Australian Heritage Collection
Australian Heritage Collection Volume I
By Jeanell Carrigan
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$27.00

There were many examples in the early part of the twentieth century in Australia of women who were exceptional pianists and who also wrote a great number of piano works. Many of these women were labelled child prodigies and obviously showed enormous potential and musical ability. These women performed as soloists and accompanists and contributed hugely to the musical and cultural life in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. They also left a large collection of compositions written for the solo keyboard.
To produce these three volumes within this Collection, Dr Jeanell Carrigan has researched and edited almost 50 works of Australian women composers, most of which have never been published. Each volume is accompanied by a CD of its works recorded by Jeanell. and biographical notes on each composer. All the composers were born between 1862 and 1915. Many of them lived for the whole of the twentieth century, and in that time experienced many changes in the way music was composed, thought about written about and performed. Of course, they experienced many difficulties. To be a composer in Australia during this period was a difficult enough, and to be a woman, was short of impossible!
The composers in this volume:
Ada Maud Fitz-Stubbs (1861-1949); Mona McBurney (1862-1932); Florence Donaldson Ewart (1864-1949); Mary Bowden (1868-1950); (Annie) May Summerbelle (1868-1949); Esther Khan (1877-1962); Una Bounre (1882-1974); May Brahe (1855-1956) and Katherine (Kitty) Parker (1886-1971)
"Nostalgia" CD is a collection of 28 works from these volumes and is available online
Download samples
Ada Maud Fitz-Stubbs (1861-1949)
Mona McBurney (1862-1932)
Florence Donaldson Ewart (1864-1949)
Mary Bowden (1868-1950)
(Annie) May Summerbelle (1867-1949)
Una Bourne (1882-1974)
- Papillons
- March Grotesque
- Wiegenlied (Cradle Song)
May Brahe (1885-1956)
Katherine (Kitty) Parker (Eisdell) (1886-1971)
ISMN 9790720166926Australian Heritage Collection Volume II
By Jeanell Carrigan
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$27.00

The composers in this volume:
Mirrie Hill (Solomon) (1889-1986); Elsa Marshall Hall (1891-1980); Edith Harrhy (1893-1969); Iris De Cairos Rego (1894-1987); Margaret Sutherland (1897-1984); Linda Phillips (1899-2002); Nellie Cuddigan (b.ca. 1901); Vera Buck (1903-1986)
"Nostalgia" CD is a collection of 28 works from these volumes and is available online
Download samples
Mirrie Hill (Solomon) (1889-1986)
- Will O' the Wisp
- Prelude
- Fun
- Longing (from the Cinderella Suite)
Elsa Marshall Hall (1891-1980)
Edith Harrhy (1893-1969)
Iris De Cairos Rego (1894-1987)
- Four sketches -
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(i) Waltz in A
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(ii) Song of the Trees
- (iii) Little Dog
- (iv) Country Dance (1935)
Margaret Sutherland (1897-1984)
- Dithyramb - A ballet (transcribed for the piano)
Linda Phillips (1899-2002)
- Tone poem for piano in three parts -
- Dawn
- Flight
- Return at Sunset
Nellie Cuddigan (b. ca. 1901)
Vera Buck (1903-1986)
ISMN 9790720166933Australian Heritage Collection Volume III
By Jeanell Carrigan
Regular price
$27.00

The composers in this volume:
Esther Rofe (1904-2000); Meta Overman (1907-1993); Majorie Hesse (1911-1986); Josephine Bell (1912-2006); Peggy Glanville Hicks(1912-1990); Miriam Hyde (1913-2005); Dulcie Holland (1913-2000); Phyllis Batchelor (1915-1999).
"Nostalgia" CD is a collection of 28 works from these volumes and is available online. Nostalgia
Download samples
Esther Rofe (1904-2000)
Meta Overman (1907-1993)
Marjorie Hesse (1911-1986)
Josephine Bell (1912-2006)
Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990)
Miriam Hyde (1913-2005)
Dulcie Holland (1913-2000)
Phyllis Batchelor (1915-1999)
ISMN 9790720166940
Composing Against the Tide
By Jeanell Carrigan
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$31.00
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Forest Magic - CD
By Jeanell Carrigan
Regular price
$17.00

