Ruby Claudia Emily Davy (22 November 1883 – 12 July 1949) was an Australian pianist, composer and educator. She was the first woman in Australia to receive a

DMus A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

degree. The daughter of William Charles Davy, a shoemaker and musician, and Louisa Jane Litchfield, a singer and music teacher, she was born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, South Australia. Davy received a

BMus A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

and

MMus The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...

from the

Elder Conservatorium of Music The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder (1818–1897). Dating in its earliest form from 1883 ...

. She also earned a diploma in

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compel ...

from the

London College of Music London College of Music (LCM) is a music school in London, England. It is one of eight separate schools that make up the University of West London. History LCM was founded in 1887 and existed as an independent music conservatoire based at ...

. She became a fellow of

Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...

in 1921, the first woman outside of Britain to receive that honour. In 1912, she taught theory and counterpoint as a temporary replacement at the Conservatorium. She moved to

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

with her parents in 1920; Davy and her mother taught music there. After her parents died in 1929, she suffered a nervous breakdown and abandoned music and teaching for four years. She moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 1934. In the same year, she began giving lecture recitals on the radio and to various organisations there. She toured England, Europe, Canada and the United States in 1939. In 1941, she founded the Society of Women Musicians of Australia. She composed ''Australia Fair And Free'' for voices and orchestra, which was performed in 1936 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Davy underwent a

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in 1947 and died at home in Melbourne two years later; she was buried in the

West Terrace Cemetery The West Terrace Cemetery, formerly Adelaide Public Cemetery is a cemetery in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the state's oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light's 1837 plan of the Adelaide city centre, to the south-west of ...

, Adelaide. The Dr Ruby Davy prize for composition is awarded annually by the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. Rita M. Wilson's biography entitled "Ruby Davy: academic and artiste: a biography of Dr. Ruby Davy: Australia's first woman Doctor of Music." was published by the Salisbury and District Historical Society, South Australia, in 1995. Fellow Australian composer Ernest Edwin Mitchell was a tutor.

Works

* Australia fair and free - words by Louis Lavater; music by Ruby C. Davy. *1934 Welcome to Australia usic/ words by William Cathcart; music by Ruby C. Davy. * 1935 Barcarolle for violin and piano * Magnificat and Nunc dimittis

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davy, Ruby Claudia 1883 births 1949 deaths Australian women composers 20th-century Australian pianists People from South Australia 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women pianists