Buried Treasure

Buried treasure ...... The colonial woman composer Performers Thursday 4 August 2016, 1pm La Trobe Reading Room State Library Victoria Merlyn Quaife is an Jacinta Dennett is a leading Johanna Selleck is internationally-renowned figure in harp performance a composer, flautist, soprano of great versatility, and teaching in Australia, and musicologist. She performing regularly in and her work is recognised completed a PhD in opera, oratorio, chamber for its rare fusion of poetry composition at the music, lieder and and physicality. Her wide University of Melbourne contemporary music. She is range of performance in 2006. She currently a champion of new music experience includes teaches composition at the and has had many works concerto soloist, recitalist, university, where she is an composed for her. Quaife orchestral and chamber honorary fellow. Selleck is appears on CD with Naxos, musician. Dennett holds published by Cambridge ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, a Master of Fine Arts Scholars Press and has won and Move Records. She in Interdisciplinary Arts numerous awards including is currently Associate Practice and is currently the Percy Grainger Prize Professor and Coordinator undertaking a PhD at the for Composition. Her music of Voice at Sir Zelman University of Melbourne. is recorded on the Move Cowen School of Music, Records and Tall Poppies Monash University. labels.

...... Creative Fellow acknowledgments

Johanna Selleck would like to express her deep appreciation to State Library Victoria for the opportunity to undertake a Creative Fellowship in the inspiring ...... surrounds of the Library. 328 Swanston Street Selleck’s thanks are extended to Suzie Gasper, Melbourne Gail Schmidt, Rebecca Anthony, and Dermot McCaul

from State Library Victoria, and to performers Merlyn Open 10am–5pm daily Quaife and Jacinta Dennett for their dedication and And until 9pm Thursdays. support for the project and their insightful and creative slv.vic.gov.au input into the performance.

Front cover image I. Bacon, Miss Florrie Forde, c. 1880–1930, State Library Victoria Pictures Collection H8355 ...... Program notes ...... Concert 1 Folk song Emily Patton Folk song is a truly remarkable art form. Without upsetting the conventional views Folk music and Classically-trained composers have on acceptable behaviour during the 19th popular song recognised this for centuries past, valuing century, women, including Emily Patton, it in its own right and paying tribute by found ingenious ways to develop their incorporating it into their music. musical skills. Patton’s book Harmony Merlyn Quaife, soprano Folk song is also an exceptionally good simplified for popular use (1880) has been Jacinta Dennett, harp vehicle for the art of interpretation (or re- described by musicologist John Whiteoak composing). It responds to different times, in his book Playing ad lib as ‘possibly the Johanna Selleck, flute ...... places, and people by undergoing continual first colonial publication to deal specifically change as the new is grafted onto the old. with improvisation. . . It may well represent a Repertoire has been researched, Program One of the earliest examples in Australia’s modest watershed in colonial thinking’. compiled, and arranged by colonial history comes from a group of In her role as a teacher, with her creative women convicts in Hobart in 1842, who abilities hidden under the veil of ‘interpreter Johanna Selleck as part of a Folk song: Creative Fellowship at State taunted their captors with spontaneous, and arranger’ rather than ‘originator Library Victoria. Female transport bawdy songs. Their songs did not survive, and composer’, Patton fitted with social but others have, such as the song ‘Female expectations regarding female etiquette, The red barn; She dressed in a man’s array transport’, which tells the story of the convict, the moral role of music, and women’s role A sister’s love Sarah Collins. as nurturers. Her book instructs students on Sally Sloane (1894–1982) is one of the most harmony and how to accompany ‘by ear’ The female rambling sailor documented singers in the history of Australian with elegant arrangements that bridge the traditional music. From recordings and gap between folk, popular, and art song. The research by eminent Australian scholars such two chosen for today are ‘The last rose of Emily Patton (1831–1912): as John Meredith and Jennifer Gall, we know summer’ and ‘The departure’. The last rose of summer that Sloane’s repertoire of songs was passed down to her across three generations of her Florrie Forde The departure maternal predecessors dating back to 1838. Her songs extended from folk to music hall The iconic star of music hall, Florrie Forde, to art song and were made more convincing provides a resounding note to conclude Florrie Forde (1875–1940): by her ability to adopt different stage voices. today’s concert. From humble beginnings ‘The red barn’ belongs to a genre known in Fitzroy, she made her first appearance on O Georgie, why don’t you try to as murder ballads. In this case, the murder the Sydney stage at age 16, and five years behave (by Jack Foley) of a young woman by her lover. A short later travelled to London, where she became improvisation links this to a bushranger ballad, an overnight sensation. She made over 700 ‘She dressed in a man’s array’. recordings on wax cylinders and some of the The ‘Buried treasure’ concert series challenges and The next song, ‘A sister’s love’, expresses earliest gramophone recordings. broadens contemporary understandings of the Kate Kelly’s grief over the death of her brother According to Paul St Claire in A portrait of notion of a composer. Dan in the siege at Glenrowan. The poem the artist as Australian, her legacy can be This series celebrates the creativity of women appeared in the Gundagai Times in 1881. For traced through to contemporary artists such musicians as performers, composers, and educators. the purposes of today’s performance (and on as Barry Humphries, whose roots lie in the Drawing on music from colonial Australia to the early- the expert advice of folklorist Mark Gregory), it distinctive brand of Australian music hall. 20th century, the first concert focuses on folk song, has been set to the tune of ‘Farewell to Greta’. ‘Oh Georgie’ allows considerable scope the second on art song, and the third on children’s The final song, ‘The female rambling for dramatisation drawing on the influence songs and Australiana. sailor’, is a street ballad dating from the of both art song and popular song. Singers The music highlights some of the ways women 1830s belonging to a genre known as female such as Florrie Forde and Sally Sloane show, were able to avoid social restrictions and find outlets warrior ballads. Research by Dianne Dugaw through their imaginative and personalised for their creativity. Through composing original music has shown how these songs depict women as approaches, an ability to grasp the essence of a particular style and expound on it highly and re-composing through creative interpretation, conquering heroes, often masquerading as original ways. This ability to bring together they created a rich and powerful legacy for those men and defying convention by becoming soldiers and sailors. The song narrates the diverse influences and meld them into who came after. real-life tale of the sailor Rebecca Young, who something uniquely personal is in itself a highly died after falling from her ship’s rigging. creative (compositional) act.

