The Collection

SINGING ROOMS

SINGING HOUSES.

Singing rooms, sometimes called Concert rooms, were spaces in taverns and early hotels where entertainment was offered. Part of the program, it seems, was boisterous singalongs and solo performances. The following report makes the entertainment sound very alluring.

Sydney Morning Herald 12 May 1852

The following petition to the Police Magistrates, praying that they will use their endeavours to moderate the nuisances caused by the introduction of singing at public houses, is in the course of signature.

To the Chief Police Magistrate, Sydney

May it please your Worship –  We, the undersigned, residents of Lower George Street in the vicinity of the Queen’s Wharf most respectfully beg to draw your worships attention to a nuisance nightly carried on by several publicans in the neighbourhood and for the abatement of which we earnestly solicit your worship’s assistance. That from the time of the passing of the public amusement bill, there have been opened nightly what are termed concert rooms, the performances in which consist of coarse, vulgar, and obscene songs, accompanied by various musical instruments consisting of the violin, flute, drums, tambourine, bones, and imitation iron cymbals and that the proprietors of these houses allow their doors and windows to be kept wide open, and generally station the performers nearest the street to attract the passers, in consequence of which a vast number of the lowest common prostitutes, and the worst of male characters, that abound in Sydney, and assembled together, which renders it not only disgusting but oftentimes dangerous for our wives and daughters to pass and repass the street.

                      The singing room – T. S. Gill. SLV

In the goldrush era ‘singing rooms’ became popular, especially on the Victorian goldfield Bendigo and Ballarat. Originally tents, the singing rooms became a regular feature of the larger hotels. Often they were an adjunct to the hotel’s bar, dining facilities and accommodation. It appears the earliest form was more like a beer tent where the boisterous miners could sing popular songs of the day. As the golfed towns grew so did the diggers’ disposable income and the demand for ‘proper’ entertainment. The singing rooms became mini concert halls. Some had regular local performers and others had guest performers. The touring minstrel shows would have performed in these theatres.

                          The Victoria Hotel and Singing Room, Bendigo.  T.S. Gill. SLV 

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Monday 6 December 1858

VICTORIA HOTEL.

The concert-room on Saturday night at the Victoria was, as usual, crowded; the indefatigable exertions of the proprietor to provide his patrons with ever varied and always excellent entertainments have rendered the place one of the best of the kind on Bendigo. Mrs. Byrne, whose artistic singing has established her as a great favourite with the frequenters of the place, sang some of the most popular melodies of the day in a style that called for repeated encores. The juvenile songster Mister Burgess, was also warmly applauded in his songs. The comical portion of the harmonic entertainment was capitally represented by Charley Williams, a singer who, to a very judicious selection of humorous ditties, adds a comic delivery in singing them that has already won for him – although he has not appeared more than a few nights on this stage – golden opinions from the audience. He makes up for some of his ” character songs” in a style truly laughable.

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Tuesday 28 December 1858, page 3

VICTORIA HOTEL.

It appeared last night as if the crowd, which the enterprising proprietor of the Victoria Hotel had caused to assemble on the Camp reserve by the attractiveness of his programme of out-door amusements, had towards evening adjourned en masse to the concert room of the hotel, so crowded was it during the night. The excellence of the vocal amusements provided, including the humorous singing of Mr. Cassidy, who appears to be rapidly establishing himself as a great favourite at the Victoria, met with their full meed of appreciation in the shape of uproarious encores to all the various songs of the evening.

Bendigo Advertiser15 February 1859

VICTORIA CONCERT ROOM.

The neat little stage which the proprietor of this place of amusement has erected – decorated as it is with a tastefully painted proscenium and scenery, would entitle it to the name of a theatre were it not for the rather limited space appropriated for the audience; instead inconveniently limited for the concourse of persons who flock there to listen to some of the best singing on Bendigo. Last night was, as usual, crowded, “a standing seat” being unattainable. An engagement has been entered into with the far-famed Picco, whose clever performances on the tin whistle are inimitable. Master Burgess appears to be a wonderfully talented juvenile in his delineation of Irish characters and in singing songs. Mr. Harry Cooke is nightly encored in his dancing, and altogether, the entertainments provided are such as we seldom see surpassed on the regular stage, and we would recommend our readers who wish to spend an evening agreeably and rationally to drop in at the Victoria.

                           The inimitable Charles Thatcher – Colonial Minstrel

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Friday 1 November 1867

THATCHER’S ENTERTAINMENT.

