Robert Dalley-Scarlett Explained

Dr. Robert Dalley-Scarlett (16 April 1887 – 31 July 1959) was an Australian organist, choirmaster, composer and musicologist.

History

Dalley-Scarlett was born Robert Scarlett in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, a son of Robert Campbell Scarlett and his wife Emily Florence Scarlett, née Hancock. The name "Dalley" was added in tribute to his godfather, William Bede Dalley and hyphenated later.He was educated at the Superior Public School, Grafton and Sydney Grammar School and studied piano under S. (Sydney) Gordon Lavers (c. 1865–1940)[1] and organ under Arthur Mason, organist of St James' Church, Sydney 1898–1907, City Organist 1901–1907, and music correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald.

After several years taking occasional positions as church organist, he was in 1912 appointed organist and choral conductor to Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Grafton.[2]

He married Gertrude Alice Peir (1886–1970) in Sydney in 1909; they had two sons.

He enlisted with the 1st AIF on 5 May 1916, was gassed in France, transferred to the Pay Corps, London, in February 1917, and returned to Australia where he was honorably discharged in December 1917. While in London, he studied church music under Sir Frederick Bridge and Sir Richard Terry.

On his return to Australia, he was offered the post of organist and choirmaster of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Brisbane, succeeding Victor Galway. His wife refused to leave Sydney and their marriage would later be annulled.

He matriculated in Brisbane in 1920, and enrolled as an external student with the Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide, where he completed his Mus. Bac. degree in 1926[3] and Mus. Doc. in 1934,[4] the first Queensland musician to be so qualified.[5]

Dalley-Scarlett served with St. Andrew's Church from 1919 to 1932. He also conducted:

He founded and conducted the Brisbane Handel Society 1932–1959.[10] They performed at Handel festivals in 1933 and 1934,[11] and broadcast all his oratorios between 1934 and 1942. They gave annual unabridged, historically accurate, performances of Messiah in the 1950s.

He gained further qualifications and distinctions:

He privately taught piano, organ, singing, harmony and composition until 1941; his pupils included Hugh Brandon and Herbert Cannon.

From 1941 to 1955 Dalley-Scarlett was employed full time by the Australian Broadcasting Commission as music presentation officer, producing many broadcasts himself with the ABC Brisbane Singers. One programme, of English coronation music, was in 1953 broadcast world-wide by the British Broadcasting Corporation.[12] Dalley-Scarlett made a programme of recordings to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, collaborating with his Adelaide counterpart Norman Chinner.[13]

He died at his home of a heart attack and was cremated.

Compositions

Dalley-Scarlett was a prolific composer; many of his 300 works were broadcast or performed locally, although few were published.

Scholarship

Dalley-Scarlett amassed a valuable library of some 5,000 items, including nearly 150 priceless first editions of George Frideric Handel and other eighteenth-century composers, which he used to inform his arrangements, now held by the Fisher Library, University of Sydney.

He was a prolific writer for musical journals, and acted as music critic for the Australian Musical News 1934–1937 and the Brisbane Courier Mail 1945–1946 and 1952–1959, but his most lasting literary contributions were the article on Australia for Grove's Dictionary (5th edition) and an article on eighteenth century performance entitled Handel's 'Messiah': How Can We Realise the Composer's Intentions?[14]

Recognition

A triennial scholarship dedicated to his memory was inaugurated by the University of Queensland.[15]

Family

Dalley-Scarlett married Gertrude Alice Peir (1886–1970) in Sydney on 8 September 1909. They had two sons:

They separated when he moved to Brisbane; the marriage was annulled in 1930.He married again on 11 March 1930, to singer and music copyist Joyce Buckham. He had no further children.[15]

Notes and References

  1. News: Obituary . . New South Wales, Australia . 29 January 1940 . 25 May 2018 . 2 (Daily) . National Library of Australia.
  2. News: Organ Recital . . New South Wales, Australia . 26 April 1912 . 25 May 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
  3. News: Personal . . XCI . 26,561 . South Australia . 4 October 1926 . 25 May 2018 . 15 . National Library of Australia.
  4. News: Personal . . South Australia . 27 February 1934 . 25 May 2018 . 14 . National Library of Australia.
  5. News: Music & Musicians . . 560 . Queensland, Australia . 18 February 1934 . 25 May 2018 . 13 . National Library of Australia.
  6. News: Personal . . 5344 . Queensland, Australia . 13 November 1919 . 25 May 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  7. News: Social . . 19,601 . Queensland, Australia . 15 November 1920 . 25 May 2018 . 15 . National Library of Australia.
  8. News: Bach Festival . . 22,692 . Queensland, Australia . 21 October 1930 . 25 May 2018 . 23 . National Library of Australia.
  9. News: Old Operas for Radio . . 1207 . Queensland, Australia . 14 July 1937 . 25 May 2018 . 15 . National Library of Australia.
  10. News: Week's Doings . . 2558 . Queensland, Australia . 3 April 1949 . 25 May 2018 . 38 . National Library of Australia.
  11. News: History of Melody . . Queensland, Australia . 8 September 1934 . 25 May 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  12. News: City man's Coronation programme . . 5088 . Queensland, Australia . 20 March 1953 . 25 May 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  13. Book: Elizabeth Silsbury. Australian Dictionary of Biography: Chinner, Norman (1909–1961). Norman Chinner (1909–1961) . National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. 1993 . 23 May 2018.
  14. Book: The Canon, Australian Journal of Music. 6. University of California. 1952.
  15. Web site: Dalley-Scarlett, Robert (1887–1959). Peter Roennfeldt. Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. 1981. 25 May 2018.
  16. News: Family Notices . . 31,654 . New South Wales, Australia . 14 June 1939 . 25 May 2018 . 14 . National Library of Australia.
  17. News: Appointments . . 76 . New South Wales, Australia . 7 May 1954 . 25 May 2018 . 1366 . National Library of Australia.