Patrick Cassidy (born 1956) is an Irish

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

, and

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

composer. Cassidy was born in

Claremorris Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 an ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He received a master's degree in Applied Mathematics from the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

in 1985, and supported his early compositional activities with a day job as a statistician. He is best known for his narrative

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

– works he has written for orchestra and choir based on Irish mythology. ''The Children of Lir'', released in September 1993, remained at number one in the Irish classical charts for a full year. It was the first cantata written in the Irish language since the work of

Paul McSwiney Paul McSwiney or Paul Mac Swiney (March 1856 – 17 November 1889) was an Irish composer and dramatist who emigrated to the United States. A talented artist with a number of pioneering performances in both Cork and New York, he unsuccessfully tr ...

in the late 1800s. The BBC later produced an hour long documentary on the piece. ''Famine Remembrance'', a commissioned piece to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, was premiered in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1996. In June 2007, the piece was performed at the opening of Toronto's Ireland Park with the President of Ireland as special guest. Other albums include ''Cruit'' (arrangements of 17th- and 18th-century Irish harp music with Cassidy as the soloist) and ''Deirdre of the Sorrows'', another cantata in the Irish language, recorded with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and the Tallis Choir. In 2004, '' Immortal Memory'' was released; a collaboration between Cassidy and Lisa Gerrard. Cassidy now lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

with his family, where in addition to his concert work he has scored and collaborated on films and documentaries. He is a cousin to the band,

Na Casaidigh Na Casaidigh or The Cassidys are an Irish traditional group. They have been based in Dublin for many years, but they originally hail from Gweedore, County Donegal. The group consists of brothers Aongus, Seathrún, Ciarán, Fionntán, Feargus, an ...

, and a relative of the singer Sibéal Ní Chasaide who sang his arrangement of

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...

's ''Mise Eire'' at the official government commemorations of the

1916 Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

. Cassidy's song ''Proclamation'' was played at the inauguration of Joe Biden in Washington DC on 20 January 2021.

Notable credits

Cassidy provided music for the following: *''

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...

'' (2001) *''

Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin (5 July 1958 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish crime reporter who was murdered by drug lords. Born in Dublin, she was an athlete in school and later played on the Irish national teams for both football and basketball. After study ...

'' (2003) *''Confessions of a Burning Man'' (2003) *'' Salem's Lot'' (2004) *'' King Arthur'' (2004) *''

Layer Cake A layer cake (US English) or sandwich cake (UK English) is a cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by frosting or another type of filling, such as jam or other preserves. Most cake recipes can be adapted for lay ...

'' (2004) *''Che Guevara'' (2005) *'' Ashes and Snow'' (2005) *''

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) ** Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

'' (2005) *'' The Front Line'' (2006) *''Breaking the Ice'' (2007) *'' Edgar Allen Poe's Ligeia'' (2008) *'' Kill the Irishman'' (2011) **In 2010, Cassidy's ''Funeral March'' was used in the trailer for '' The Tree of Life''. In 2011, he recorded a new setting of the Latin mass with the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices.

Discography

*1993: ''The Children of Lir'' (London Symphony Orchestra and Tallis Chamber Choir) *1997: ''Famine Remembrance'' *1998: ''Deirdre of the Sorrows'' *2004: '' Immortal Memory'' – with Lisa Gerrard *2006: '' Ashes and Snow'' – with Lisa Gerrard *2014: ''

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early me ...

'' *2016: ''1916: The Irish Rebellion''

References

External links

Air-Edel Associates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy, Patrick 1956 births Date of birth missing (living people) Irish composers Irish expatriates in the United States Irish film score composers Living people Irish songwriters Male film score composers Musicians from County Mayo People from Claremorris