Among the many persons who have presented to the public similar entertainments to that of the old Bendigo favourite, we do not remember one, whether in England or elsewhere, displaying such an inexhaustible fund of humour and good descriptive powers. Who forgets Albert Smith’s youthful Alpine climber, who found that the tender solicitude of his sister in providing jujubes in the event of his catching cold had led to the catastrophe of his brushes being indissolubly united by their melting on his road to Mount Blanc? Who forgets Woodin, with his ” Carpet-bag and Sketch-book,” and clever transformations? Well, neither of them had the humour and descriptive powers of “our own.” It is no easy task to engage single-handed, for a whole evening, with no other accessories than a few pictorial representations, and the aid of a piano, the attention of an audience. Yet Mr Thatcher was as successful in doing this last night as on previous occasions. He elicited alternately laughter and applause, the latter so well merited that one did but regret that there were not more present to applaud. Not that the audience was a bad one, but it was not equal to the merit of the entertainment. It is unnecessary to particularise the various features of the evening’s entertainment—that has been done more than once, but we may notice, barring the inevitable exaggeration necessary to afford room for fun, their truthful representations of the good old times. The “Bendigo Mac” is the veritable “Mac” of just “twelve years ago;” the description of license hunting what we all knew it to be. But the portions of the entertainment which best please the audience are the hits at passing events. ” England and the Council” and the “Procession” evidently hit the popular taste. They are clever and witty, without containing anything that can give offence. The “Procession” was sung last night for the first time, and, like that of “England and the Council,” was greeted with vociferous applause. As a cure for dyspepsia commend us to these agreeable evenings brimful of humour—enough to cheer the most dismal spirit. It is almost needless to say that Mr Thatcher appears again to-night.

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Thursday 31 October 1867, page 2

THATCHER’S ENTERTAINMENT.

There was a marked improvement in the. attendance at the theatre last night, the lower part of the house being well filled, and the dress circle and boxes, being also satisfactorily patronised. The programme was similar to. that of the two previous nights, but interspersed with many additional local allusions, the names of most of our leading townsmen being jocosely introduced at every opportunity, creating immense hilarity amongst the audience. Some of the, songs with which the entertainment abounds wore given in a remarkably happy manner, “The Bullock Driver” and the “Returned Digger” being much applauded, “The Quack Doctor” also taking the fancy of the audience immensely. Mr Thatcher seems to have a peculiar grudge against the medical profession, and also the share-broking fraternity, giving them some very hard rubs, but in a jocular way. He likewise passes some smart strictures upon the disputatious schoolmasters, advising a little letting of blood instead of such a large flow of ink. An amusing story is told of Messrs Casey and Carpenter on their Mandurang canvass, and the panoramic entertainment closes with a capital song entitled “The Shearing Season.” After a few minutes intermission the song of “England and the Council” is given, the references to recent events in the borough creating roars of laughter. Last night a. song relating to the Duke of Edinburgh’s expected visit to Sandhurst was also sung, and Mr Thatcher’s suggested form of the proposed procession was highly amusing, our local celebrities being placed in most singularly inharmonious positions. A vociferous recall by the house called forth another song upon the Agricultural Show, which must evidently have been composed since the morning, as many incidents which occurred on the ground and at the luncheon formed a part of it. The entertainment is to be continued during the remainder of the week, and now that the public have discovered Mr Thatcher to be as versatile in his sayings and songs as in days of yore, we predict good houses during the coutinuance of his stay in Sandhurst.

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Tuesday 29 October 1867, page 2

THATCHER’S ENTERTAINMENT.

