James Joyce's "Chamber Music"

Credits

Matthew Campbell is Professor of Modern Literature at the University of York. He has published widely on the subject of Irish poetry. 

Martin Jones is a student in Film Studies at LJMU. His work in the areas of design, filming and editing was central to the entire project.

Scott S. Russell is a performer, composer and guitar teacher, formerly of Liverpool, now based in Sheffield.

Clare Ryan designed the website and was an invaluable source of advice and information.

Esther Smyth is a student at West Kirby Grammar School, and a singer with the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir. Her debut album, The Rain, was released in Autumn 2014. She also undertook much of the research underpinning the ‘Timeline’, ‘Notes’, ‘References’ and ‘Links’ sections on this site.

Gerry Smyth is Reader in Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University. He is also an actor and musician.

Ian Bradley (LJMU) gave freely of time and advice during the early stages of the project. Students Becky Gleave and Rion Holland undertook invaluable website design before the project changed focus.

The performance videos were set up and filmed by Alex Stevenson and Lois Frost, and with the invaluable help of Glenn Hanstock and Kerrie Huthart.

Image courtesy of the Poetry Collection of the University Libraries, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York.

I would also like to thank:

  • Ian Lewis and Dan Pybus co-produced and engineered the recording of the album James Joyce’s ‘Chamber Music’ – New Folkish Settings of the 36 Lyrics at Whitby Studios, Ellesmere Port, in April and May, 2012;
  • Daryl Kennerley of GoCre8 (Little Bird Street, Liverpool) designed and produced the CD sleeve;
  • At Liverpool John Moores University: Paula Baines, Clare Doran, Chris Furey, Neil Grant, Donna Harrison, Dominic Hope-Smith, Kerrie Huthart, Janice Johnston, Judith Jones, Simone Krueger, Susan Laffey, Tina McGeehan, Eileen Moffitt, Glenda Norquay, Emily Parsons, Gemma Ross, Phil Rothwell, Valarie Stevenson, Joe Yates, Steve Walker, Caroline White;
  • Jake Roney of the Liverpool Irish Festival, who booked Gerry and Esther to play the Bluecoat Arts Centre as part of the 2012 ‘Joyce Day’;
  • Sarah Vasey and Chloe Drury of Culture Liverpool, and Michael Taylor of Liverpool Central Library;
  • Mark Traynor, of the James Joyce Centre, Dublin, who booked Gerry and Esther to perform at the Hugh Lane Gallery in April 2014 as part of the centenary celebrations for the publication of Dubliners;
  • Caroline Elbay and Noel O’Grady, who I met at the Trieste James Joyce Summer School in July 2013, were helpful and encouraging with regard to the Dublin performance. Ross Waller (who I met at the same event) kindly gave me a copy of Marc C. Conner’s The Poetry of James Joyce Reconsidered;
  • Jim Marshall, who photographed the guitars for the cover of the CD.
  • In 2013 and 2014 I played a series of concerts of Chamber Music material at various venues across Europe as part of an initiative named ‘the Irish Itinerary’ which was organised by the European Federation of Associations and Centres for Irish Studies. The principal facilitators for these tours were Hedwig Schwall, Sien Deltour and Sean Crosson. I would also like to thank Ingibjörg Ágústsdóttir (Rejkyavik), Chris Cusack (Nijmegen), Wesley Hutchinson (Paris), Simon Rapple and Malachy Vallely (Leuven), Alexandra Poulain and Fiona McCann (Lille), Anne Goarzin and Stéphane Jousni (Rennes), Charles Armstrong (Kristiansand), Britta Olinder (Gothenburg), Loredana Salis (Sassari) and Fiorenzo Fantaccini (Florence).

Gerry Smyth

Liverpool, January 2015