“Faintly shrouded by a gentle mist
The trees within the wood resemble dreams.” (Franz Holford)
In the early 1900s in Australia almost every home contained a piano. A sturdy upright with a metal frame taking pride of place in the parlour and providing hours of entertainment in the form of sing-alongs and musical evenings. Consequently, many songs and a great deal of piano music was composed which could be performed in the home environment, but also many works designed for the concert platform.
On this themed recording there are examples of piano music written by composers who were all born in the nineteenth or very early twentieth century, who lived throughout that century writing music describing their impressions of the world around them. There are works about forests, leafy lanes, mists, and joyful rain. There is a cacophony of bird sounds and just as trees can resemble dreams this music creates dreams and visions.
Cover photograph by Catherine McCorkill
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[1] Forest Magic (no date) – Frank Hutchens
[2] The Leafy Lanes of Kent (1950) – Mirrie Hill
[3] Dawn (no date) – Linda Phillips
[4] Woodland Sketch (1966) – Miriam Hyde
[5] Joyous Rain (1942) – Alfred Hill
[6] Murmuring Trees (1936) – Josephine Bell
[7] The Old Gum Tree (1963) – Lindley Evans
[8] The Elm Tree (1935) – Iris de Cairos-Rego
[9] Two Little Birds (1944) – Frank Hutchens
[10] Willow Wind (1973) – Mirrie Hill
[11] Butterflies (1958) – Linda Phillips
[12] Rabbit Hill (1928) – Roy Agnew
[13] Doves (1932) – Alfred Hill
[14] ‘Midst Heather and Wattle (1949) – Esther Kahn
[15] Pastoral (1936) – Peggy Glanville-Hicks
[16] Flight (no date) – Linda Phillips
[17] Bell Birds (1963) – Lindley Evans
[18] Noon (1958) – Linda Phillips
[19] Blackbird’s Song – Miriam Hyde
[20] Fragrance (1936) – Lindley Evans
[21] Wattle Bird in the Garden – Hooper Brewster-Jones
[22] The Distant Magpie – Hooper Brewster-Jones
[23] The Peaceful Dove (1923-1926) – Hooper Brewster-Jones
[24] Hushed is my Garden (no date) – Linda Phillips
[25] Drifting Mists – Roy Agnew
[26] Return at Sunset (no date) – Linda Phillips
[27] At the Setting of the Sun (1911) – Mirrie Hill
[28] Evening (1954) – Frank Hutchens
Lindley Evans
Frank Hutchens
Esther Kahn
Hooper Brewster-Jones
Linda Phillips
Peggy Glanville-Hicks
Mirrie Hill
Josephine Bell
Iris de Carios-Rego
Roy Agnew
Miriam Hyde
Music for the Salon Trio - CD
By Jeanell Carrigan
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$17.00

Goetz Richter (violin), Minah Choe (cello), Jeanell Carrigan (piano)
On the 23rd of October 1911, the recently formed Salon Trio gave their first recital at the St. James Hall in Sydney. The players were Miss Dorothy Curtis, violin, Miss Florence E. Brown, ‘cello and Miss Mirrie Solomon [Hill], piano. This was a significant occasion because it marked the presentation of a new chamber music ensemble consisting of piano, violin, and cello, playing compositions of a genre not yet extensively explored in Australia. The program consisted of trios by Schott, Vidor, Grieg and Mendelssohn . At the time Sydney did not have a strong chamber music tradition and there are no reviews or notifications of any other permanent piano trio to be found. This was an all-female group of instrumentalists, performing in a public venue, also highly unusual. However, over time the pianists were replaced by Iris de Cairos-Rego, then Frank Hutchens (who was a good friend of Alfred Hill) and so these three pianists, also composers, wrote pieces for the trio., as did Alfred Hill.
Audio samples
Piano Trio in A Minor (1912) Iris de Cairos-Rego
Andante moderato
Allegretto moderato
Andante tranquillo
Allegro
Trio for Pianoforte, Violin and Cello (1916) Mirrie Hill
Allegro maestoso
Scherzando
Andante con moto
Allegro
Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello (1914) Frank Hutchens
Maestoso – Allegro
Trio in A Minor (c. 1915) Alfred Hill
Allegro con brio
Waiata Aroha (A Māori Love Song) - Andante
Finale – Allegro moderato
Reverie - CD
By Jeanell Carrigan
Regular price
$17.00

