Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins (July 28, 1844 - June 8, 1889) was a British Victorian poet and Jesuit priest, whose verse has been widely admired for the vividness of its expression.

Musical Adaptations of Hopkins' Poetry

A musician Sean O'Leary (b.1953) has produced an album of 22 of Hopkins' poems entitled The ALCHEMIST.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lyrics booklet with accompanying double album

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ISBN: 0-9550649-0-2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Published July 2005

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sean O'Leary recently performed at The Gerard Manley Hopkins Society 18th Annual Festival in Monasterevin, Ireland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

'The piety and deep thoughtfulness of Hopkins can be discerned in this intelligent interpretation of the Victorian poet's work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sean O' Leary has successfully teased out meaning and nuance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He is clearly satiated in the work, its spiritual power, its beauty and the divine content of the poetry - mysteries that still have the power to enrapture us in this less Godly age. O'Leary has brought the spirit of these poems alive and found the hidden song within.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the darker and more mysterious ballads, there is an approach to Hopkins' work that I particularly respond to, it is conspiratorial and private; the beat moves gently and sympathetically with Hopkins' text and does not overwhelm it or set boundaries to the mysterious quality of the work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Sean O'Leary's The Alchemist there is a gritty determination, a brave confronting of morality, of spiritual passion, of hope and belief wrapped in Hopkins' luscious use of the English language. It speaks as if from another age, like a parallel universe we only sometimes glimpse, Hopkins' voice is here, and his words call out and lead us on.'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Martin Beek

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Artist & Lyricist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Musical Adaptations of Hopkins' Poetry