Michael Andrew Bowles
n Gaelic: Micheál Ó Baoighill(30 November 1909 – 6 April 1998) was an Irish conductor and composer, who was also active in New Zealand, the US, and England.
Life
Bowles was born in
Riverstown
Riverstown, historically called ''Ballyederdaowen'' (), is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Known for its musical tradition it is located at a bridging point of the River Unshin (Arrow), 17.2 km (10 miles) south of Sligo town and 4  ...
, County Sligo, and grew up in
Boyle
Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Disambiguation
*Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
, County Roscommon.
[Klein, Axel : "Bowles, Michael", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. by Harry White & Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 112.] In 1924, he moved to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
with his family, where he studied the piano at the Read School and joined the Department of Education in 1927 to embark on a career as a civil servant. In 1932, he was persuaded by
Fritz Brase
Friedrich Wilhelm Anton Brase, known as Fritz Brase (; 4 May 1875 – 1 December 1940), was a German military bandmaster, conductor, and composer who was mainly active in Dublin, Ireland, as leader of the first Army School of Music in the Iri ...
to join the Army School of Music as a conducting pupil. After obtaining a BMus at
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
he was seconded to the Army No. 2 Band in
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
and joined Radio Éireann in 1941 as Acting Director of Music, succeeding
Vincent O'Brien
Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish horse racing, race horse horse trainer, trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in ...
. When, in 1942, this position became full-time, he resigned from the Army. From 1941 to 1948 he was the main conductor of the
Radio Éireann Orchestra, but disagreements surrounding the orchestra's expansion in 1948 caused his resignation. On 6 June 1945, he married Kathleen FitzGerald, daughter of Irish politician
Martin FitzGerald.
Bowles had suggested an enlargement of the orchestra to 65 players, with an eventual figure of 80 in mind, as early as 1946. The Irish government considered it essential to recruit musicians from outside Ireland, and "Bowles was directed to travel throughout Europe and audition suitable candidates", which he did in Paris, Lisbon, Rome, Berne, and Brussels in the summer of 1947. However, during his absence the then Director of Broadcasting at Radio Éireann decided to give conducting contracts to Jean Martinon and hold on to Bowles as second option only. "Michael Bowles, acting rather too hastily, offered his own resignation which was accepted."
Bowles then emigrated to New Zealand, where he became the first permanent conductor of the
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, per the New Zealand Sympho ...
(1950–3) at
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, then called the "National Orchestra of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service", having been warmly recommended by the English conductor Sir
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...
, who was an uncle-in-law. He conducted when the orchestra was filmed for the first time in 1952. Among his innovations was the introduction of a public subscription system. In 1953, he was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953.
Award
This medal was awarded a ...
.
Bowles became a visiting professor at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
(1954–58) and subsequently the conductor of the
Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis (1958–63). Climate-related ill-health caused him to leave the United States, and he went to England to teach conducting at the
Birmingham School of Music
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is a music school, drama school and concert venue in Birmingham, England. It provides professional education in music, acting, and related disciplines up to postgraduate level. It is a centre for scholarly re ...
(1963–70).
On his return to Ireland in 1970, Bowles and his wife operated a B&B in Cork, and he held various short-term assignments, including director of the Cultural Relations Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs (1975–77), during which time he lived in
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
. In this period he conducted the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra for the last time on 16 and 17 January 1977 in Dublin (Gaiety Theatre) and Cork (City Hall). In old age he moved to Dublin, where he died in 1998.
Pete Briquette
Patrick Martin Cusack (born 2 July 1954), known by the stage name Pete Briquette, is an Irish bassist, record producer and composer. He is a member of the Boomtown Rats and has also played in Bob Geldof's band.
Boomtown Rats
He was born in Bal ...
(born Patrick Martin Cusack) and
Johnnie Fingers
Johnnie Fingers (born John Peter Moylett, 10 September 1956) is an Irish keyboardist and co-founding member of the new wave band The Boomtown Rats. He was notable for his attire of striped pyjamas on stage and his melodic piano style.
Backgroun ...
(born John Peter Moylett), members of the Irish new wave band
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", "Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original line ...
, are his nephews.
Assessment
![Michael Bowles 1994](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Michael_Bowles_1994.jpg)
In 1959, Bowles published the book ''The Art of Conducting'', with a British edition in 1961 as ''The Conductor: His Artistry and Craftsmanship'' In the introduction, Sir Adrian Boult wrote: "I feel sure that his book will be welcomed as an important addition to the growing library of books on conducting, and will be of immense value to those who aspire to practise the art as well as to those whose interest in the music they hear encourages them to explore further the how and why of its problems."