The new character, in which Mr Thatcher appeared last night at the Lyceum Theatre—that of an humorous and musical lecturer on “Life on the Goldfields,.” is one which will likely earn for him the title of ” inimitable,” as deservedly as ever did his vocal efforts in the olden times he refers to in his panoramic entertainment. Looking at the panorama alone, without the accompanying viva voce descriptions of the lecturer, a stranger to the goldfields would be able to form a very correct idea of what was seen in the early days of the diggings. Commencing the first tableau in the diorama with the entrance of the emigrant ship into Hobson’s Bay, and the landing of the ” new chum” in ’52, the successive pictures show the different phases of life in those rude but golden days. We are shown the road to the diggings, the vicissitudes and mishaps of the journey, the dangers of the far-famed Black Forest, the bogging of the heavily laden bullock drays, and the picture of ‘Camped for the night.’ Then we have the new chum’s first sight of Forest Creek, a sketch of the then popular official game of ” License hunting,” a goldfield postoffice with its incidental events, jumping the new chum’s claim, a court of justice in the early days, a funeral on the diggings, and various other sketches. In. all of the foregoing tableaux, there is, although the pictures are but small, a very vivid and graphic illustration of the scenes they represent, and as works of art are deserving of great commendation. To those who have only become acquainted with such scenes of the early days by description the pictures convey an excellent idea of their reality, while to the old residents on the diggings they are at once recognised being so truthful. As regards the descriptive explanation with which Mr. Thatcher accompanies the progress of the panorama, it fairly bristles with wit, humor, and drollery, and in many portions causes the audience to roar with laughter. The descriptive songs of the renowned John Parry, the wit and humour ol the late Albert Smith in his panoramic lectures on Mount Blanc, are equalled by the funny witty and humorous descriptions of Thatcher, and by the local parodies he intersperses his entertainment with. Many of them latter are, no doubt, the same that he wrote years ago, but as a good song never loses by being twice sung, and they are happily appropriate to the scenes of the panorama, they were well received.. In showing life on the goldfields, Mr Thatcher, of course, draws largely on his Bendigo experience, so that to the Bendigonians who formed his audience last night the scenes and incidents were readily recognised, and highly appreciated. The incidents, connected with the arbitrary rule of camp officials, goldfields commissioners, and magistrates— particularly the doings of “Bendigo Mac’—as he loves to be called now-a-days—were all humorously touched1 off, and a pictorial illustration of the “grim magistrate ” in the old temple of justice, which was held in those days in a large tent, elicited a loud and hearty shout of recognition for the faithful portraiture conveyed in the picture. Another attraction in the entertainment, is the introduction of allusions to recent local events which Mr Thatcher with his old and happy knack humorously brings in, and as a conclusion to the entertainment, he gave an excellent and humorous song on “England and the Council,” which, told admirably. The lower portion of the theatre was but moderately filled, and the dress circle and upper portion very poorly patronised. That there was such a scanty audience upstairs, may be accounted for by the doubts which many entertained, first of the excellence of the entertainment,, and secondly of Thatcher’s inability to prevent the introduction of some slight ribaldry in his effusions. A visit, however would remove both doubts, for the entertainment throughout does not contain a reference or inuendo which the most fastidious could find fault with. It is smartly and wittily written, prettily illustrated, accompanied by appropriate music, and delivered by Thatcher with all the descriptive humorous talent for which he has become so justly celebrated.

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), Saturday 2 November 1867, page 2

THATCHER’S ENTERTAINMENT.

Thatcher’s panoramic and musical entertainment, entitled ” Life On the Goldfields,” is a novelty well worth a visit. The lecture, or rather series of sketches of characters, events, and places, sparkles with fun, and at the same time a faithful portraiture of life on the goldfields in their first days is given. The landing of the new chum, the road to the diggings, camped for the night, Forest Creek, license-hunting, the lucky digger, jumping a claim, a funeral on the diggings, a court of justice ou the goldfields, and other scenes are depicted on canvas arid minutely sketched jii , prose and verse with a liveliness of imagination-,-all; the more vivid on account of the personal experience of the narrator, that never fails, to ,interest .and amuse. The subjects are so varied, and afford so great a scope for illustration,-that- each night something new is given, and thus the entertainment is in a manner ever fresh and .attractive. There was a good attendance to witness the entertainment last evening. Mr Thatcher succeeded in bringing roars of laughter from the audience with his allusions to the various characters well known in the town, but the entertainment- went later than usual on account of’ his being somewhat indisposed.. At the conclusion of the diorama he sang one of his new local songs,”The procession” for which an encore was demanded, but he begged to be excused on account of suffering from hoarseness, and promised to sing a new local song to-night, the last but one of his engagement here. He will also deliver a lecture on ” Phrenology,” a subject which will, no doubt, be treated in quite an original style.

Bendigo Advertiser 6 November 1856

FRACAS AT THE SHAMROCK.

