O'Kelly

Více o knize

The book explores the careers and music of four generations of Irish musicians in 19th and early 20th-century France, weaving a narrative of hopes, disappointments, successes, and failures as the family integrated into French society. Joseph Kelly, a Dublin-born piano teacher, emigrated to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where his five sons were born, three of whom pursued music. They moved to Paris around 1835, maintaining ties to Boulogne. Joseph O'Kelly emerged as the family's most prominent figure, composing nine operas, four cantatas, and numerous songs and piano pieces, some of which await rediscovery. Auguste O'Kelly worked as a music publisher in Paris from 1872 to 1888, while George O'Kelly was a pianist, composer, and teacher in both Boulogne and Paris. Henri O'Kelly sr. served as a pianist, organist, conductor, and composer in Paris for many years. Gustave O'Kelly was a piano maker in Paris between 1898 and 1917, and Henri O'Kelly jr. was a double bass player and composer. The book compiles documentary evidence about the family, featuring numerous musical examples and illustrations. It examines the life of a minor composer in a major musical capital and addresses themes of identity, change, aesthetics, and Irishness in exile, contributing to both French and Irish musical history.