Richard Connolly
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Richard Connolly, born in 1927, is an Australian composer, and former broadcaster for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He is arguably the most prominent composer of hymns the Catholic church in Australia has ever produced. He is best known for his collaborations with Australian poet James McAuley, and his compositions have been internationally successful - both sacred and secular. His sacred music has been composed to accommodate and adorn the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Connolly, as a young man, had pursued theological studies for the priesthood in Rome (1946-1950), abandoning those studies within only a few months of ordination, and returning instead to Australia and an Arts degree at Sydney University.
In 1955, while a member of Holy Spirit parish at North Ryde[1], Connolly was introduced to McAuley by Fr Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy asked Richard Connolly to consider composing some Australian hymns to sing at various parts of the mass[2]. Thus began one of the most successful hymn-making teams of the twentieth century, McAuley and Connolly. Their subsequent musical collaboration, produced in the 1950s and 1960s, and titled "Hymns for the year of Grace", contains some of the most significant Australian hymnody of the 20th century.
In 1956, Connolly joined the ABC, and by 1960 went to work in the ABC Education department, working mainly in Schools Broadcasts. In 1967 he joined the Radio Drama and Features Department, becoming Features Editor. In 1971 he undertook a Churchill fellowship in Italy, Radio France, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and spent several months working in the BBC's radio drama script unit. During this time, he also composed music for the BBC TV series, The British Empire. He returned to Australia and was appointed Head of Radio Drama and Features.
He composed music for the first Australian visit of a pope, Pope Paul VI at both Randwick and at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, in particular for this occasion he composed a version of Psalm 85.
Back in 1844, the bishops of Australia had chosen the Virgin Mary, under the title "Help of Christians" as patroness for the Australian nation, and the words are nationalistically resonant for Australian Catholics. While personally remaining largely aloof from in-house Catholic politics, Connolly's setting of these words in his hymn "Help of Christians, Guard this Land" became the battle hymn of the Catholic Right in Australia in the 1950s and 60s.
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[edit] Hymnody
- His hymn tunes (some with particularly Australian names) include Araluen (In Faith and Hope and Love), Camilla (Help of Christians), Catherine (Holy Father, God of Might), Cosmic Praise (Sing a new song), Forbes Street (O Jesus crucified), Helen (From many grapes and grains of wheat), Jeremy (Where there is Charity and love), Lindfield (May this Lenten discipline), Newtown (Come O Jesus), Sancta Sophia (Jesus in your heart we find), Ruggiero (By your kingly power), Sandy Bay (Father, we praise you), Travalli (By your priestly power), Venantius (Seek, O seek the Lord),
[edit] Service music
- Psalm 85
- Give us Peace Mass (Congregational)
- 2002 Mass of St John the Apostle dedicated to the people of St John the Apostle Parish, Narraweena (Congregational)
- 2005, Missa Pax et Bonum; dedicated to the pastors, musicians and people of St Francis' Church, Paddington (SATB Choir, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and organ)
[edit] Secular music
- The Play School theme for the ABC (There's A Bear In There!) - and a theme known by heart by generations of Australians.
[edit] Notes
- ^ cf. Australasian Catholic Record October 1995
- ^ cf. Fr Edmund Campion's online article in Catalyst for Renewal
[edit] References
- (1985) Catholic Worship Book (Full Music Edition). Collins Liturgical Publications (London), E.J. Dwyer Pty Ltd NSW. ISBN 0-00-599836-0.