Buried treasure ...... The colonial woman composer Performers Thursday 11 August 2016, 1pm Cowen Gallery Merlyn Quaife is an Jacinta Dennett is a leading Johanna Selleck is State Library Victoria internationally-renowned figure in harp performance a composer, flautist, soprano of great versatility, and teaching in Australia, and musicologist. She performing regularly in and her work is recognised completed a PhD in opera, oratorio, chamber for its rare fusion of poetry composition at the music, lieder and and physicality. Her wide University of Melbourne contemporary music. She is range of performance in 2006. She currently a champion of new music experience includes teaches composition at the and has had many works concerto soloist, recitalist, university, where she is an composed for her. Quaife orchestral and chamber honorary fellow. Selleck is appears on CD with Naxos, musician. Dennett holds published by Cambridge ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, a Master of Fine Arts Scholars Press and has won and Move Records. She in Interdisciplinary Arts numerous awards including is currently Associate Practice and is currently the Percy Grainger Prize Professor and Coordinator undertaking a PhD at the for Composition. Her music of Voice at Sir Zelman University of Melbourne. is recorded on the Move Cowen School of Music, Records and Tall Poppies Monash University. labels.

...... Creative Fellow acknowledgments

Front cover image Mrs Florence Ewart, 1907, courtesy of Grainger Museum Collection, University of Melbourne ...... Program notes

