Edward Norman Hay (19 April 1889 – 10 September 1943) was a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

composer and music critic.

Early life

Hay was born at 26 Newton Road,

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, the second son of Joseph Hay, an

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

Official, who was the son of Edward Hay of

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

(d.1890), coachmaker, and Janet Robb (1864–1891) of

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where ...

, Scotland, the daughter of Andrew Robb (d.1900), a mill manager. His parents had married in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1884, and their first son, Francis Edward Cecil Hay, died in

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

in 1885. Joseph and Janet moved to

shortly afterwards. His mother Janet died aged only 26 in January 1891 and was buried in North Merchiston Cemetery, Edinburgh, and the 1891 census finds Edward in the

Cottage Hospital A cottage hospital is a semi-obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publicati ...

in Faversham. Edward moved across to Coleraine in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

shortly afterwards to be cared for by aunts. When young he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, which left him with a permanent limp, and apparently unable to walk until the age of 12.Byers Music. ''Norman Hay, a brief biography and a list of his works''
/ref>

Education and career

According to his own account he first studied the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

at the age of eight, but around the age of ten "I was suddenly filled with a longing to play a

keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital piano ...

... and I took a vow one evening not to sleep until I had learnt the notes of the bass staff". He went on to take

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

lessons and "during my five years with her

he teacher He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

I proceeded from

Clementi Clementi may refer to: People * Aldo Clementi (1925–2011), Italian composer * Cecil Clementi (1875–1947), British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong * Cecilia Clementi, Italian-American scientist * David Clementi (born 1949), B ...

and

Dussek Jan Ladislav Dussek (baptized Jan Václav Dusík, Černušák, p. 271 with surname also written as Duschek or Düssek; 12 February 176020 March 1812) was a Czech classical composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music ...

to the easier

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

, with not one trashy piece in between. And I think the finest thing she ever did was to leave

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

alone". Hay studied in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, with Dr. Koeller and later with C.J.Brennan, Dr. E.M. Chaundy and Dr. Eaglefield-Hull. He took a bachelor's degree in music at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and later a Doctorate in Music at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

for composition (1919). He was also a fellow of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

(1911). Returning to Ireland he was organist at St. Patrick's Parish Church, Coleraine from 1914 to 1916, and thereafter was appointed organist at Bangor Abbey Church in 1922. In 1922-3 he served as Head of Music at

Campbell College Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...

, Belfast, and from 1923 to 1924 was the external examiner (degrees) at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, and shortly before his death was lecturer in music at

Queen's University, Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

. From 1926 he served as the music critic for

the Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...

using the pseudonym "Rathcol". He also was the general editor and arranger of "Ulster Airs" for

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...

. He was also organist at Belmont Presbyterian Church, Belfast. He married a Coleraine girl, Hessie Haughey, at the Fitzroy Avenue Presbyterian Church, Belfast, on 7 April 1920. They had two sons, Michael (1927–2004) and Joseph Norman Haughey Hay (1924–2007).

Death and legacy

Hay died in 1943 in

Portstewart Portstewart () is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,003 people in the 2011 Census. It is a seaside resort neighbouring Portrush. Its harbour and scenic coastal paths form an Atlantic promenade leadin ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. His obituary in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' (13 September 1943) records that he "won the Carnegie Award for a String Quartet in A in 1918, and from 1923 to 1924 was external examiner for degrees in music at

. After working for the BBC for a time he was appointed in 1941 Lecturer on Music,

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

". It continued "Dr Hay's chief work was 'Paean', performed in 1932 at Worcester at the

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

. Notable orchestral works by him are the symphonic poem 'Dunluce (1921)' and an 'Irish Rhapsody'." ''Dunluce'', mentioned above, was performed at the

London Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

in 1925, as was ''Paean'' in 1934. His work ''To Wonder'' was commissioned for the Belfast Philharmonic Societies Jubilee in 1924, and was performed on the opening of the Belfast Station of the BBC. Other awards include a

Feis Ceoil Feis Ceoil ( ; "Festival of Music") is an Irish music organisation which holds an annual competitive festival of classical music. It was first organised in Dublin in 1897 by Dr. Annie Patterson and Edward Martyn for the purpose of stimulating musi ...

prize for a six-part madrigal in 1908, another Feis Ceoil prize in 1916 for a sonata for violoncello and piano on Irish folk tunes, and in 1917 the Cobbett Prize for a string quartet on Irish folk tunes Barry Burgess describes Hay's music as having expert orchestration and tonal harmony, described in Hay's own words as "largely diatonic with chromatic decoration in a free modern manner". Burgess also detects the influence of Irish folksongs in his melodic style. The BBC broadcast a modern performance of ''Dunluce'' in March 1987 by the

Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...

, conducted by Maurice Handford. The 1921 cantata ''The Wind Among the Reeds'' (setting

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

) was given what was billed as its first performance on 7 September 1995 by soprano Melanie Armitstead, the chorus of the Belfast Philharmonic Society and the Ulster Orchestra, conducted by John Lubbock. And a new performance of the String Quartet in A in by the Bingham Quartet was broadcast in October 1995.''Radio Times'', issue 3743, 12 October 1995, p. 122. In 2002, his work was performed at

Ulster Hall The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences. History ...

, and his sons were there to hear it.

Selected compositions

Orchestral *''Dunluce'', tone poem (1921) *''Fantasy on Irish Folk Tunes'' (1924) *''Four Irish Sketches'' (1929–32) *''An Irish Rhapsody'', tone poem (1932) Vocal with orchestra *''The Gilly of Christ'' (Joseph Campbell) for chorus and orchestra (1917) *''The Wind Among the Reeds'' ( W.B. Yeats) for mezzo, baritone, chorus and orch. (1921) *''To Wonder'' (Robert N. D. Wilson) for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, chorus and orch. (1924) *''Paean'' (George Herbert) for mezzo, chorus and orchestra (1930) Choral (unaccompanied) *''Shed no Tear'' (

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

) (1923) Choral (with organ) *''Behold, what Manner of Love'' (biblical) (1923) *''Thou O God hast taught me'' (1927) Chamber music *Cello Sonata, for cello and piano (1916) *''Fantasy on Irish Folk Tunes'' for string quartet (1917) *String Quartet in A major (1918). Winner of Carnegie Trust Award Songs *''The Silent Land'' for mezzo and cello (1905) *''A Birthday Song'' (Dante Gabriel Rossetti) for soprano, mezzo and piano (1918) *''Churnin' Day'' (Elizabeth Shane) for voice and piano (1936) *''The Buttermilk Boy'', Ulster folksong for voice and piano (1939) *''Tryste Noel'' (Louise Imogen Guiney) for soprano and piano (1940) Musical Comedy *''The Lady Voters Dilemma'' (1919)

Early life

Education and career

Death and legacy

Selected compositions

References

Further reading