A BRIEF HISTORY OF LYREBIRD MUSIC SOCIETY INC.

1921—2011

John G.B. Perry 2011 Produced by The BriƟsh Music Society of Victoria exisƟng as LYREBIRD MUSIC SOCIETY INCORPORATED ABN 94 676 630 858 & Inc. A0044099C Founded in 1921 by Mrs Louise Dyer Marion Louise Poynter, Patron

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1 THE PARENT BODY: THE BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY 3 THE BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY—VICTORIAN BRANCH 3 THE WORK OF THE BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF VICTORIA 5 THE SECOND HALF-CENTURY 7 LYREBIRD MUSIC SOCIETY 9 LOUISE HANSON-DYER 10 THE FUTURE 12

PHOTOS

Front Cover Copy of a photo owned by the Society of Louise B. M. Dyer taken by Dorothy Wilding. The signed photo was originally presented to the Teacher’s AssociaƟon. Page 1 Concert Flyer from the Society’s archives. Page 9 Photo by Jane Hammond (composer of the 90th Anniversary Commission) of two of the twelve volumes of the complete works of Couperin le Grand published by EdiƟons de l’Oiseaux Lyre. Page 15 The Assembly Hall circa 1915. The three-storey Assembly Hall was built in 1915 with the fourth storey added in 1935. The Society’s Įrst public concert was held in the Assembly Hall in April 1922. Used with permission of The Scots’ Church .

i INTRODUCTION In 1921 the Victorian Branch of the BriƟsh Music Society was formed. In 1930 it became the BriƟsh Music Society of Victoria (BMS), and in 2008 changed its name to Lyrebird Music Society. This booklet celebrates the Society’s 90th anniversary and honours those who have been especially commiƩed to it, notably Louise Hanson-Dyer, but also many others including Miss Sibyl HeweƩ who was Secretary for 42 years. There are many individuals and several organisations who have contributed to the production of this booklet. First, thanks go to the City of Melbourne for its generous Arts Grant, which covered the publication costs as well as other celebration expenses, and thanks also to the members of the Society’s 2010 and 2011 Committees who have been overseeing all of the ninetieth anniversary celebrations. The Committee’s thanks go to Mrs Marianne Hunt and to Mr John North for giving their time in interviews and conversations during which much valuable and interesting information was gathered. Further grateful acknowledgement is made to Ms Rosemary Mclndoe for her efforts in accessing archival material, and to Louise Hanson-Dyer’s biographer, Mr Jim Davidson whose detailed and extensive research informs much of this booklet. The Committee is indebted to Stephanie Rocke for her editorial work with this booklet and to Sally Hutchison (Vice-President) for her fine translation of the author’s type into the format the reader now holds.

1 HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY The Parent Body: The BriƟsh Music Society The BriƟsh Music Society was founded in June 1918 by a small group of Londoners including Dr A. EagleĮeld Hull. A music criƟc, writer, composer and organist, Hull became the inaugural Honorary Director. Lord Howard de Walden became the Įrst President. The aims of the Society can be thought of as the two sides of a coin, the one side represenƟng the desire to further the wellbeing of BriƟsh music and the Ňip side represenƟng the desire to promote the understanding and appreciaƟon of music generally in Britain. Primarily an educaƟve insƟtuƟon, concerts were also organised regularly from the Society’s newly established "home" in Berners Street, between Soho and Bloomsbury. In 1922, the same building became the headquarters of the InternaƟonal Society for Contemporary Music, originally founded in Salzburg, Austria, and now best known for its annual World Music Days - fesƟvals that feature performances of outstanding new composiƟons from around the world. One of the many to call in to the BriƟsh Music Society's rooms in the 1920s was Louise Dyer. Bringing news of music in , especially Melbourne, Louise was soon asked to become the Honorary RepresentaƟve of the BriƟsh Music Society in Australia, and was encouraged to establish an Australian Branch. Developing into a strongly supported organisaƟon, the BriƟsh Music Society survived various conƟngencies in the 1920s; however, the early death of Hull in 1928 coinciding with the onset of the Great Depression ulƟmately resulted in the Society’s suīering Įnancial losses that became unsustainable. Although a few local groups managed to conƟnue to meet and to encourage BriƟsh music for a liƩle longer, the BriƟsh Music Society was oĸcially wound up in 1930. The BriƟsh Music Society—Victorian Branch A testimony to Louise Hanson-Dyer's ability to move things along with great success and panache, the Victorian Branch of British Music Society was formed on 21 August 1921 at a special meeting in the Melbourne Town Hall that she had organised. Sydney, New South Wales, already had a branch of the British Music Society and, Louise argued, Melbourne must not lag! The movement had been helped by an upsurge in patriotism after World War I. New Zealand also had a BMS.

