Migrant symphonies: the symphonic contribution of resident British composers to Australian musical life

Abstract

During the period from Federation to 1960 a significant number of British-born composers worked in Australia, some for many decades. Of them, the following composers wrote symphonies which received their first performances in Australia: Joshua Ives, George Marshall-Hall, Fritz Hart and Edgar Bainton. Should these symphonies and their composers be considered British or Australian, or both? Which country should ‗own‘ them, and who has the responsibility for archiving and preserving their heritage? This paper will survey and evaluate these works, with particular focus on the symphonies of Ives, Marshall-Hall, Hart and Bainton.