John Buckley (composer) facts for kids

John Buckley was born on 19 December 1951. He is a famous Irish composer and a teacher. He also helped start the Ennis Summer School and is a member of Aosdána, which is a special group for creative artists in Ireland.

About John Buckley

John Buckley grew up in a countryside area called Templeglantine in County Limerick, Ireland. When he was 9 years old, he started learning traditional Irish music. He learned to play the button accordion from a local musician named Liam Moloney.

In 1969, John moved to Dublin to study at St Patrick's College. There, he heard live classical and modern music for the first time. This included music by Irish composers like Aloys Fleischmann and Seóirse Bodley, as well as international composers.

He then studied music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin from 1969 to 1974. He learned to play the flute with Doris Keogh and studied how to compose music with A.J. Potter and James Wilson. He continued his studies with other famous musicians, including a short time with John Cage in 1981.

John first worked as a secondary school teacher. But from 1982, he started working full-time as a composer. In 1983, he and James Wilson started the Ennis Summer School. This school helped many young Irish composers learn and grow. Some of his students included Michael Alcorn and Rhona Clarke.

In 1984, John became a member of Aosdána. This is a special group in Ireland that supports artists. Since 2001, he has also taught music at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra. He earned his PhD in 2002 and a DMus in 2007 from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth.

Besides being part of Aosdána, John Buckley has received several awards. These include the Varming Prize in 1976 and the Marten Toonder Award in 1991.

John Buckley's Music

John Buckley has written many pieces of music. He has composed for solo instruments, small groups of musicians (chamber ensembles), choirs, bands, and even full orchestras. His music has been played and broadcast in Ireland and in over fifty countries around the world.

He has represented Ireland at the Unesco International Rostrum of Composers five times. His music has also been performed at five ISCM festivals.

John Buckley's music doesn't follow just one style. He has been influenced by composers like Luciano Berio and Olivier Messiaen. His music often starts with a few notes and then builds up to bigger, more complex sounds. Many of his pieces reach a big moment near the end before returning to the beginning sounds.

In some of his earlier works, John explored old Irish stories and myths. For example, his orchestral pieces Taller than Roman Spears (1977) and Fornocht do chonac thú (1980) were inspired by these tales. Later, this became less important to him. His newer music, from the late 1980s, has a more delicate sound. It focuses on how different sounds and instruments blend together.

In 2010, John Buckley arranged some traditional Irish songs for the flute. These arrangements sound more like traditional folk music, which is different from his usual compositions.

Selected Works

Here are some of the musical pieces John Buckley has composed:

Recordings

Many of John Buckley's musical works have been recorded. Here are some of the albums and CDs where you can hear his music:

• Three Lullabies for Deirdre, played by Roy Holmes (piano), on the album Dreaming (1994).
• Sonata for Solo Horn, played by Cormac Ó hAodáin, on Contemporary Music from Ireland vol. 1 (1995).
• Abendlied, sung by Penelope Price Jones (soprano) with Philip Martin (piano), on an album from 1996.
• Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra, played by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, on Strings A-Stray (1998).
• In Lines of Dazzling Light: John Buckley, an album featuring many of his chamber and solo works (1999).
• John Buckley: Piano Music, an album with his piano pieces played by Anthony Byrne (1999).
• Concerto for Organ and Orchestra; Symphony No. 1, played by Peter Sweeney (organ) and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (1999).
• in winter light, an album with his guitar and flute music played by William Dowdall (flute) and John Feeley (guitar) (2004).
• Carillon, played by David Adams (organ), on Irish Contemporary Organ Music at the National Concert Hall (2008).
• endless the white clouds, played by Clíona Doris (harp), on A Pale Yellow Sky (2008).
• Music When Soft Voices Die, performed by Clois Cladaigh (2008).
• Winter Echoes; Sea Echoes, played by William Dowdall (flute), on Works for Solo Flute (2009).
• Constellations, played by William Dowdall (flute) with tape (2010).
• Three Preludes, played by Isabelle O'Connell (piano), on Reservoir (2010).
• Guitar Sonata No. 1, played by Benjamin Dwyer (guitar), on Irish Guitar Works (2012).
• Variations on the Gneeveguilla Polka and arrangements of Irish folk songs, performed by various artists including William Dowdall (flute) (2012).
• Piano Trio, played by Fidelio Trio, on Dancing in Daylight: Contemporary Piano Trios from Ireland (2015).
• I am Wind on Sea, performed by Aylish Kerrigan (mezzo-soprano, percussion), on an album from 2016.