2

Objects of the Society

(1) To spread the knowledge of British Music. (2) To encourage Australian Composers. (3) To afford facilities for Australian Musicians

visiting other countries. (4) To foster the spirit of International Music. ______

Office Bearers:

President: MR. T. BRENTNALL

Vice-Presidents: PROFESSOR LAVER, MR. and MR. .

Hon. Sec.: MRS. J DYER Hon. Treas.: MR JAMES DYER

Hon Correspondent: MR A. L. BRIENT

Committee: MESDAMES SINCLAIR, THIRKELL, WISCHER,

MISS LUCY ROWE, MESSRS. SUTTON CROW, MANSLEY GREER, HEATHCOTE, FOWLER,

MEWTON, GIBSON YOUNG. ______Office of the Victorian Branch: 325 Flinders Lane. ______LOUISE B. M. DYER,

Hon. Representative.

Back page of first programme (see page opposite for details) at the inaugural concert, held at the Dyers’ home “Torryburn”, on 11 November 1921. The first programme also showed Dame D.B.E. as patron.

Louise became the Honorary RepresentaƟve of the Victorian Branch for the BriƟsh Music Society parent body and was also appointed Honorary Secretary of the Branch. The foundaƟon president was Mr Thomas Brentnall, with Louise’s husband, Jimmy Dyer the Honorary Treasurer. Of course it is one thing to set up an organisaƟon; it is quite another for that organisaƟon to act eīecƟvely over many years. Yet from the beginning, the Society has succeeded in doing so. Capitalising on the City of Melbourne’s forthcoming inaugural "Music Week" in November 1921, Louise ensured that the Ňedgling BriƟsh Music Society, Victorian Branch, would make its debut during the new fesƟval by organising a concert at "Torryburn," the Dyer's own home in Hawthorn Grove in the inner-eastern suburb of Hawthorn.

3 On 11th November, just two-and-a-half months aŌer the foundaƟon of the new Society, the following program was performed:

Programme

1. A preliminary note on English Madrigals, by Dr A. E. Floyd

2. Madrigal: "Lord, When I Think" T. Weelkes

3. Romance and Scherzo, from Sonata in D minor (for Viola & piano) T.F. Dunhill (performed by Gertrude Healey and Harold Elvins)

4. Two Part-songs (a) "O, How shall I my true love know?" arr. B. Gardiner (b) "Rose Aylmer" F.B. Hart

5. Four Songs for Voice and Violin G.T. Holst (performed by Lilian Stott and Isabel Langlands)

6. Madrigals (a) "The Captive Lover" H. Lawes (b) "Philomela” T. Morley

Note: The Madrigals will be sung by members of the Choral Class of the Albert Street Conservatorium of Music.