...... Florence Maud Ewart a beautiful ‘Ave Maria’. Miss Ida Cox, the contralto, sang it at morning service at St. Program The rich and productive lives of Australian Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday’. women musicians were showcased at the Australian Exhibition of Women’s Work held at Mona McBurney Florence Maud Ewart (1864–1949): Melbourne’s Exhibition Buildings in 1907. A women’s choir and orchestra performed Mona McBurney was the fourth student to I love thee (1907) and competitions in essay writing and music graduate with a bachelor music degree from composition were held. The orchestra was the University of Melbourne in 1896, and the conducted by Ewart, who also performed on first female music graduate from an Australian Bessie Delves (1894–1926): violin, gave lectures, and composed a choral university. Excerpts from her opera The Ave Maria (1900) piece, which was awarded first prize in the dalmation were performed in 1910, making exhibition’s composers’ competition. it the first opera by a woman performed on Over the course of her life, Ewart was Australian soil...... Henry Handel Richardson (1870–1946): dedicated to her music. She composed six McBurney was also a participant in the operas, five works for voice and orchestra, 1907 Women’s Work Exhibition, conducting Concert 2 Die Strassburger Münster-Engelchen numerous chamber works, and 46 songs. the orchestra in a performance of her Art song (circa 1890s) Today, we will hear her song ‘I love thee’, ‘Northern ballad’. She composed a piano which was also awarded a prize at the concerto, a string quartet, works for solo Women’s Work Exhibition. piano, and around 30 songs. The calibre of Merlyn Quaife, soprano Mona McBurney (1862–1932): her compositions was recognised with an Jacinta Dennett, harp honourable mention by the Societa Dante A Persian song (published 1925) Henry Handel Richardson in Rome in 1902. ‘A Persian song’ is a setting Johanna Selleck, flute Chansonnette (published 1925) Ethel Florence Richardson (Henry Handel) was of a 14th century text by the Sufi poet Hafez. as talented a musician as she was a writer. The poem celebrates the coming of spring. Repertoire has been researched, Her teachers at Presbyterian Ladies’ College ‘Chansonnette’ is a setting of an anonymous compiled, and arranged by Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931): in Burwood recognised her potential and 16th-century text. It expresses the joy of being Johanna Selleck as part of a encouraged her to take up a career in music. in the garden when the roses are blooming. Queen Marguerite’s aria, ‘O beau Following graduation, she studied music at Creative Fellowship at State the prestigious Königliches Conservatorium Library Victoria. pays de la Touraine’, from Meyerbeer’s Dame Nellie Melba in Leipzig. Music was a theme in many of her Les Huguenots (1836) featuring novels, and she continued to play piano and The discovery of a manuscript of cadenzas in cadenzas written especially for Nellie compose throughout her life. Melba’s own handwriting was an exciting find The song chosen for today’s program, in the archives of State Library Victoria. The Melba by Mathilda Marchesi in 1901. ‘Die Strassburger Münster-Engelchen’, is from famous cadenza performed by Melba in the volume four of the ‘Music Australis’ series mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor is well The ‘Buried treasure’ concert series challenges and published by the Marshall-Hall Trust. The poem documented. broadens contemporary understandings of the by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865–1910) is a In contrast, the cadenzas for Les Huguenots notion of a composer. narration of a man talking to his son about the appear to be much less well-known. The This series celebrates the creativity of women pillar of angels in the Strasbourg Cathedral, cadenzas from both operas are thought to have been composed by Mathilda Marchesi musicians as performers, composers, and educators. advising him to ‘give yourself no further trouble, (1821–1913), Melba’s teacher in Paris, and Drawing on music from colonial Australia to the early- my son . . . The little foolish angels at Strasbourg Cathedral are a lot smarter than you’. both cadenzas were performed with flute 20th century, the first concert focuses on folk song, obbligato. Melba is known to have possessed the second on art song, and the third on children’s skill in improvising and ornamentation and songs and Australiana. Bessie Delves also held a level of compositional craft that The music highlights some of the ways women The papers of Bessie Delves in State Library is evident in her singing tutor, Melba Method, were able to avoid social restrictions and find outlets Victoria bring to light an accomplished and from which a vocalise has been chosen as an for their creativity. Through composing original music highly-respected performer and composer. example today. and re-composing through creative interpretation, Press cuttings from 1899 to 1890 comment on Melba had a close association with flautists they created a rich and powerful legacy for those her excellent gift of melody and describe her including John Amadio and later, Leslie who came after. as a very clever young composer. Barklamb, who was a student of Amadio’s. The premiere of her setting of ‘Ave Maria’ Representing a direct lineage back to was highly praised – ‘Bessie Delves, organist at Melba’s time, Johanna was a student of St. Mary’s in West Melbourne, has just written Leslie Barklamb. Buried treasure ...... The colonial woman composer Performers Sunday 21 August 2016, 1pm Courtyard Merlyn Quaife is an Jacinta Dennett is a leading Johanna Selleck is State Library Victoria internationally-renowned figure in harp performance a composer, flautist, soprano of great versatility, and teaching in Australia, and musicologist. She performing regularly in and her work is recognised completed a PhD in opera, oratorio, chamber for its rare fusion of poetry composition at the music, lieder and and physicality. Her wide University of Melbourne contemporary music. She is range of performance in 2006. She currently a champion of new music experience includes teaches composition at the and has had many works concerto soloist, recitalist, university, where she is an composed for her. Quaife orchestral and chamber honorary fellow. Selleck is appears on CD with Naxos, musician. Dennett holds published by Cambridge ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, a Master of Fine Arts Scholars Press and has won and Move Records. She in Interdisciplinary Arts numerous awards including is currently Associate Practice and is currently the Percy Grainger Prize Professor and Coordinator undertaking a PhD at the for Composition. Her music of Voice at Sir Zelman University of Melbourne. is recorded on the Move Cowen School of Music, Records and Tall Poppies Monash University. labels.

