Thomas Joseph Gerard Victory (24 December 1921 – 14 March 1995) was a prolific Irish composer. He wrote over two hundred works across many genres and styles, including tonal, serial, aleatoric and electroacoustic music.
Biography Victory was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1921 the son of a shopkeeper Thomas Victory and his wife, Delia (née Irwin). After schooling, he read Celtic Studies at University College Dublin and Music at Trinity College Dublin, earning a doctorate in 1972.
In April 1948 Victory married Geraldine Herity, and they had five children: Alma, Fiona, Isolde, Raymond, and Alan. Victory died in Dublin on 14 March 1995, aged 73. His papers are held in Trinity College and the Contemporary Music Centre holds a number of his scores.
Career In terms of composition, Victory was mostly self-taught, although he received some formal training from John F. Larchet, Alan Rawsthorne and Walter Beckett. He also attended the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany.
In 1948 he was joint composer of music for a song in a play by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy called Light Falling, this was performed by the Abbey Experimental Theatre Company in the Peacock Theatre, Dublin. His work was also part of the music event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Victory's career was primarily in music administration, serving as director of music for Ireland's national broadcasting station RTÉ from 1967 to 1982. He was a president of UNESCO's International Rostrum of Composers, a fellow of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and a recipient of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the German Bundesverdienstkreuz.
Legacy The Gerard Victory Commission, a prize named in his honour, is awarded to the most promising individual composer.
Selected works
Orchestral 1991 Eblana 45' 1988 Symphony No. 4 21' 1984 Symphony No. 3 40' 1982 Five Inventions 14' 1981 Six Epiphanies of the Author 30' 1980 Three Irish Pictures 12' 1973 From Renoir's Workshop 18' 1970 Cyrano de Bergerac Overture 7' 1966 Favola di Notte 13'
Ensemble 1990 Moresca violin, cello, harp 9' 1985 Commedia 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba 13' 1982 String Trio violin, viola, cello 22'
Solo piano 1979 Verona Preludes 22' 1966 Cinque Correlazioni 10' 1965 Three Masks 9' 1962 Prelude and Toccata 8'
Vocal 1994 The Wooing of Éadaoin children's opera 20' 1991 Responsibilities SATB choir 13' 1991 Seasons of Eros baritone, piano 25' 1989 The Rendezvous soloists, orchestra 60' 1984 Songs from Lyonnesse SATB choir 23' 1978 Seven Songs of Experience soloists, SATB choir 23' 1975–1981 Ultima Rerum soloists, two choirs, orchestra 82' 1975 Cinq Chansons de Rimbaud soprano, piano 18' 1970 The Magic Trumpet speaker, ensemble 15' 1968 Civitas Nova soloists, SATB choir, organ 12' 1967 Kriegslieder tenor, SATB choir, trumpet, percussion 14' 1962 Le Petit Cerf soprano, SATB choir 6'
Operas 1972 Eloise and Abelard opera 1970 Chatterton opera 1964 The Music hath Mischief opera 1956 Iomrall Aithne opera 1953 An fear a phós balbhán opera 1949 Once upon a Moon opera 1944 Nita opera
Band 1985 Marche Bizarre 3'
Mixed media 1973–1975 Processus mixed choir, brass, percussion, pianos, tape 14'
Recordings Three Irish Pictures, performed by RTÉ Sinfonietta, Proinseas Ó Duinn (cond.), on Marco Polo 8.223804 (CD, 1996). Ultima Rerum, performed by Virginia Kerr (S), Bernadette Greevy (Mez), Adrian Thompson (T), Alan Opie (Bar), RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, National Chamber Choir, Cór na nÓg, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Colman Pearce (cond.), on: Marco Polo 8.223532-3 (CD, 1997). An Old Woman of the Roads, performed by Bernadette Greevy (Mez) and Hugh Tinney (pf), on: Marco Polo 8.225098 (CD, 1998). Revel in Reel Time, performed by RTÉ Concert Orchestra, on: Celtic Collections CCD 135 (CD, 1999). Songs from Lyonnesse, performed by National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Colin Mawby (cond.), on: Black Box BBM 1030 (CD, 2000). Moresca, performed by Geraldine O'Doherty (hp), David O'Doherty (vn), and Moya O'Grady (vc), on: Absolute Music [no label code] (CD, 2009). Prelude and Toccata, performed by Hugh Tinney, on: RTÉ lyric fm CD 153] (CD, 2016).
External links Gerard Victory at The Teresa Deevy Archive Gerard Victory at The Abbey Theatre Archive
References