While the "Torryburn" concert was only aƩended by members of the new Society and their invited guests, the Įrst public concert came in the following year, April 1922. Given at the Presbyterian Church's Assembly Hall in Collins Street, Melbourne, this concert was an all-BriƟsh aīair with the excepƟon of piano music by Australian-born Percy Grainger. It featured Elgar's Violin Sonata in E minor Op. 82 (composed 1918), songs by , Sir Granville Bantock, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, Thomas Wood and Frank Bridge; and other piano pieces by Frank Bridge, Fritz Hart and . In 1923 the BMS QuarteƩe was formed by Alberto Zelman and Bertha Jorgensen (violins 1 and 2), Dorothy Roxburgh (viola) and Tasma Tiernan (violoncello). In the same year, the Dyers moved to "Kinnoull" in Heyington Place, Toorak, not far from the Heyington railway staƟon.

4 An important theme in Louise's life and work for the Society was the vital noƟon of the importance of music in the home. As she herself put it during an interview for "The Argus" newspaper of Melbourne published on 23 November 1925, music in the home was "the foundaƟon for a naƟon of music-lovers.” In the new seƫng of “Kinnoull” BMS concerts became signiĮcant events in Melbourne's musical calendar. Louise’s Ňair for creaƟng high quality occasions, supplemented by her insistence that professional fees be paid to arƟsts, ensured that the Society’s concerts were highly sought aŌer by both audiences and performers. Unsurprisingly, membership rose very saƟsfyingly during the mid-1920s. By 1926 a small but interesƟng change occurred: the Society began to be referred to as the BriƟsh Music Society, Victorian Centre, perhaps signalling an aƩempt to distance itself from the troubled parent organisaƟon. In contrast, the “Victorian Centre” was going from strength to strength, taking rooms in the Auditorium Building in Collins Street, directly opposite the Presbyterian Assembly Hall in 1927. A reference library accessible to members had become well established and a small collecƟon of art works had also begun to be formed, including a photographic replica of a portrait in oils of Louise Dyer by W. B. Mclnnes (1889 - 1939). With the cessaƟon of the BriƟsh Music Society in England in 1930, the Victorian Branch changed its name oĸcially; it became the BriƟsh Music Society of Victoria. The work of the British Music Society of Victoria Having outlined the establishment of the Society, it may be of interest to record something of its work over the years with parƟcular reference to occasional landmarks in its life. One remarkable feature is the number of prominent musicians who have Įgured on the CommiƩees at various Ɵmes and as performers at the Society's concerts. To give a few examples: the great organist William N. McKie (1901 – 1984, knighted 1953) was a member of the commiƩee from 1932 - 1938 and the composer Margaret Sutherland in 1937. The 1956 commiƩee included the violinist Paul McDermoƩ, who in later years became one of the founders of “music-in-the-round” in Australia. In 1934 the James & Louise Dyer Trust was set up, which gave support to the Society over many years and conƟnues to do so.

5 From the 1930’s the Society included more Australian content in its concerts. One notable occasion was 29th March 1938, a Tuesday. A complete programme was devoted to the work of the Australian composer Margaret Sutherland (1897 - 1984). The programme consisted of works for solo instruments, seƫngs for voice and piano of poems by John Shaw Neilson (1872 - 1942), and seƫngs of poems by Francis Thompson (1859 - 1907) for voice and violin. The aŌernoon’s music concluded with her Trio in C for Violin, Clarinet and Piano. At this Ɵme and conƟnuing into the 1940s, the Society shared an annual subscripƟon to the InternaƟonal Society for Contemporary Music with the New South Wales BMS and regularly premiered new works. During this period, World War II certainly curtailed the Society's acƟviƟes, but not disastrously so. People conƟnued to donate books to the library and a catalogue was maintained. On the performance side, in 1943 a series of Concerts for Young People was organised at the Assembly Hall over Įve Saturday mornings. They were well aƩended and in 1944, the number of concerts was increased to twelve. The series, put together by Mr Keith Roberts, conƟnued for some years but aŌer his death in 1949, the concerts seem to have been disconƟnued. In the late 1940s, there were also Gramophone Evenings, held in the homes of various members. Not infrequently, a concert would include a lecture on an aspect of music, either directly related to that concert or on a topic of more general interest in the musical sphere. The Society has always had a policy of placing educaƟon high amongst its prioriƟes, although this has been less evident at certain Ɵmes. John North (a former President) remembers an occasion when a packed audience at St Peter’s Parish Hall, Eastern Hill heard a lively discussion between the composer Dorian Le Gallienne and the music criƟc John Sinclair. On Thursday, 30 June 1955, one of Australia’s highly regarded musicians, internaƟonally acclaimed violinist, conductor and composer, Wilfred Lehmann premiered Peter Sculthorpe’s Irkanda I for solo violin at the BriƟsh Music Society Rooms. Despite its many successes, there is no denying that there have been lean Ɵmes in the Society’s ninety years of acƟvity. In marking the Society's ĮŌieth anniversary in 1971, the President Mr Milton Chick drew aƩenƟon to a lowered membership (from a peak of 400 or so in the post-World War II years) and urged members to canvass friends to join the Society.

