irish and the English question, and what it means to be an anglophonic Englishman, and what it means go be a Gael. Charles Villiers Stanford is the greatest composer to have come from Ireland — who didn’t speak Irish. It was he, more than anyone else, who put Gaelic music — our music, the music of Irish speakers — on the musical stages of Europe and the United States.