Ina Boyle
1889 - 1967
Irish
Summary
Ina Boyle was born and lived all her life in the family home Bushey Park, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Her first teacher was her clergyman father, William Foster Boyle. She studied privately with Percy Buck, Charles Kitson and Charles Wood, to whom she was related by marriage. From 1923 she travelled to London for composition lessons with Ralph Vaughan Williams until the outbreak of World War 2 ended her visits. Ina Boyle continued to compose throughout her life and tried to promote performances of her works but with little success After her death in 1967 her music was forgotten, but in recent years the efforts of the Ina Boyle Development Committee have led to performances, broadcasts and recordings in Ireland , England and Europe.
Her music manuscripts are preserved in the Library of Trinity College Dublin, some have already been digitised and are available for download at digitalcollections.tcd.ie. The first CD devoted to her orchestral music was recorded in 2018 by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp. The official biography, Ina Boyle 1889 - 1967 - A Composer’s Life by Ita Beausang and Séamus le Barra, has been published by Cork University Press.
Vaughan Williams wrote to Ina Boyle in 1937: I think it is most courageous of you to go on with so little recognition. The only thing to say is that it sometimes does come finally. Fifty years after her death his prediction is becoming a reality for this remarkable composer.
For more information on Ina Boyle, please visit inaboyle.org.
Biography
Ina Boyle (8 March 1889 - 10 March 1967) is recognised as Ireland’s most prolific and important female composer of the first half of the 20th century. Her body of work encompassed choral, chamber and orchestral works as well as an opera, ballets and vocal music.
Ina Boyle was born and lived all her life in the family home Bushey Park, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Her first teacher was her clergyman father, William Foster Boyle. At the age of 11 years she began studying with Samuel Myerscough. Her other teachers included Percy Buck, Charles Kitson, and Charles Wood, to whom she was related by marriage. In 1923 she began her travels to London to take composition lessons with Ralph Vaughan Williams, who thought highly of her works. Early successes included an award from the Carnegie Trust for her orchestral rhapsody, The Magic Harp which was performed at the Proms in 1923, conducted by Sir Henry Wood, and a Diplome d’Honneur in the music category of the Olympic Games in 1948 for a chamber work, Lament for Bion.
Both Vaughan Williams and her great friend Elizabeth Maconchy encouraged Ina Boyle to move to London but she would not leave her home and the family who depended on her. Cut off from London musical life, especially during World War 2, meant she made few musical contacts. Ina Boyle continued composing throughout her life. Following her death from cancer in 1967, there were some performances, but she became largely forgotten. Her music manuscripts are preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, awaiting rediscovery; some have already been digitised and are available for download digitalcollections.tcd.ie.
A revival of interest in Ina Boyle’s life and music is now underway. This has been spearheaded by the Ina Boyle Development Committee and has led to performances, broadcasts and recordings in Ireland, UK and internationally. These include the Composing the Island Festival, 1916-2016, in Dublin, the CD Cello Abbey (premiere of Elegy (1913) for cello and orchestra) recorded by Staatskappelle Weimar 2016, the first CD devoted to her orchestral music, recorded in 2018 by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp, and the official biography, Ina Boyle 1889 - 1967 - A Composer’s Life by Ita Beausang and Séamus le Barra, published by Cork University Press.
Ina Boyle had a strong religious faith and wrote a large body of choral music, some of which was published in her lifetime. Recent performances of choral works include The Transfiguration (1922) at The Three Choirs Festival in Hereford broadcast on BBC Radio 3, The Gaelic Hymns (1930) at the Ludlow English Song Festival, and Wilt thou not O God go forth with our hosts (1915), dedicated to the 36th Ulster Division, and finally sung for the Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme in St. Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, in 2016.
Vaughan Williams wrote to Ina Boyle in 1937: I think it is most courageous of you to go on with so little recognition. The only thing to say is that it sometimes does come finally. Fifty years after her death his prediction is becoming a reality for this remarkable composer.
For more information on Ina Boyle, please visit inaboyle.org.
Ina Boyle was born and lived all her life in the family home Bushey Park, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Her first teacher was her clergyman father, William Foster Boyle. At the age of 11 years she began studying with Samuel Myerscough. Her other teachers included Percy Buck, Charles Kitson, and Charles Wood, to whom she was related by marriage. In 1923 she began her travels to London to take composition lessons with Ralph Vaughan Williams, who thought highly of her works. Early successes included an award from the Carnegie Trust for her orchestral rhapsody, The Magic Harp which was performed at the Proms in 1923, conducted by Sir Henry Wood, and a Diplome d’Honneur in the music category of the Olympic Games in 1948 for a chamber work, Lament for Bion.
Both Vaughan Williams and her great friend Elizabeth Maconchy encouraged Ina Boyle to move to London but she would not leave her home and the family who depended on her. Cut off from London musical life, especially during World War 2, meant she made few musical contacts. Ina Boyle continued composing throughout her life. Following her death from cancer in 1967, there were some performances, but she became largely forgotten. Her music manuscripts are preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, awaiting rediscovery; some have already been digitised and are available for download digitalcollections.tcd.ie.
A revival of interest in Ina Boyle’s life and music is now underway. This has been spearheaded by the Ina Boyle Development Committee and has led to performances, broadcasts and recordings in Ireland, UK and internationally. These include the Composing the Island Festival, 1916-2016, in Dublin, the CD Cello Abbey (premiere of Elegy (1913) for cello and orchestra) recorded by Staatskappelle Weimar 2016, the first CD devoted to her orchestral music, recorded in 2018 by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp, and the official biography, Ina Boyle 1889 - 1967 - A Composer’s Life by Ita Beausang and Séamus le Barra, published by Cork University Press.
Ina Boyle had a strong religious faith and wrote a large body of choral music, some of which was published in her lifetime. Recent performances of choral works include The Transfiguration (1922) at The Three Choirs Festival in Hereford broadcast on BBC Radio 3, The Gaelic Hymns (1930) at the Ludlow English Song Festival, and Wilt thou not O God go forth with our hosts (1915), dedicated to the 36th Ulster Division, and finally sung for the Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme in St. Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, in 2016.
Vaughan Williams wrote to Ina Boyle in 1937: I think it is most courageous of you to go on with so little recognition. The only thing to say is that it sometimes does come finally. Fifty years after her death his prediction is becoming a reality for this remarkable composer.
For more information on Ina Boyle, please visit inaboyle.org.