6 That anniversary was fairly simple – a late afternoon party in the parish hall of St Peter's Church of England, Eastern Hill, on Thursday 14 October. Guests of Honour were members of the Society’s inaugural committee, Dr Alfred Ernest Floyd (1877 - 1974) and Sir (1894 – 1982, knighted 1949) and 156 other members and guests attended. Mr Chick and the then Secretary, Sibyl Hewett, compiled a brief history of the Society which was appended to the minutes of the fiftieth Annual General Meeting. The second half-century A notable feature of the Society throughout its life has been the consistently high standard of the concerts and recitals. An exact count has not been conducted, but a realistic estimate of the total number of concerts given over the ninety years comes close to one thousand. From all accounts, and with remarkably few exceptions, the concerts have been interesting, innovative and technically excellent. The success of the concerts may be attributed to several factors. In the first place, performers have always been carefully selected by artistic directors and/or committee members determined to engage professional artists. Over the years, many practising musicians have been members of the Society and, as noted earlier, not a few have found the time to serve on the committee and hold office in one or other of the executive positions. Members feel justifiably proud of the reputation the Society has established, built on and maintained, and all committee members past and present are very conscious of the high standards of past concerts. Thus, there is an imperative that all care is to be taken by committees to ensure the Society's reputation is carefully guarded. In addition, the quality and dedication of the Society's committees over the years has been outstanding. Furthermore, from early on, Louise Dyer insisted that the pitfalls of factionalism would best be avoided if the secretaryship were a paid position. There were times when she herself ensured that the necessary remuneration was at hand. At this point, particular acknowledgement should be made of the long secretaryships of Miss Sibyl Hewett and Mr Malcolm McIvor. Sibyl Hewett served as Secretary from 1938 until 1983, a total of forty-five years. Not very much is known about her except that from a fairly early date she was a friend of Louise Dyer. When Louise was in England, France or other places, she wrote regularly to Sibyl who in turn kept Louise informed about musical events in Australia, especially anything to do with the BMS.

