Frederick May (composer)

Frederick May (1911 – 1963) was an Irish composer.

May was a significant figure in the development of 20th-century Irish art music. Born in Dublin, he studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and later in London with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Constant Lambert. His early works were influenced by the prevailing romantic style, but he later embraced a more modernist idiom.

May’s compositional output was relatively small but diverse, encompassing orchestral works, chamber music, vocal pieces, and scores for theatre and film. His most celebrated composition is often considered to be his String Quartet in C minor (1936). Other notable works include his Symphony (1937), and his incidental music for plays by Irish playwrights such as W.B. Yeats and J.M. Synge.

He suffered from bouts of depression and alcoholism throughout his life, which may have contributed to the relatively limited quantity of his output. Despite the challenges he faced, May's contribution to Irish musical life is substantial, and he is regarded as one of the most important Irish composers of his generation. His music is characterized by its dramatic intensity, rhythmic vitality, and exploration of harmonic language. He died in Dublin at the age of 52.