The painting on the front cover is a work called “Daydream” which was painted in 1895 by Australian artist Jane Sutherland. Jane Sutherland (1853-1928) was part of the Heidelberg school.
Jane Sutherland was also the aunt of Margaret Sutherland who has rightly earned the title “The Matriarch” of Australian composition. It is therefore completely appropriate that the artistry of this wonderful Australian woman painter should grace the recording which highlights the wonderful musical artistry of these four Australian women composers of piano music. Iris de Cairos-Rego, Una Bourne, Kitty Parker and Marjorie Hesse all had a great deal in common. Firstly, they were all born in Australia between 1880 and 1911. Iris de Cairos-Rego was born in Sydney in 1894, Una Bourne in Mudgee in 1882, Kitty Parker in 1886 in Parknook, Cressy, Tasmania and Marjorie Hesse in Brisbane in 1911.
All four women were dubbed as child prodigies due to their prodigious musical talent showing itself very early in life. As well as these factors all the women trained initially as pianists and later worked as teachers to earn the bulk of their living, passing on their incredible musicality and skills to many up and coming musicians. Iris de Cairos-Rego taught for many years at Frensham school in Mittagong, from 1935 until 1951, remaining as part of the school community until her death in 1987. Marjorie Hesse was a long-term member of the piano staff at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. Una Bourne was associated with the University of Melbourne, even providing a scholarship for women pianists and Kitty Parker had many private students.
The Loud Mouth - Music Trust Review
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[1] Nocturne (1925) Kitty Parker
[2] Happy Morning (c.1941) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[3] All Suddenly the Wind Comes Soft (1932) Marjorie Hesse
[4] Graneen Vale (1944) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[5] Petite Valse-Caprice Una Bourne
Four Musical Sketches (1928) Kitty Parker
[6] A Patchwork of Shadows
[7] Down Longford Way
[8] One Summer’s Day
[9] Red Admiral
[10] Albatross (1933) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[11] Papillons Una Bourne
[12] Romance (1947) Marjorie Hesse
[13] Two Impressions no. 1 (c.1927) Una Bourne
[14] Two Impressions no. 2 (c.1927) Una Bourne
[15] La Pastourelle (c.1961) Marjorie Hesse
[16] English June (1941) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[17] Firelight (1933) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[18] Humoresque (c.1927) Una Bourne
[19] Waltz in E (1933) Iris de Cairos-Rego
[20] Nocturne (c.1926) Una Bourne
[21] Twilight (1937) Marjorie Hesse
[22] Reverie (1957) Iris de Cairos-Rego
Sheet music and samples are available for all these works visit:
Iris de Carios-Rego
Kitty Parker
Una Bourne
Marjorie Hesse
Sea Impressions - CD
By Jeanell Carrigan
Regular price
$17.00

Visual artists have always been fascinated by bodies of water – rivers, waterfalls, the ocean. The turbulence and calm, movement and stillness, colours and different effects of light on water have all been the catalyst for many masterpieces. Composers too are guilty of being entranced by water and especially the sea. They have tried to recreate, in sound, some of the magic that they see and hear when looking out over the ocean, arriving on an island or travelling in a boat. This album is designed to be a journey in sound, illustrating how water has become a major aspect of inspiration. We visit islands, travel by boat - or imaginary ships - partake in swimming adventures, meet folk who live by the sea, go sailing on Sydney Harbour, take extended ocean journeys and finally after reaching an island of enchantment are lulled to sleep.
The cover painting "Coastal Kaleidoscope" c.2009 by Annie Georgeson.
Wirr 108Download samples
[1] Il Cielo Sereno (Under the Fair Sky) - Lindley Evans
[2] The Island - Frank Hutchens
[3] The Voyage - Frank Hutchens
Sea Impressions - Linda Phillips [4-6]
[4] Waves
[5] Dancing Sunlight
[6] Mermaid and Harp
[7] Fairy Ships - Frank Hutchens
[8] The Island - Esther Rofe
[9] On a Boat - Frank Hutchens
[10] Ballade - Frank Hutchens
[11] On the Wanganui - Edith Harrhy
Holiday in Australia - Lindley Evans
[12] The Coral Island
[13] Weeping Mist - Frank Hutchens
The Sea Idylls - Meta Overman [14-16]
[14] Visschersmeisje (Fisher Girl)
[15] Matrozendans (Sailor's Dance)
[16] En Toen... (And Then...)
[17] Sea Fantasy - Frank Hutchens
[18] At the Bathing Pool - Frank Hutchens
[19] By the River - Frank Hutchens
[20] The Surfer - Frank Hutchens
[21] Sea Music - Frank Hutchens
[22] The Enchanted Isle - Frank Hutchens
[23] Serenade - Frank Hutchens
[24] Berceuse for a Sleeping Sand-Baby - Lindley Evans
Sheet music and samples are available for all these works visit:
Lindley Evans
Frank Hutchens
Linda Phillips
Esther Rofe
Meta Overman
What Secret Hath the Rose - CD
By Jeanell Carrigan
Regular price
$17.00

Download samples
[1] What Secret hath the Rose? 1:56
[2] A Bunch of Violets 1:12
[3] Shadow Dance 4:34
[4] Song of the Shepherd 7:08
[5] Palestinian Polka 2:41
[6] Monotone 3:16
[7] Russian Dance 2:33
[8] Hebraic Elegy 8:58
[9] Forest Myth 4:35
Songs of the Outback
[10] The Settlers 2:03
[11] Rail Workers 2:12
[12] Droving Song 3:11
[13] Rhapsody Sonata 11:46
[14] Moon of Bright Nights 1:44
[15] The Swallows 1:59
[16] Orchard Zephyr 1:31
[17] Bush Evening 6:35
[18] Bourrée 3:13
[19] Serenade 3:09
Digital downloads of complete tracks from your preferred streaming sites available here
Sheet music available for all these works online