7 When Sibyl was Įrst appointed as Secretary, Louise advised her: “I always have such faith when I know anything is done from the heart - I know you will love the work when you are seƩled into it – courage, don't be sat upon by anyone – Be sure of yourself and go forward.” (The original leƩer can sƟll be viewed in the State Library of Victoria where the BMS archives are held.) Malcolm McIvor became Honorary Secretary in 1997, by which Ɵme the posiƟon no longer carried a salary. He conƟnued unƟl his unƟmely death in 2006. Although the length of his tenure was nowhere near that of Sibyl HeweƩ’s he was highly regarded and warmly remembered. He was well organised and had a relaxed manner with arƟsts. In the 1980’s an important development in the life of the Society took place. At the 1984, Annual General MeeƟng it was announced that the Australian NaƟves AssociaƟon (ANA) Friendly Society had agreed to sponsor an annual composer commission. The BriƟsh Music Society of Victoria would manage the commission and each work would be performed at a Society concert. At the same meeƟng, it was announced that the Įrst composer to receive this commission was Mr Barry McKimm. Accordingly, McKimm composed a choral seƫng of four poems by the Australian poet John Shaw Neilson (1872 - 1942), who was McKimm’s uncle and whom Louise had supported in the early days of the Society. On Sunday 8th August 1985, the Faye Dumont Singers presented the work at the Wesley Church in Lonsdale St, Melbourne. The ANA Friendly Society continued to sponsor the composer commission for over a decade; however, in 1996 the commission, now called the Lyrebird Commission, began to be funded by the Society itself with the Salzer Foundation becoming a major contributor in 2008. The Society has also been associated with the Dorian Le Gallienne Award Trust. Dorian Le Gallienne (1915 - 1963) was an accomplished and well regarded Australian composer. After his death, a Trust fund was set up to promote Australian musical composition. The nature of the Society’s link with the Le Gallienne Trust was, according to a note in the Society’s Annual Report 1985-1986, that Mr Robert Davidson (who at the time was the Secretary of the BMS) was the “representative” of the Society on the Board of Management of the Le Gallienne Trust, of which Davidson was Honorary Treasurer. It is unclear exactly how that representation came about, what it entailed, and when it ceased.

8 As menƟoned earlier, the Society took rooms in the Auditorium Building, Collins Street in 1927. The Society’s library of books and musical scores was housed there for many years. However in the 1970’s both the BMS and the Austral Salon (which also had rooms in the building) had to leave. The Austral Salon moved to Druids’ House at 407 Swanston Street, Melbourne and the BMS was able to have its concerts in the Austral Salon’s Druids’ House rooms. When Druids’ House was to be demolished in the 1980’s the Society’s library (part of which was known as the Sybil Hull Memorial Library) was oīered for sale to the State Library of Victoria. The oīer was taken up and the library including its catalogues became part of the State collecƟon. At the same Ɵme, the Society moved its recitals and concerts to the Wesley Church, Lonsdale Street, and then to the chapel of the Royal Freemasons Centre in Punt Road, Windsor. At the end of 2007, building works necessitated a further move of concerts, this Ɵme to the parish hall of St Peter's Anglican Church, Eastern Hill. From 2011, concerts will be held in Wyselaskie Auditorium, College Crescent, Parkville. Lyrebird Music Society At a Special General Meeting in 2008, and after much discussion, a 72% majority voted to change the name of the Society to “The British Music Society of Victoria existing as Lyrebird Music Society Incorporated.” While some felt strongly that the original name had served the Society well for many years and so should remain unchanged, others felt that to continue with the reference to British music was misleading for an organisation that now promoted all music, albeit with a special focus on Australian compositions. The rationale for introducing the word "Lyrebird" into the Society's name was twofold: it indicated the Society’s Australian roots and specifically honoured Louise Hanson-Dyer who had given so much of her enthusiasm, creativity and immediate assistance to the Society and who had named her music publishing business in Paris "Editions de l'Oiseau - Lyre" (Lyrebird Editions).

