The composer Bernard Geary signing autographs
Dublin Core
Title
The composer Bernard Geary signing autographs
Subject
Cork Film Festival, Bernie Geary, Bernard Geary, Mass of Saint Finbarr, St Francis Church, Festival Mass
Description
This is a black and white photo of the Cork composer Bernard Geary signing autographs for a crowd of excited children who surround him eagerly, hands outstretched. His head is lowered as he attends to the signing, his distinctive dark hair swept to the right with sideburns framing his lowered face. A few children look towards the camera and catch its attention.
Bernard Geary (1934-) is a Cork musician, composer, and teacher, born in Gurranabraher where his parents ran a grocery shop. He studied music at the University College Cork during the 1950s and was encouraged in his compositions by Professor Aloys Fleischmann. His early compositions include work for the RTÉ String Quartet (String Quartet No.1, 1960), the Cork Symphony Orchestra (Provocation, 1960), and the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (Amran Dochais, 1963) as well as vocal and choral works and incidental music for radio. Geary composed a nine-movement Mass of Saint Finbarr for tenor, choir, and organ in 1973 which was first performed at the Church of St. Francis in Cork with Kevin Owens as a soloist and the Cork Film Festival Choir. It was commissioned by the Cork Film Festival and we might imagine that this photo is probably taken after the premiere of the Mass in June of that year. Given this, while this photo is marked ‘1970s’ we might pin its date down to 1973 or 1974 when he also conducted his mass for the festival. In 1975 Geary conducted the Mass of Saint Patrick which was composed by Philip Green.
Geary was commissioned to compose Celebration of Cork for the opening of Cork 800 in 1985 which marked the anniversary of the founding of the city. The work was based on texts drawn from various writings including Edmund Spenser, Seán Ó Faoláin, and the Cork poet Father Prout (Francis Sylvester O’Mahony) and was revived for the Cork Choral Festival in 2018 (David Wright, wrightmusic.net; Cathy Desmond, Cork Examiner, 17.04.2018).
Bernard Geary (1934-) is a Cork musician, composer, and teacher, born in Gurranabraher where his parents ran a grocery shop. He studied music at the University College Cork during the 1950s and was encouraged in his compositions by Professor Aloys Fleischmann. His early compositions include work for the RTÉ String Quartet (String Quartet No.1, 1960), the Cork Symphony Orchestra (Provocation, 1960), and the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (Amran Dochais, 1963) as well as vocal and choral works and incidental music for radio. Geary composed a nine-movement Mass of Saint Finbarr for tenor, choir, and organ in 1973 which was first performed at the Church of St. Francis in Cork with Kevin Owens as a soloist and the Cork Film Festival Choir. It was commissioned by the Cork Film Festival and we might imagine that this photo is probably taken after the premiere of the Mass in June of that year. Given this, while this photo is marked ‘1970s’ we might pin its date down to 1973 or 1974 when he also conducted his mass for the festival. In 1975 Geary conducted the Mass of Saint Patrick which was composed by Philip Green.
Geary was commissioned to compose Celebration of Cork for the opening of Cork 800 in 1985 which marked the anniversary of the founding of the city. The work was based on texts drawn from various writings including Edmund Spenser, Seán Ó Faoláin, and the Cork poet Father Prout (Francis Sylvester O’Mahony) and was revived for the Cork Choral Festival in 2018 (David Wright, wrightmusic.net; Cathy Desmond, Cork Examiner, 17.04.2018).
Creator
University College Cork, Cork Film Festival, Donal Sheehan
Source
Cork Film Festival Collection
Publisher
University College Cork
Date
1973
Contributor
Donal Sheehan
Rights
©Donal Sheehan. All rights reserved. Please credit Cork International Film Festival & provide a link back to this site.
Format
Photo
TIFF
JPEG
TIFF
JPEG
Language
English, eng
Coverage
1973
Cork, Ireland
Cork, Ireland
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Photo
Physical Dimensions
256 x 202mm
Collection
Citation
University College Cork, Cork Film Festival, Donal Sheehan , “The composer Bernard Geary signing autographs,” Cork International Film Festival Archive, accessed December 22, 2024, https://corkfilmfest.ucc.ie/items/show/239.