Gary J. Hayes | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Gary J. Hayes

Hayes, Gary J. (James). Composer, producer, b Hamilton, Ont, 14 Dec 1948; B MUS (Toronto) 1972. He studied violin with David Mankovitz, percussion with Vair Capper, John Wyre, and Robin Engelman, and composition with John Beckwith and John Weinzweig at the University of Toronto.

Hayes, Gary J.

Hayes, Gary J. (James). Composer, producer, b Hamilton, Ont, 14 Dec 1948; B MUS (Toronto) 1972. He studied violin with David Mankovitz, percussion with Vair Capper, John Wyre, and Robin Engelman, and composition with John Beckwith and John Weinzweig at the University of Toronto. He was a founding member 1971-6 of ARRAY, taught 1973-4 for the York County School Board in the 'artist-in-the-classroom' project, and worked briefly 1974-5 as a folk singer. He joined CBC Ottawa in 1975 as a radio producer and became area executive producer of performance in 1985. His compositions, mostly for chamber ensemble, reflect an interest in sound colour; Dementia I and II, Mists and the Dreams of Mists , and particularly Convolutions, a commission for Canadian Brass) explore effects obtainable through the dispersement of instruments to separate positions in a hall or playing area. Among Hayes' other works of this period, his Pythian I won one of the four first prizes awarded that year in the CBC National Radio Competition for Young Composers, and Soring [sic] was written for the Guitar Society of Toronto. The most evident influence on Hayes' style is from Weinzweig. The first movement of his Serenade, with its spinning out of musical cells and its rhythmic playfulness, is clearly indebted to the example of Weinzweig. This spinning out technique and a strong rythmic sense is evident in many of Hayes' works, including Celestial Musings and Freewheeling/Free Choice/Freedom (1990). He is a member of the CLComp and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre.

Selected Compositions

Orchestra
Dementia I. 1974. Str orch, percussion. Ms

Nuances du Nord. 1975. Ms

Two Studies in Strings. 1979. Str orch. Ms

Fanfares. 1982. Full orch. Ms

Serenade. 1985. Eng horn, trumpet, string. Ms

Freewheeling/Free Choice/Freedom. 1990. Ms

Chamber

Mists and the Dreams of Mists. 1973. Instr ensemble. Ms

Dementia II. 1974. Fl, trumpet, viola. Ms

Convolutions. 1975. Brass quintet. Ms

Dialogues. 1975. Fl (baroque fl), organ. Ms

Soring. 1975. Guit. Ms

Quatre Jouets. 1977. Saxophone quartet. Ms

Three Visions. 1981. Ob, percussion. Ms

Elusive Meanings/Subliminal Messages. 1982. Brass quintet, percussion. Ms

Celestial Musings. 1989. Fl, clarinet, piano, violin, viola, b violoncello. Ms

Also other works for cb, fl and piano, string trio, and other instr groupings

Voice

Two Songs (W. Congreve, L. Ferlinghetti). 1970. Sop, guitar, violin. Ms

Dog (L. Ferlinghetti). 1971. 3 narrator, soprano, instr ensemble. Ms

Five Haiku (F. Gallagher). 1972. Sop, fl, percussion. Ms

Pythian I (Pindar). 1973. Sop, guitar (mand), piano, percussion, string. Ms

North Songs (F.R. Scott). 1987. Mezzo, fl, viola, violoncello. Ms

Also three works for piano and one for organ

Further Reading

Donate to The Canadian Encyclopedia this Giving Tuesday!

A donation to The Canadian Encyclopedia today will have an even greater impact due to a generous matching gift from an anonymous donor. Starting December 3 until December 10, 2024, all donations will be matched up to $10,000! All donations above $3 will receive a tax receipt. Thank you for your support of The Canadian Encyclopedia, a project of Historica Canada.

Donate