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He began his musical life as a choir boy at [[Gloucester]] [[cathedral]], before becoming assistant organist there. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied under [[Charles Villiers Stanford]]. His studies there were interrupted by the War but not before he had written his ''“Five Elizabethan Songs”'' and had discovered the poetry of [[A.E. Housman]].

He began his musical life as a choir boy at [[Gloucester]] [[cathedral]], before becoming assistant organist there. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied under [[Charles Villiers Stanford]]. His studies there were interrupted by the War but not before he had written his ''“Five Elizabethan Songs”'' and had discovered the poetry of [[A.E. Housman]].

He joined a Gloucester regiment and was in [[France]] by 1915; was injured, suffered a gas attack at [[Ypres]] and traumatised, but survived;  continuing his studies after hostilities ended. The time immediately after the War under the tutelage of [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] was the most creative of his career, however, during 1920' mental instability that had troubled him since his teens recurred and, after 1921, he wrote very little. In 1922 he was entered into a mental hospital in Dartford, London and would spend the rest of his life there , smoking heavily despite his injured lungs and annoying other residents with his incessant piano playing; ignored by most, especially the Army in which he had faithfully served. He died there on Boxing Day 1937 his works largely unknown except to a small group of friends and fellow composers - [[Gerald Finzi]]. [[Herbert Howells]] and others

He joined a Gloucester regiment and was in [[France]] by 1915; was injured, suffered a gas attack at [[Ypres]] and traumatised, but survived;  continuing his studies after hostilities ended. The time immediately after the War under the tutelage of [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] was the most creative of his career, however, during 1920' mental instability that had troubled him since his teens recurred and, after 1921, he wrote very little. In 1922 he was entered into a mental hospital in Dartford, London and would spend the rest of his life there , smoking heavily despite his injured lungs and annoying other residents with his incessant piano playing; ignored by most, especially the Army in which he had faithfully served. He died there on Boxing Day 1937 his works largely unknown except to a small group of friends and fellow composers - [[Gerald Finzi]]. [[Herbert Howells]] and others

He wrote some delicate [[piano]] works (mainly [[prelude]]s some [[chamber music]] and songs - some 300 songs, many of them as exquisite as any written, to the words of poets from the [[Tudor]] to the contemporary. While he was still at the Royal Academy, his teacher, Stanford had written that he, Gurney was ''“the one who most fulfilled the accepted ideas of genius…"''  He was admired by [[Gerald Finzi]] who had a similar capacity to marry the words to the singer to the accompaniment and would later champion both Gurney’s songs and his poetry..

He wrote some delicate [[piano]] works (mainly [[prelude]]s some [[chamber music]] and songs - some 300 songs, many of them as exquisite as any written, to the words of poets from the [[Tudor]] to the contemporary. While he was still at the Royal Academy, his teacher, Stanford had written that he, Gurney was ''“the one who most fulfilled the accepted ideas of genius…"''  He was admired by [[Gerald Finzi]] who had a similar capacity to marry the words to the singer to the accompaniment and would later champion both Gurney’s songs and his poetry..

These days he is well served in recordings of his songs and his poems appear in many anthologies of English verse as well as dedicated editions. Various editions of his correspondence from the front are available.

These days he is well served in recordings of his songs and his poems appear in many anthologies of English verse as well as dedicated editions. Various editions of his correspondence from the front are available.

==Reference==

==References==

''"Ivor Gurney - War Letters"'' Selection edited by KKR Thornton Hogarth Press 1984. Introduction

''"Ivor Gurney - War Letters"'' Selection edited by KKR Thornton Hogarth Press 1984. Introduction