...... Creative Fellow acknowledgments

Front cover image Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, The fairy on a bat, 1916, pen, ink and watercolour on paper, gift of Joyce and Courtney Oldmeadow, 1978, Scholastic Dromkeen Children’s Literature Collection, State Library Victoria, © V & S Martin, estate of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite ...... Program

Australian songs for young and old (published 1907) Music by Georgette Peterson (1863–1947) Words by Annie Rentoul (1882–1978) Illustrations by Ida Rentoul-Outhwaite (1888–1960)* ...... 1. Autumn wind Program notes 2. Gobble wobbles

3. Kangaroo song Georgette Peterson’s bush songs were Furthermore, a copyright dispute arose with 4. The bell bird published in four books variously titled the writer Annie Rentoul, with Peterson taking Australian songs for young and old, Bush songs Rentoul’s side, which was fortunate for their 5. The moon boat of Australia for young and old, Australian bush continued collaboration on the bush songs. 6. As I went o’er the paddocks songs, and More bush songs of Australia for young and old. The first of these appeared in Some journalists pounced on the opportunity 7. Coo-ee 1907, only two years after Banjo Patterson’s to discredit the Women’s Work Exhibition, 8. Possum Bush songs was published. It is reasonable to claiming the disputes were proof that women assume that Peterson and Annie Rentoul (who could not work together without a ‘cat-fight’. 9. The ti-tree wrote the lyrics) were influenced to some Nevertheless, the exhibition was a huge success and ultimately the troubles did not ...... 10. Wattle extent by their famous contemporary’s bush ballads. undermine the incredible achievements of the Concert 3 11. A strayed sunbeam women involved. The last of Peterson’s song books appears to Australiana: bush 12. Mother sea have been re-published around 1934. The Annie Rentoul’s sister, Ida Rentoul-Outhwaite, was the creator of the illustrations for songs for young 13. Kookaburra fact that these songs were re-published over a period of almost 30 years testifies to their Peterson’s bush song series. Some of these and old 14. Good night popularity. illustrations are included in today’s concert presentation; others shown today are from Peterson was born in Budapest and became another collaboration between the two sisters, The ‘Buried treasure’ concert series challenges and Merlyn Quaife, soprano known as a painter, composer, singer, and Elves and fairies (1916). This beautiful volume broadens contemporary understandings of the Jacinta Dennett, harp pianist. She immigrated to Australia in 1901 with contains Annie’s poems, however, the focus is notion of a composer. her husband, Franklin Peterson, who took up on her sister’s elaborate, full-page illustrations. Johanna Selleck, flute This series celebrates the creativity of women the position of Ormond Professor of Music at musicians as performers, composers, and educators. the University of Melbourne. The list of subscribers to the book indicates Repertoire has been researched, Drawing on music from colonial Australia to the early- support from the highest levels, including the compiled, and arranged by 20th century, the first concert focuses on folk song, Peterson was an active composer and Governor of Australia, Sir Ronald Ferguson, the conductor in the Exhibition of Women’s governors of Victoria, South Australia, West Johanna Selleck as part of a the second on art song, and the third on children’s Work held in Melbourne in 1907. During the Australia, and Tasmania, the Vice-Chancellor Creative Fellowship at State songs and Australiana. exhibition, she became involved in some of Melbourne University, Dr MacFarland, The music highlights some of the ways women Library Victoria. unpleasant rivalry with Florence Ewart, whose the Archbishop of Melbourne, Rev. Lowther were able to avoid social restrictions and find outlets husband, Alfred Ewart, was professor of botany Clarke, the ex-Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred for their creativity. Through composing original music at the university. The disagreement arose over Deakin, and Madame Nellie Melba. and re-composing through creative interpretation, Ewart’s composition having been awarded first they created a rich and powerful legacy for those prize instead of Peterson’s. The situation was *Illustrations by Ida Rentoul-Outhwaite who came after. not helped by the womens’ husbands who have been used with kind permission of the became publically vocal in defence of their copyright holder, Stella Palmer. wives. At one stage the choir went on strike over a disagreement concerning a soloist.