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Keeping a Good Idea Alive: Chamber Music in Brisbane in the 1950s and 1960s

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2014

Peter Roennfeldt*
Affiliation:
p.roennfeldt@griffith.edu.au
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Extract

As many musicians would attest, small ensemble collaboration provides very special rewards. Chamber music performance has rarely been a viable full-time career aspiration, but this has not deterred many Australians from devoting huge amounts of energy to its survival. However, as a flexible medium with interchangeable personnel and diverse performance contexts, it is difficult to find a ‘through line’ that links these disparate activities over time. As an amalgam of disparate entities, chamber music is rarely accorded the same recognition as larger ensembles such as orchestras, choirs, bands and theatrical-operatic companies.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors, published by Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

Endnotes

1 Roennfeldt, Peter, ‘Music by the few for the many: Chamber music in colonial Queensland’, Queensland Review 19 (2) (2012), 178–89CrossRefGoogle Scholar; and ‘Artistic collaboration in challenging times: Chamber music in Queensland, 1901–1950’, Queensland Review 20(1) (2013), 69–85.

2 Editorial, ‘They shall have music’, Courier-Mail [CM], 12 February 1944, 2.

3 ‘Music — £16,000’, CM, 25 September 1953, 5.

4 Ernest Briggs, ‘They’re theatrical orphans’: Amateur musicians, actors needing a “home”’, Sunday Mail [SM], 12 April 1953, 19.

5 Frederic Rogers, ‘A Memorial Con? Music loses a friend’, Brisbane Telegraph, 19 January 1952, 12.

6 William Lovelock, interview by David Barkla, 29 September 1981, 2.

7 Euterpe, ‘Music’, Brisbane Courier, 4 June 1879, 3.

8 Briggs, ‘Concert reviews — Brisbane’, Canon 8(1) (1954), 39.

9 John Ellis, ‘Brisbane City Council concerts’, Australian Musical News [AMN], 1 June 1955, 12.

10 John Ellis, ‘Brisbane City Council Concerts’, AMN, 1 October 1956, 25.

11 Musica da Camera, 1957 season brochure.

12 Robert Dalley-Scarlett, ‘Tram solos spoilt recital by quartet’, CM, 9 May 1957, 9.

13 Roger Covell, ‘Quartet fine music asset’, CM, 6 November 1957, 13.

14 Frederic Rogers, ‘Music group was courageous’, Telegraph, 8 May 1958, 19.

15 Roger Covell, ‘Reward for heart, mind’, CM, 24 July 1958, 6.

16 Roger Covell, ‘Light works by orchestra’, CM, 18 September 1958, 13.

17 Shmith, Michael, ‘Richard Goldner – the musical Moses’, in Musica Viva Australia – the first fifty years (Sydney: Playbill)Google Scholar, p. 6.

18 ‘Form new musical society for state’, CM, 14 March 1956, 9.

19 Roger Covell, ‘Does Musica Viva's past guarantee its future?’ in Musica Viva Australia, pp. 28–33.

20 William Lovelock, ‘Memorable night for Musica Viva’, CM, 1 May 1971, 6.

21 Robert Dalley-Scarlett, ‘Concert is pleasing’, CM, 17 September 1957, 8.

22 Robert Dalley-Scarlett, ‘Musica Viva's standard held’, CM, 21 October 1958, 21.

23 Roger Covell, ‘A new demand for home-made music’, CM, 31 March 1960, 2.

24 Briggs, Ernest, ‘Concert reviews – Brisbane’, Canon 9 (11) (1956), 341Google Scholar.

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29 Frederic Rogers, ‘Brisbane DOES like chamber music’, SM, 22 March 1959, 6.

30 Roger Covell, Musica Viva Australia, p. 32.

31 Briggs, Ernest, ‘Concert reviews – Brisbane’, Canon 10 (10) (1957), 348Google Scholar.

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35 Roger Covell, ‘Schumann a reward’, CM, 6 August 1959, 18.

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37 Music da Camera, 1960 season brochure.

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39 William Lovelock, ‘Musica da Camera's attractive recital’, CM, 15 September 1960, 15.

40 Roger Covell, ‘Concert proved out of routine’, CM, 27 June 1960, 6.

41 William Lovelock, ‘Variable style at concert’, CM, 18 May 1961, 11.

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46 John Villaume, ‘A fitting climax for Da Camera’, CM, 1 November 1963, 11.

47 For details of Sedivka's Brisbane years, see Morrisby, Elinor, Up is down: A life of violinist Jan Sedivka (Melbourne: Lyrebird Press, 2008)Google Scholar.

