The Invisible Art: A Century of Music in Ireland, 1916-2016

From valiant pioneers struggling against the tide to confident, highly individual twenty-first-century voices, The Invisible Art highlights the difficulties musical creators faced in securing a clearly defined place in wider Irish society. This book brings to life the music of a nation: from Rhoda Coghill’s cantata Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, to Gerald Barry’s irreverent operatic adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The views of the composers themselves are coupled with contributions by leading interpreters and experts to make for a rich narrative in this lavishly illustrated homage to an underappreciated art. Published in association with RT and Bord na M na, and with pieces commissioned from an array of expert writers covering this key period in Irish musical composition, this lavishly illustrated book will bring to life this unique art form in Ireland across the last century. It is edited by Irish Times music critic Michael Dervan and produced in conjunction with the music festival Composing the Island, a three-week-long festival featuring music written between 1916 and 2016, presented by Bord na M na in association with RT and the National Concert Hall. Readers will find The Invisible Art to be a work of outstanding artistic and cultural merit, and a must-have on any music lover’s bookshelf. [Subject: Music History, Music Studies, Irish Studies]