Geoffrey Molyneux Palmer

Full biography Geoffrey Molyneux Palmer

Geoffrey Molyneux Palmer was an Irish composer , born in Staines, England in 1882. He spent most of his career in Dublin, where he served as an organist and wrote numerous operas and choral pieces. Palmer was particularly known for his musical settings of poems by James Joyce , which included the first musical settings of poems from Joyce's collection Chamber Music. He also wrote other stage works, of which the most successful was the opera Sruth na Maoile (1923).

Palmer's works have received renewed attention in recent years , with the release of the album "James Joyce's Favourite Songs" featuring his settings of Joyce's poems, and scholarly articles highlighting his influence on Joyce's writing. Palmer was largely unknown outside of Ireland during his lifetime, but his work is now recognized as an important contribution to Irish musical culture.