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50 William Lovelock, ‘Undue tension in Musica da Camera’, CM, 20 October 1966, 10.

51 William Lovelock, ‘Their concert best yet’, CM, 27 April 1967, 6.

52 William Lovelock, ‘Efficient and balanced’, CM, 6 July 1967, 6.

53 Lovelock, ‘Humanity, emotion in three sonatas’, CM, 5 October 1967, 6.

54 William Lovelock, ‘Quartet greatly improved’, CM, 11 August 1965, 6.

55 William Lovelock, ‘More than a “happening”’, CM, 18 October 1971, 6.

56 William Lovelock, ‘Swiss Trio's music “full of vitality”’, CM, 27 October 1970, 6.

57 William Lovelock, ‘Performance of artistic delight’, CM, 10 April 1972, 6.

58 ‘Musica Viva Younger Set’, Canon 11(4) (1957), 123.

59 William Lovelock, ‘Chamber music success’, CM, 6 March 1961, n.p.

60 ‘Music goes from home to home’, CM, 17 May 1962, 17.

61 William Lovelock, ‘Unusual interest in this Bach’, CM, 9 April 1970, 8.

62 William Lovelock, ‘Musical festival a great success’, CM, 7 May 1968, 6.

63 David Rowbotham, ‘Group's first arts festival on coast’, CM, 21 August 1970, 6.

64 Personal interview with Rodney Jacobsen, 10 March 2010.

65 ‘Instrument for concert is rare’, CM, 24 June 1960, 7.

66 John Villaume, ‘Quartet shows it can happen here’, CM , 24 July 1964, 10.

67 William Lovelock, ‘Commend choice, but . . .’, CM, 23 October 1964, 10.

68 John Villaume, ‘Bach rare concert’, CM, 27 July 1967, 6.

69 William Lovelock, ‘Undue tension in Musica da Camera’, CM, 20 October 1966, 10.

70 William Lovelock, ‘Happy mood at music recital’, CM, 28 May 1971, 6.

71 William Lovelock, ‘Recital produced continued artistry’, CM, 18 April 1967, 8.

72 William Lovelock, ‘Performer of attainment’, CM, 27 July 1971, 6.

73 John Villaume, ‘Wind players held interest’, CM, 13 June 1968, 6.

74 William Lovelock, ‘ Concert deserves support’, CM, 7 August 1969, 6.

75 William Lovelock, ‘Concert enterprise was as expected’, CM, 14 September 1972, 8.

76 William Lovelock, ‘Concert as good as their best’, CM, 23 October 1969, 6.

77 William Lovelock, ‘Happy mood at music recital’, CM, 28 May 1971, 6.

78 Enid Tardent, ‘Music notes’, Catholic Leader, 19 November 1972, 19.

79 William Lovelock, ‘Quintet in interesting programme’, CM, 26 June 1969, 6.

80 ‘$15,500 gift for cultural bodies’, CM, 18 March 1969, 6.

81 ‘Lunch hour recital’, Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 11 August 1950, 3.

82 ‘Lunch hour recitals’, Morning Bulletin, 18 July 1952, 7.

83 ‘A Delius sonata recital’, Townsville Daily Bulletin [TDB], 10 May 1951, 3.

84 TDB, 15 September 1954, 2.

85 TDB, 13 March 1954, 2.

86 ‘Chamber music concert’, TDB, 6 October 1969, 7.

87 ‘Apollo’, ‘Gloria Foley Trio delights audience’, Warwick Daily News, 20 May 1958, 5.

88 V. H., ‘Visitors in concert’, Toowoomba Chronicle [TC], 25 October 1958, 2.

89 Mary Childe, ‘Chamber music recital’, TC, 13 April 1964, 2.

90 E. S., ‘Concert “unusual” but “most entertaining”’, TC, 20 June 1966, 6.

91 For more detail, see Roennfeldt, ‘Artistic collaboration’, 77–80.

92 William Lovelock, ‘Civic concert had clarity and colour’, CM, 31 March 1969, 6.

93 William Lovelock, ‘Concert strings excellent’, CM, 8 April 1968, 8.

94 David Rowbotham, ‘ABC to end recital concert series’, CM, 6 October 1972, 2.

95 Briggs, Ernest, ‘Concert Reviews – Brisbane’, Canon 4 (10) (1951), 494Google Scholar.

96 David Rowbotham, ‘Pop music without the “rabies” — “chamber” music in 1000-seaters’, CM, 22 February 1973, 4.