In terms of his role in Irish musical life, Bowles' chief importance lies in his championship of contemporary Irish orchestral music at Radio Éireann during his tenure as director of music and principal conductor. Many works by key composers of this period such as
Brian Boydell
Brian Patrick Boydell (17 March 1917 – 8 November 2000) was an Irish composer whose works include orchestral pieces, chamber music, and songs. He was Professor of Music at Trinity College Dublin for 20 years, founder of the Dowland Consort, con ...
,
Frederick May,
Aloys Fleischmann
Aloys Fleischmann (13 April 1910 – 21 July 1992) was an Irish composer, musicologist, professor and conductor.
Life
Fleischmann was born in Munich to Ireland-based German parents. Both were musicians, both graduates of the Royal Academy of Mu ...
,
Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair
Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair (30 September 1906 – 27 December 1982) was an Irish composer, and a major representative of the conservative side in Irish art music.
Life
Ó Gallchobhair (anglicised "O'Gallagher") was born in Dundalk, County Louth, ...
, Redmond Friel,
T.C. Kelly and others received their first performance under him, a list which also includes the concertos for violin (1942) and cello (1945) by
E.J. Moeran
}
Ernest John Smeed Moeran (31 December 1894 – 1 December 1950) was an English composer of part-Irish extraction, whose work was strongly influenced by English and Irish folk music of which he was an assiduous collector. His output includes or ...
.
In an obituary (1998), Joseph Ryan wrote: "His role in the consolidation and development of the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra has not been properly recognised and the current celebration marking the orchestra's fiftieth year is surely a case of revisionism gone mad. It may take some time, but history will furnish a more complete account of Bowles's contribution, particularly in the late 1930s and early 1940s."
Obituary
(''New Music News'', May 1998)
Music
Bowles' main ambition was conducting, thus he has never written much nor is his music in a particularly original or modern language. He preferred a tonal approach with stylistic precedents (in Ireland) in Charles V. Stanford and Hamilton Harty
Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty (4 December 1879 – 19 February 1941) was an Irish composer, conductor, pianist and organist.
After an early career as a church organist in his native Ireland, Harty moved to London at about age 20, soon becoming a w ...
. He particularly enjoyed writing vocal music and produced settings of the mass, numerous songs and collections of traditional music.
Selected works
Orchestra
*''Slabhra fonn Gaedhealacha'' (1939)
*''Three Pieces'' (1941)
*''Slabhragh d'fhonnaibh Gaedhealacha'' (1942), for piano and string orchestra
*''Divertimento for Strings'' (1943)
Vocal
*''Anonn 's Anall'', for female voices (Dublin: Pigott, 1937)
*''Dosaen Amhrán do Leanbhai'' (A Dozen Songs for Children) (Dublin: Oifig an tSoláthair, 1943; new ed. 1976)
*''Missa 'Ave Maria, for male voices (London: Cary & Co., 1948)
*''Missa 'Maria immaculata, for mixed choir (London: Cary & Co., 1948)
*''Missa 'Maria assumpta, for mixed choir (London: Cary & Co., 1949)
*''Three Songs on Poems of Francis Thompson'' (1949–56; rev. 1982)
*''Five Songs on Poems of James Stephens'' (1949–57; rev. 1982) (New York, 1957)
*''Four Songs for the Children on Poems of James Stephens'' (1955–6; rev. 1982)
*''Irish Songs'', compiled by Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades.
Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...
, edited with new piano accompaniments by Michael Bowles (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, c. 1958)
*''Plainsong Mass'' (Galway: Lynch, 1968)
*''Claisceadal'', 2 volumes of folksongs arrangements (Dublin: At the Sign of the Anchor, 1986)
Bibliography
*Aloys Fleischmann (ed.): ''Music in Ireland: A Symposium'' (Cork: Cork University Press, 1952).
*Axel Klein: ''Die Musik Irlands im 20. Jahrhundert'' (Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag, 1996).
*Pat O'Kelly: ''The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland 1948–1998, a Selected History'' (Dublin: RTÉ, 1998).
*Patrick Joseph Kehoe: The Evolution of the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, 1926–1954; Ph.D. thesis, Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama, 2017), https://arrow.dit.ie/appadoc/87.
References
External links
*Profile a
Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin
*Documents relating to Bowles' time in New Zealand at th
National Library of New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowles, Michael Andrew
1909 births
1998 deaths
20th-century classical composers
20th-century conductors (music)
Classical composers of church music
Irish classical composers
Irish conductors (music)
Irish male classical composers
Musicians from County Sligo
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra people
Radio personalities from the Republic of Ireland
20th-century male musicians
Irish expatriates in New Zealand
Irish expatriates in the United States
Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom