Gerard Victory

• Name — Gerard Victory • Birth Name — Thomas Gerard Joseph Victory • Born — 24 December 1921 • Origin — Dublin, Ireland • Died — 14 March 1995 • Place of death — Dublin, Ireland • Occupation — Composer

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.

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.

• 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'

• 1990 — Moresca — violin, cello, harp — 9' • 1985 — Commedia — 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba — 13' • 1982 — String Trio — violin, viola, cello — 22'

• 1979 — Verona Preludes — 22' • 1966 — Cinque Correlazioni — 10' • 1965 — Three Masks — 9' • 1962 — Prelude and Toccata — 8'

• 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'

• 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

• 1985 — Marche Bizarre — 3'

• 1973–1975 — Processus — mixed choir, brass, percussion, pianos, tape — 14'