ARTS James Joyce in Words and Song, with David Norris

High notes in James Joyce celebrated


Going Out
Ciara Moynihan

On Friday night last, Westport’s classical music society, the Classical Covies, held an evening with a distinctly Joycean flavour in the Wyatt Hotel, Westport. Happily, that did not mean dining on ‘nutty gizzards’, ‘mutton kidneys’ or any of the other kinds of offal so loved by Leopold Bloom.
No, it was ‘James Joyce in Words and Song’, with three highly accomplished musicians – soprano Virginia Kerr, baritone Gavan Ring and pianist Una Hunt. In what was a special flourish of interest (and quite the coup for the Classical Covies), the musicians performances were embellished by fascinating introductions and commentary from visiting Joyce scholar Senator David Norris.
A music lover and a fine singer himself, James Joyce loved all kinds of music, and references to a myriad of musical styles and pieces are peppered througout his work. As Senator Norris said, “James Joyce was not a musical snob; everything was grist to his mill.”
Accordingly, the night’s eclectic line-up of songs included everything from Mozart’s ‘La ci darem la mano’ to Thomas Moore’s ‘Oh! Ye Dead’ (which Senator Norris explained gave Joyce the idea for his short story ‘The Dead’ in ‘The Dubliners’) to ‘Those Lovely Seaside Girls’ by Harry B Norris (‘no relation’, according to the evening’s MC). The latter was theatrically rendered by Gavan Ring, who gamely donned a red-and-white candy-striped blazer and straw hat, and used a cane to great effect.
Virginia Kerr’s performance of ‘Un bel di’, from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, was another highlight in an evening of many. Introducing the song, Senator Norris had the audience in stitches with his Joyce-related story. One of Joyce’s letters to Nora reveal that the couple were at odds when it came to musical appreciation.  “Joyce loved opera … and while in Trieste, Italy, he took Nora Barnacle to one of the very first performances of Madame Butterfly … He was characteristically disappointed in her reaction.”
Senator Norris explained his sympathies were divided between Joyce and Nora on this occasion, as 'poor Nora' had likely spent the day ‘washing the kids, making the dinner, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, dealing with the creditors and so on’ and finally dragged herself into bed, only to be confronted with a husband, home from the pub, climbing into bed and ranting about opera and his own genius. “No wonder she didn’t want to hear it!” the senator quipped.
Senator Norris regaled the audience with many other anecdotes, insights and tangental musings too. He talked about how Joyce was known to have a fine singing voice and could have been ‘the next John McCormack’. Indeed, he once competed against McCormack in a singing competition. Joyce could not sight read music, however, and was awarded a bronze medal. Joyce claimed to have been so disgusted that he threw the medal in the Liffey. But “Joyce was telling a little lie there,” Senator Norris revealed. The coin remained in the family, passing to his nephew, also called James Joyce, and eventually turning up in an auction house in Dublin, where Norris himself had the pleasure of holding it.
In his introduction to ‘Farewell to Thee, you Spanish Ladies’, the Joyce scholar reminded the audience that Joyce gave Molly Bloom a Spanish heritage – and told a story of how Nora Barnacle, when was asked if Molly was modelled on her, retorted “Not at all – she’s much fatter than me!”
All too quickly the night drew to a close, but the Joyce lovers gathered left happily digesting many new morsels about the author and new perspectives on his work, while the previously uninitiated left with an appetite to start picking and testing – and who knows, maybe even willing to take a whole bite.

For more information on the Classical Covies and their music-appreciation evenings, visit www.classicalcovies.com.