Edward McGuire
Edward ("Eddie") McGuire (born 1948) is a Scottish composer whose work ranges from compositions for solo instruments and voice to large-scale orchestral and operatic works. McGuire studied composition with James Iliff at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1966 to 1970 and then with Ingvar Lidholm in Stockholm in 1971.
Also recorded as Eddie McGuire
Edward McGuire
- Name
- Edward McGuire
- Born
- 1948
- Birthplace
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Occupation
- Composer
- Education
- Royal Academy of Music
- Known for
- Orchestral, operatic and chamber compositions
- Awards
- British Composers' Award (2003)
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Edward McGuire. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2267166
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
Statements marked “Documentary record” are set in the article beside the passage they confirm. Each is read from the authority records of the institutions named here; select “Prove” to see the record it was read from, where in that record, and when.
Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Edward McGuire • Birth Name — Edward McGuire • Other Names — Eddie McGuire • Born — 1948 • Birthplace — Glasgow, Scotland • Occupation — Composer • Education — Royal Academy of Music • Known for — Orchestral, operatic and chamber compositions • Awards — British Composers' Award (2003)
Documentary record
Edward McGuire, a composer and musician, was born on 15 February 1948. The birth is recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Early life
Early life
McGuire was born and brought up in Possilpark in Glasgow. His father played folk violin and was a member of a male voice choir which sang arrangements of Scottish Gaelic and Irish songs at charity concerts.
Career
Career
As a student at the Royal Academy of Music McGuire won the Hecht Prize (1968) and the National Young Composers Competition (held in Liverpool University in 1969). A competition organised by the Society for the Promotion of New Music to find a modern test piece for the 1978 Carl Flesch International Violin Competition was won by McGuire with a solo violin piece, Rant. This piece was recently performed for a 65th birthday concert for McGuire organised by the BBC Scottish Symphony Club which was followed by another concert at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Another early success was when String Quartet was selected for the 40th anniversary Barbican Gala of the SPNM in 1983. His three act opera The Loving of Etain to a libretto by Marianne Carey was premiered by Paragon Opera at the Atheneum Theatre, Glasgow, in 1990. McGuire's two act opera Cullercoats Tommy, with a libretto by Michael Wilcox was premiered by Northern Sinfonia and Northern Stage in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1993. McGuire received a British Composers' Award in 2003. In 2004 he received a Creative Scotland Award which allowed him to create the work Defying Fate. He was commissioned to produce the finale for the 2006 St Magnus Festival, Ring of Strings. Calgacus, first recorded in 1997 by BBCSSO at the London Proms was performed again by the same orchestra for 2014 Celtic Connections. His most frequently performed work has been his three act ballet Peter Pan staged by Scottish Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet over 120 times with a page dedicated to it on his website. McGuire plays the flute in the folk group the Whistlebinkies. In January 2006 he travelled to Hong Kong with the group to play a concert ("Scotland the Brave") with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. A CD of his music, Eddie McGuire: Music for Flute, Guitar and Piano, on the Delphian Records label was 'Editor's Choice' in Gramophone magazine in 2006. In 2015 Delphian Records released Entangled Fortunes performed by the Red Note Ensemble and once again featured in Gramophone magazine 'Editor's Choice'
Selected compositions
Orchestral • Symphony. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1978. Musical score. • Source, symphonic poem for orchestra. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1979. Musical score. • A Glasgow Symphony, composed for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, 1990 • Peter Pan, a ballet score in 3 acts for orchestra. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1990. Musical score. • Concerto for double bass, 1994 • Calgacus, symphonic poem. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1996. Musical score. • The Spirit of Wallace, symphonic poem, 1997 • Trombone Concerto, with string orchestra. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1997. Musical score. • Viola Concerto, with string orchestra. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1998. Musical score. • Accordion Concerto, 1999 • Violin Concerto, 1999 • Earthrise, symphonic poem for brass band, 2003 • Hall of Memories, orchestral overture marking the re-opening of the renovated Glasgow City Halls, 2006 • Clyde Built, orchestral overture for the Ulster Orchestra, 2008 • Chinese Folksong Suite for strings, 2011 • Cello Concerto, with string orchestra. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2020. Musical score. • Revival, orchestral overture, 2023 Chamber and instrumental • Horn Trio, 1966 • Trio for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1971. Musical score. • Twelve White-note Pieces for piano, 1971 • Liberation, for flute, clarinet, viola and harp, 1975 • Euphoria, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion, 1980 • Wind Octet, 1980 • String Quartet. SPNM competition winner. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1982. Musical score. • Rant for solo violin. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1986. Musical score. • String Trio, 1986 • Guitar Concerto, 1988 • Dark Cloud for eight guitars, 1991 • Elegy for piano trio, 1992 • Harp octet, 1992 • Violin Sonatina, violin and piano. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1997. Musical score. • Romance for cello and guitar, 1994. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1998. Musical score. • Chinese Knotwork for four clarinets, 2001 • Dancing Memories for solo flute, 2001 • Entangled Fortunes for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, written to celebrate the awarding of a Nobel Prize to Sir James Mirrlees, 2002 • Prelude 22: (The Big Bang), for solo trumpet. Coventry: Warwick Music, 2005. Musical score. • Botanic Gardens for four players at two pianos, 2016 • Kaleidoscope Suite for double wind quintet. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2019. Musical score. • String Trio II: McEwen Commission. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2019. Musical score. • Euphoria for sextet. Recorded by Red Note on Delphian. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2020. Musical score. • Three Comic Sketches, suite for four bass clarinets. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2020. Musical score. Opera • The Loving of Etain, 1990 • Cullercoats Tommy, 1993 • Cake-Talk, 1996 • Helen of Braemore, 1997 Vocal • Pipes of Peace, a setting of the Psalms for chorus and bagpipes, 1986 • Celtic Knotwork for 3 recorders, voices, 4 flutes or 4 clarinets. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 1990. Musical score. • Songs from the North for soprano and brass quintet, 2014 • On Inchcolm for SATB choir & ensemble, to poem by Tom Furniss. Glasgow: Scottish Music Centre, 2017. Musical score.