9 Louise Hanson-Dyer No history of the Society would be complete without extensive mention of this great Australian woman who had such a significant influence on music in Europe, Australia and other parts throughout the early and middle twentieth century, and without whom – as this booklet makes plain – the current Lyrebird Music Society would not exist. Born on 19 July 1884, Louise Berta Mosson Smith was the first child of Dr Louis Lawrence Smith and his second wife Marion Jane Higgins. The Smith family lived in central Melbourne where Dr Smith practised medicine at the family home, 41 Collins Street. Louise attended the Presbyterian Ladies' College on the site presently occupied by the Masonic Centre and Dallas Brooks Hall in Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. Very early Louise showed interest and talent in music; indeed, in 1900, after tutelage from various piano teachers in Melbourne, she won London's Gold Medal as the top Victorian Matriculation student in Music that year. The school was rightly proud of her. On leaving school, Louise joined the PLC Old Collegians Association of which she was Honorary Secretary for a time and President on two occasions, 1919-21 and 1924-26. In 1907-08, Louise and her brother Louis Gengoult Smith travelled to Britain where Louise was able to further her musical studies in Edinburgh. Not long, after returning to Melbourne her father's health began to deteriorate and so she and her mother spent more time with him. Dr Smith died on 8 July 1910. Some time after, Mr James Dyer came into Louise's life and although he was about twenty-five years, her senior the relationship grew. They had first met some years before when James (usually known as Jimmy or Jim) had sung in the Victorian Liedertafel. He was now the Australasian representative of the Scottish linoleum manufacturing firm of Messrs Michael, Nairn & Co. His wife had died early in 1911 and after a seemly pause he began to court Louise. They married in late December 1911 at St Peter's Church of England, Eastern Hill. Louise now entered a new phase in her life, a phase marked by considerable wealth. In 1920, James and Louise travelled through Europe. While in London Louise called at the British Music Society's rooms and spoke avidly of music in Australia, especially Melbourne. As already mentioned, Louise was asked to become Honorary Representative of the British Music Society in Australia, to which she readily agreed. Back home, in 1921 she set about creating a Victorian branch of the Society.

10 Louise and James maintained strong links with the Society all their lives and their enthusiasm ensured that the Society remained firmly established here. Whenever doyens of musical life in England or Scotland visited Australia, they would always be invited to stay at “Kinnoull” for the duration of their time in Melbourne. One such individual was William G. Whittaker who represented the examiners of the Associated Board of the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. He was in Australia in 1932 to carry out examinations in music and Louise made sure of a luncheon at “Kinnoull”. Such visitors contributed greatly to the vibrancy of the Society, sometimes giving lectures to the members or otherwise strengthening the Society's existence, and always forging new links in the network of personal contacts underpinning it. That was the social side of things; there was also the financial side. James and Louise looked after that too with the Endowment Fund. In 1927, the Dyers sailed from Australia and although there were return visits from time to time, they settled in Paris. On one such return trip in 1931, Louise accepted the invitation of her unmarried brother (Sir) Harold Gengoult Smith (1890 – 1983, knighted 1933), now Lord Mayor of Melbourne, to become Lady Mayoress. Louise returned to Europe in 1932 and Harold married Cynthia Brookes in December 1933. Corresponding regularly with the British Music Society of Victoria, Louise spent much of her time supervising the production of the "Editions de l'Oiseaux- Lyre," an outstanding contribution to the very best of quality music publishing and music recording for which the French would appoint her Chevalier of the Legion d'Honeur in 1932, and later promote her to Officier in 1957. James Dyer died in 1938. Louise brought his ashes back from Paris to Melbourne where they were interred in Kew Cemetery on 14 February. A year later, she married Dr Joseph Birch Hanson (usually known as Jeff) and became Mrs Louise Hanson-Dyer. Maintaining contact with the Society until the end – from Paris, Monaco or wherever she was – Louise died at 78 years of age in Monaco on 9 November 1962.

11 THE FUTURE And what of the future? The Society has a special place in Melbourne's musical life and is well able to continue in its encouragement of excellence in music, providing that new members continue to be found. Current members can assist in this regard by recommending membership to friends and acquaintances. A strong foundation of financial membership and a continuation of our excellent programming will take us firmly into the future, supporting performers, composers and music lovers with high quality concerts, commissions and educational events. Louise Hanson Dyer’s legacy lives on in the Lyrebird Music Society and is set to do so for many years yet.

12 The Lyrebird Music Society acknowledges the support provided by the City of Melbourne through its Arts Grants Program for this project and the Society’s 90th anniversary year celebrations.

The Society is also grateful to the support received from The Robert Salzer Foundation for the annual Lyrebird Commission and to Readings’ for assistance with marketing.