< Previous Page > < Back to home page > < Next Page > < Previous Page > < Back to home page > < Next Page >
 |
The 1996 Illawarra Folk
Festival at Jamberoo saw the debut of "Matilda's
Suite" with the Illawarra Stringybach Orchestra and Wongawilli. Australia's colonial music and dancing heritage is steeped in the tradition of stringed instruments. Ever since the first fleet strings played an important role in the social dance.Entertainment in those days was based on dancing with balls, parties and celebrations of all kinds. |
The most favoured early group would have consisted of a violin, accompanied with whistles, fifes or flutes. String bands became popular from the 1880s through to the early 1920s when displaced by the craze of ragtime and the newer jazz bands. These bands could also include woodwind and even some brass instrumentation. The piano was an important part of these string bands, providing a strong rhythm. Much of the music played in the bush would have been learnt by the `ear' bush musicians from tunes played by formal bands. There are many examples of bush tunes coming from classical, orchestral background. The Illawarra Stringybach Orchestra (formerly the Illawarra Youth Orchestra from the University of Wollongong Conservatorium of Music) and well known Illawarra bush band Wongawilli (joined by Rob Willis) combined to present a unique concert of Australian musical heritage at the 1996 Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo held last month.
They presented Matilda's Suite, a collection of three musical arrangements. The first and third were a medley of Australian bush tunes, the most of which have been collected from real old time bush musicians. The first tune was the Craigielee March as performed at the Warnambool Picnic Races in 1894. This is the tune that Christina McPherson heard and played a variant of for Banjo Paterson at Dagworth Station, Qld in 1895. This tune has come to be known as Waltzing Matilda. The final tune in the suite was the original version of Waltzing Matilda as Christina had written it.
The other tunes included polkas from Conjewai (near Newcastle), Ebb Wren, Bill Cooper (from Forbes), Sally Sloanes Mazurka (Lithgow), Bert Jamieson's Set Tune (Snowy Mountains), Cosgrove's Schottische (New England), and the Swing Waltz from Ernie Wells of Wingham.
The middle item was a song written by Neil McCann from Wongawilli titled A Night at Daisy Park. The song relates the story of Jim McCann a concertina player from Forbes who played for many dances around the district including the property Daisy Park earlier this century.
This combination of a bush band and classical instruments playing bush tunes was certainly a unique performance. It presented Australia's musical heritage in a youthful, authentic, energetic and at times moving manner.
Further performances are scheduled to increase the Australian public's awareness of our diversified and integrated culture. Wouldn't it be nice to have 2000 children playing and dancing to Australian traditional music at the year 2000 Olympics? You have to start somewhere.
Future Performances:
Saturday 7 June - Young Traditions Concert at Australian Folk
Festival
at Kiama.
Venue - Kiama Showground Pavilion, Time - 4pm, to be confirmed.
Saturday 14 March - Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo, evening concert
April - Mid West NSW tour??