Selected recordings
• Fast Peace 3. Point of Departure, Alma Duo (Phyllis Kamrin, viola, and Michael Goldberg, guitar), Kamelion KA9001CD (1994) • Viola Pieces. James Durrant performs McGuire's Divertimento for 20 Violas, Prelude 6 and Martyr Alto Records CD1 (1994) • Upstart Jugglers: Mr McFall's Chamber ensemble perform McGuire's Nocturnes, Mr McFalls Chamber MMCC 003 (2001) • Albannach, performed by The Whistlebinkies, CDTRAX288 (2006) • Music for Flute, Guitar and Piano], includes Dancing Memories, Harbour of Harmonies, Twelve White Note Pieces. Nancy Ruffer (flute), Abigail James (guitar) and Dominic Saunders (piano). Delphian DCD34029 (2006) • Knotwork: the Fell Clarinet Quartet perform McGuire's Celtic Knotwork and Chinese Knotwork, Delphian DCD34065 (2008) • Flotilla: the Flotilla trio of 2 soprano saxophones and alto saxophone perform McGuire's Remembrance (ATKS 0802) Big Shed Music (2008) • Embracing the Unknown: Edinburgh String Quartet, John Kenny (trombone), Catriona McKay (harp) play McGuire's Guest Sextet (BC3010) Brass Classics (2009) • The Prairie Song Project: Amy Morris (flute) and Michael Heaston (piano) perform McGuire's Aria Prairie Song Project (2012) • Guitar Phases: Stefan Grasse performs McGuire's Dark Cloud for 8 guitars, Xolo CD 1033 (2014) • Entangled Fortunes: Red Note Ensemble, includes Elegy, Euphoria, String Trio, Entangled Fortunes, Quintet 2, Delphian CDDCD34157 (2015) • Luminate: Live Music Now Scotland Celebrates 30 Years. Includes Dance Suite for Two, Delphian DCD34153-CD (2015) • Celtic Prayer: Paisley Abbey Choir sings McGuire's Three Donne Lyrics, Priory PRCD 1234 (2020) • Six Small Pieces in C major, Prelude 7, Richard Deering (piano), Heritage HTGCD142 (2023) • Accordion Concerto. Owen Murray, accordion, BBC Concert Orchestra, cond. Sir James MacMillan. Toccata TOCN0016 (2026)
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Edward McGuire (composer), revision 1363454949 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ross, Raymond J. (1983), An Interview with Eddie McGuire, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 14, Autumn 1983, pp. 23 - 27,
- 2.Edward McGuire. Cadenza Music.
- 3.Carder, Richard. McGuire's Minstrelsy. Basbwe.
- 4.McGregor, Richard. Edward McGuire. The Musical Times. 120. 1636. 479–481. 1979. 10.2307/961099.
- 5.Eddie McGuire - Solos and Duos. The Sampler.
- 6.Fiddling of Anither Kind. A Scottish Musical Miscellany.
- 7.Griffiths, Bill. Northern Sinfonia: a Magic of its own. ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited. July 2010. 9781458784735.
- 8.British Composer Awards shortlist 2003. British Composer Awards.
- 9.Creative Scotland Awards judging panel announced. Scottish Arts Council.
- 10.Bruce, Keith. Review: St Magnus Festival, Orkney. The Herald. 24 June 2015.
- 11.Peebles, Alastair. ST MAGNUS FESTIVAL 2006. Northings. 28 June 2006.
- 12.Scotland's Music Live at City Halls. BBC.
- 13.'Binks at Celtic Connections with the Musician's Union. the Whistlebinkies.
- 14.Eddie McGuire: Music for flute, guitar and piano. Delphian Records.
- 15.Molleson, Kate. Eddie McGuire: Entangled Fortunes review – heartfelt and tuneful. The Guardian. 2 July 2015.
- 16.Gramophone Editor's Choice August 2015. Mmmusic.co.uk.
- 17.mr McFalls Chamber - Search. McFalls Chamber.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Ross, Raymond J. (1983), An Interview with Eddie McGuire, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 14, Autumn 1983, pp. 23 – 27,
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
43,975 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Edward MacDowellPerson
- Edward MackPerson
- Edward ManukyanPerson
- Edward MayaPerson
- Edward OlearczykPerson
- Edward PasewiczPerson
- Edward Ray GoetzPerson
- Edward SaidPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Edward McGuire?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.