The musical language of Australian music during the first half of the twentieth century was predominantly conservative, shaped by the gestures of late Romanticism. Pinning down distinctively Australian musical qualities in instrumental music, when stylistic models were predominantly British or European, is highly contested. Classical art song, however, with its intimate relationship with poetry, can provide important specificity when interrogating manifestations of Australian musical identity among the composers of this period. This chapter explores the poetic and musical trends exhibited in art song in Australia over the 50 years from Federation highlighting key contributors to the genre including Alfred Hill (1869–1960), Fritz Hart (1874–1949), Hooper Brewster-Jones (1887–1949), Horace Keats (1895–1945), Phyllis Campbell (1891–1974), Linda Phillips (1899–2002), Rudolf Werther (1896–1986), Margaret Sutherland (1897–1984) and Dorian le Gallienne (1915–1963). It is argued that Australian art songs of this period show growing independence and greater sophistication in musical language, with concomitant confidence in the selection and setting of Australian poetry for concert audiences.
History
Publication title
The Art Song in East Asia and Australia, 1900 to 1950
Editors
A McQueen Tokita and JHY Cheung
ISBN
9781003313151
Department/School
School of Creative Arts and Media
Publisher
Routledge
Place of publication
United States
Extent
20
Repository Status
Restricted
Socio-economic Objectives
Expanding knowledge in creative arts and writing studies