When writing the entry for Conrad Sander it reminded me that there were a number of others who combined musical activities with photographic services in colonial New Zealand, including Walter Billows, David De Maus, Richard Herz, Gabriel Perichon and W. H. Reed. Some were more photographers than musicians while others seemed to dabble in photography… Continue reading Musician photographers
Music printers in New Zealand
A number of printing firms in New Zealand attempted the task of producing sheet music. While a number of musician/composers chose to have their work printed in Australia or England a growing number were able to obtain a good copy locally. Music printing during this period was usually done by one of three methods: Engraving… Continue reading Music printers in New Zealand
Memories of Musical Lives
A monograph published recently by Lyrebird Press of the University of Melbourne includes chapters by both curators of this website. Memories of Musical Lives: Music and Dance in Personal Music Collections from Australia and New Zealand was edited by Dr Rosemary Richards and Dr Julia Szuster and has contributions from scholars on both sides of… Continue reading Memories of Musical Lives
Honouring our Notables
Last month was an exciting month for us as two of our notables were inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. Charles and Jessie Begg were recognised for their contribution to music in New Zealand, a legacy that lasted over 100 years and is still having an impact on New Zealand's musical life… Continue reading Honouring our Notables
An update on Harriet Barlow
For some of our “notables” it can be difficult confirming details of their life and time involved in New Zealand's music heritage. We include the information we have been able to verify but also update the entries when further details come to light. One such case is of Harriet Barlow. Initially very little information could… Continue reading An update on Harriet Barlow
A miscellany of musical notables Its been a while since anything has been added to this page but there has been work going on adding new entries for some musical notables. They range from piano tuners, to violinists, through musical directors and brass band leaders. So here is a list of those who have been… Continue reading
First entries for New Zealand Chinese musicians
A recent paper at the conference of the International Association of Music Libraries (New Zealand) Branch was on the instruments used by the Chee Kung Tong Society Orchestra in Wellington and held in the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library. This made me think that we knew little of the Chinese individuals who were creating… Continue reading First entries for New Zealand Chinese musicians
Fisk Jubilee Singers who stayed, and bountiful “B”s.
It’s been a while since we reported on some of the new entries that have been added but that doesn’t mean nothing has been happening. If you haven’t already read it there is a piece on the Milner and Thompson tokens in the Features section. As far as personal entries goes, there are new entries… Continue reading Fisk Jubilee Singers who stayed, and bountiful “B”s.
Maxime Heller’s New Zealand pieces
5 April, 2021 National Library of NZ National Library of NZ National Library of NZ The name Maxime Heller is usually identified as one of the multitude of pseudonyms used by the English composer Charles Arthur Rawlings (1857-1919). He produced a considerable number of light piano pianos and songs under a range of names including… Continue reading Maxime Heller’s New Zealand pieces
Tuning the Ivories
An important individual in the musical life of New Zealand from the 1840s, was the piano tuner. In addition to instruments brought in by colonists, pianos were for sale in New Zealand from 1846 and there was a constant demand for tuners which steadily grew as the number of pianos and those playing them increased. … Continue reading Tuning the Ivories
Musical Notables of New Zealand 