Valerie Rodway

Valerie Muriel Rodway (February 12, 1919 – August 1970) was a Guyanese composer of cultural and patriotic songs, inspired by the events leading up to Guyana's independence in 1966. She is best known for composing music to accompany Guyana national poetry, like Arise, Guyana, Kanaïma, and the Martin Carter's Guyanese Independence poem Let Freedom Awaken. For the next two decades, school children were taught the songs she and others composed to inspire patriotism and cultural affinity. She selected the poetry for her compositions based upon her principles and values, first developed among her parents and siblings.

She has been considered Guyana's greatest composer of patriotic and national music, and among the best composers from Guyana of the 20th century, generally and among composers of classical music. She was awarded the Wordsworth McAndrew Award posthumously in 2002. In 2019, she was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honor, one of the highest honors of Guyana. The National Trust of Guyana building in Cummingsburg, Georgetown, has been renamed the Valerie Rodway House in her honor.

She was married multiple times, yet had no children of her own. She was described as a caring, good mother by her stepdaughter, Dr. Cicely Rodway, the daughter of James Rodway. James, her second husband, created Guyana the Free with her. She taught music at a school in Georgetown, Guyana, and was a pianist known for musical collaborations with other renowned Guyanese musicians.

Personal life

Valerie Fraser, born on February 12, 1919, in New Amsterdam, Guyana, was the fifth of eight children and the fourth daughter.

Parris Britton, her maternal ancestor, bought and held land that, following his death, became a source of income to his descendants. Britton began by making leather goods for sugar plantation owners for their horses and mules—such as saddles, harnesses, and stirrups—that transported sugar in British Guiana. Walcott created the James Rodway Memorial Prize in his honor. Besides teaching in Saint Vincent, James also taught in Saint Lucia and Guyana. He taught at Queen's College, Guyana until about 1963, when he retired. She attended St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal. James Rodway's children were her stepchildren. Dr Cicely Rodway, her stepdaughter, called her a good mother who was gentle and kind. She had no children of her own. and was survived by one sibling, Ovid Fraser. She composed some of the country's most recognized cultural and patriotic songs For the next two decades, school children learned national, patriotic songs in schools, like "Guyana the Free". School children copied the words to national songs into special exercise books.

Her music—composed for schools, music festivals, and large choirs—was influenced by her civic values, creativity, and the changes that her country experienced as it transitioned from a colonial territory to an independent country. According to the Stabroek News, her work represents pride in her country, its natural resources, and first peoples—expressed through diverse musical genres. and music festivals held by other organizations. She also played jazz with Robert Frank and Iggy Quail. In 1978, a book was published of three of her classical compositions and twenty of her songs entitled National Songs Composed by Valerie Rodway. and the Cacique Crown of Honor (CCH), one of the highest honours of Guyana, in 2019.

Valerie Rodway House, on Carmichael Street, Georgetown. The building - previously the home of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an annex to the Governor's house - was renamed by the Guyanese government in honour of the composer, Valerie Rodway, on February 12, 2019. The National Trust of Guyana building was renamed the Valerie Rodway House in 2019 to honor her work and life. Renamed in conjunction with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth, the event was led by the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP). A speaker at the occasion, Dr. Vibert Cambridge, Professor in the School of Media Arts Studies at Ohio University, called her a "national treasure" who "found her inspiration in nature, the human struggle and Guyanese poetry".

The Postmaster General of Guyana announced the release of 2019 commemorative stamps of Rodway by the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC). The manuscript for O Beautiful Guyana was presented to the National Archives for preservation.