W. H. Grattan Flood
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Chevalier William Henry Grattan Flood (November 1, 1857 - August 6, 1928), renowned musicologist and historian, was born in Lismore in 1857. As a writer and ecclesiastical composer, his personal contributions to Irish musical form produced enduring works. As an historian his output was prolific on topics of local and national historical or biographical interest.
Biography
Also known as
Grattan Flood was given the title Chevalier by Pope Benedict XV in1917, and thereafter was called Chevalier Flood by his close friends and admirers. He also is identifed with the following names. He is not be confused with nor is he related to the Irish Statesmen Henry Flood or Henry Grattan
- W. Henry Flood
- Wm H. Grattan Flood
- W. Grattan Flood
- Grattan Flood
- Chevalier Flood
Music & higher education
Chevalier Flood's family had a great influence on his education. He was born to William Flood and Catherine Fitzsimons. He had an older sister, Agnes and four brothers, one of which was a twin brother, Frank. Flood received education from his uncle, Andrew Fitzsimons, who owned and operated an academy for boys. The school prepared boys for entrance to Mount Melleray College. He received musical education from his earliest years from his aunt, Elizabeth Fitzsimons. He also received private tuition in music from Sir Robert Stewart (1825-1894). Flood was so good as a pianist at age nine he was invited by the Duke of Devonshire to Lismore Castle to give a piano recital. He was also very proficient at the organ and was named organist of Saint Peter's Pro-Cathedral, Belfast, at age nineteen. After Mount Melleray, Flood went to All Hallows College, the Catholic University. Flood was a devout Catholic and spent some years studying for the priesthood.
Chevalier left the seminary to become professor of music at the Jesuit Colleges of Tullabeg and Clongowes Wood, and from there went on to Saint Wilfrid’s Cotton Hall, Staffordshire.
Chevalier returned to Ireland he teach at Saint Kieran's College, Kilkenny, and Saint Macartans College, Monaghan.
Works and legacy
Contrubtions to musicology
- ''The Story of the Harp (1905)
- ''History of Irish Music (1927)
- The Story of the Bagpipe (1911), illustrated with engravings, a useful but controversial work
( Hotpipes)
Contributions to ecclesiastical music
- Mass in Honor of St. Carthage
- Numerous hymns
- His scholarly work was quintessential - resulting in the papal honors from four Popes.
- His towering influence in spearheading the revival of Irish culture was corrorborated on page 103, "The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000."
( Ferriter 2004) - Chevalier Flood and his daughter Kathleen held the position of organist for 63 years at the Cathedral of St. Aidan, Enniscorthy, County Wexford.
Historical contributions
- History of the Diocese of Ferns (1916)
- articles of for the ''Journal of the Waterford
- articles for the South East of Ireland Archaeological Society'' (1895-1915)
- articles for the The Cork Historical Journal
- contributions for the prestigious publication - Dictionary of National Biography
- contributions for the prestigious publication - Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1904-1910).
Other career activities
- Professor at St. Wilfrid's Cotton Hall in Staffordshire
- Correspondent of Edward Elgar
- Correspondent of Douglas Hyde
- Correspondent of Cardinal Newman
- Resident of Enniscorthy for 30 years. Died in 1928, aged 71.
Pulications, papers, musical compositions and honors
- Centenary of James Clarence Mangan
- Centenary of Prout
- Centenary of Michael William Balfe (composer of the Opera - The Bohemian Girl)
- Centenary of William Vincent Wallace – composer of Opera Maritana, including a monograph
- Paper by Flood read at the Gregorianin Rome in 1904
- Paper by Flood read at the International Music Conference in London in 1911
- Paper by Flood read in Paris in 1914.
- President of the Musical Section of the Celtic Congress in Brussels in 1910.
- Appointed correspondence member of Societe Francaise de Musicoloque, Paris in 1922
- Flood's magnum opus: A text book in High School for Celtic Students in Paris
- Provided evidence at the Apostolic Process for the Beatification of Venerable Oliver Plunkett in 1907.
- History of the Diocese of Ferns (1916) the only monograph thus far published of this diocese.
- The History of Enniscorthy, (1898)
- History Irish Music (1905)
- Story of the Harp (1905)
- Story of the Bagpipe (1911)
- Memoirs of Vincent Wallace (1912)
- Memoirs of Father James Dixon, (1912)
- Selected Airs of O’carolan, (1917)
- Early Tudor Composers, (1925) – with a preface by Sir W. Henry Hadow, Mus Director, Vice Chancellor of Sheffield University
- John Field Inventor of the Nocturne (1920).
- Contributed articles to The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Contributed articles to Dictionary of National Biography
- Contributed articles to Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians (5 vols. 1904-1910)
- Contributed articles to Archivium Hibernicum (1912-1915)
- Contributed articles to The Anthenaeum Saturday Review,
- Contributed articles to The Month
- Contributed articles to Ecclesiastical Review
- Contributed articles to Irish Theological Quarterly
- Contributed articles to Irish Ecclesiastical Record Studies
- Contributed articles to Ave Maria,
- Contributed articles to The Irish Rosary
- Contributed articles to Musical Times
- Contributed articles to Musical Opinion
- Contributed articles to Musical Quarterly
- Contributed articles to Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
- Contributed articles to Cork Archaeological Journal
- Contributed articles to Waterford Archaeological Journal
- Contributed articles to Musical Herald, etc.
- Edited a new standard edition of Moore’s Irish Melodies, The Spirit of a Nation (1911).
- Edited the music of the The Armagh Hymnal in 1915.
- Composed the Mass of Saint Aedan in B flat; Saint Aedan or Saint Mogue being the first Bishop and Patron of the Diocese of Ferns (died 631 AD)
- Composed the Mass of Saint Carthage in A; Saint Carthage as Patron of Lismore where Doctor Flood was born
- Composed the Mass of Saint Wilfrid in G – Saint Wilfrid was the patron of Cotton Hall in Staffordshire where he was professor for some years.
- Composed a Benediction Service (dedicated to Pope Leo XIII)
- Composed Clongowes Wood College Song (1914)
- Composed many madrigals, part songs, hymns, piano solos,marches, organ transcriptions
- Song compositions, worthy of note: Irishmen All
- Song compositions, worthy of note: Our Loved Ones Far Away with words by T.D. Sullivan.
- Hymn composition, most outstanding: Hymn to Christ King (1925)which is sung in every church in the diocese of Ferns and in many other places, even as far away as Australia. The words of this hymn were written the late Father Patrick Brennann
Papal honours
Pope Leo XIII made Flood a Knight of St. Gregory; KSG.
Saint Pius X sent Flood an auto-graphed photograph and a Silver Medal in acknowledgment of his work for Church music.
Pope Benedict XV sent Flood the Papal Cross, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, together with the title of Chevalier in 1917.
Pope Saint Pius XI gave Flood a Bronze Medal and an autographed photograph.
Memorials
- A memorial in the form of a limestone Celtic Cross, with a Celtic Harp carved on it was raised in Enniscorthy shortly after Chevalier Flood's death. It bears the following inscription:-
Critics of Chevalier Flood
References
A succinct and informative account of the career, work and legacy of W.H. Grattan-Flood is contained in an article written by his son, William Grattan Floodwho was a parish priest.
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