Late on Tuesday night, at the concert’s conclusion, a disturbance occurred outside the Concert Hall at this hotel. It appears Mr. Besnard was present during a portion of the evening and, after the performances were over, came across Mr. Thatcher and, from the evidence of several wit-nesses, favoured that well-known individual with sundry sneers, all the more cutting when given in Mr. Besnard’s best style. The consequence was that Thatcher knocked him down with his fist, and his head struck against a table. Mr. Heffernan came up, took hold of Thatcher, and cleared him out. On returning, he found Besnard on his legs, vowing vengeance and making preparations to inflict condign punishment on his opponent. When Heffernan insisted on having their quarrels settled outside his house, Besnard caught him by the throat, swore he would lather him, and struck several blows, in parrying which the thumb of Mr. Heffernan’s right hand was put out. He then floored Besnard, and a general scrimmage ensued when one of the barmen caught hold of Besnard and pitched him out of doors. Before order was restored, several parties had hit the duet. Yesterday morning, warrants were issued, on the information laid by Besnard, against Thatcher and the barman, which information was taken by Captain O’Hara, who visited Besnard for that purpose. Dr Aston was called in and visited Besnard by the desire of Captain O’Hara to examine him to see if it was necessary to give a certificate of his being in a dangerous state! The doctor examined him but could find no ribs broken or anything dangerous about him. In the afternoon, he was asked by Captain O’Hara to visit him and examine him again, and Dr. Roche accompanied him. Still, the two doctors could discover no signs of fracture, and the impression of Dr. Aston was that Besnard was making the most of it. There is no doubt that he got a severe thrashing, but from what we hear, it was not Thatcher that gave it to him, as Mr. Heffernan parted them as soon its he heard the disturbance.

The warrant was served on the barman about twelve o’clock yesterday, and he was taken in custody to the Camp. Thatcher, who came in soon after hearing what had occurred and that a warrant was out for his apprehension, immediately went to the Camp and gave himself up. He was at once put in the Log Hut. Captain O’Hara, who was on the Bench, let out the barman on bail but decidedly refused to take bail for Thatcher. However, several highly respectable townsmen offered bail to any amount. In about two hours, Mr. Clissold, the Barrister, waited on the Captain with bail and insisted on the Magistrate taking it, pointing out to his notice a clause in the Act, making it compulsory for the Magistrate to do so. Bail was then taken, and Thatcher was discharged from the lock-up. We hear that Mr. Besnard is not seriously hurt, and the whole affair seems to have been merely a row and a scuffle.

Bendigo Advertiser 13 October 1859

SHAMROCK THEATRE.

Last night at the Shamrock Theatre Mr. Hudson, the Irish comedian, made his first appearance in his celebrated drawing-room entertainment, entitled the ” Irish Portfolio.” The entertainment consists of Mr. Hudson impersonating the most striking pictures of Irish characters, accompanied by songs and recitals. Amongst those which we would select as the most truthful, as well as the most amusing from his portfolio, and which received their due meed of applause at (he hands of the audience, were Dr. Polyphemus Pander, the Irish schoolmaster of long word predilection; Mrs Pardnener, and the great character of Tim Moore. In his singing of the songs, Mr. Hudson was justly entitled to the applause he received. He possesses a richly mellow tone of voice and a knowledge of music which gives effect to the ballad songs of Ireland’s poet, ” Tom Moore,” so full as they are of tenderness and feeling. He also was not less successful in the humorous vocalisation incidental to the “Portfolio,” which lie gave with that racy and expressive humour which Mr Hudson, above all actors since the clays of Power, knows so well how to invest his comic singing with. The house was somewhat thinly attended, for which the wretched state of the weather may account. Mr. Hudson appears again in his entertainment this evening, for the last time in Victoria, as he starts immediately for Sydney, en route to England. We strongly recommend the public not to lose this entertainment.

We see that the price of admission will be reduced tonight (as Mr. Montague Tigg would have said) to the “ridiculously small sum of one shilling.” (Tigg, an unsavoury character from Dickens)

It seems the raucous days and nights on the 1850s continued into the next decade and the wowsers continued to complain.

Kiama and Shoalhaven Advertiser 1868

SINGING ROOMS NUISANCE

In our midst, we have licensed places of amusement called Singing Rooms, which are subversive of all decency and a disgrace to the City of Sydney. The morale that pervades them is, without mincing the matter or exception, simply abominable, while the class of people that support them ranges from the office lad, the would-be fast man, and the pickpocket, upon his first adventure, down to the almost abandoned of our recently liberated “jailbirds.” The entertainment provided for the delectation of this highly suggestive audience consists of the usual class of comic songs, abounding in ‘double entendre and interminable choruses, with dances that appeal to the imagination and are both gross and vulgar.  These singing rooms are springing up in all directions. Their effects upon the rising generation are most pernicious. It behoves the authorities to keep some stringent check upon them, or the nuisance will shortly become unbearable.

Protestant Standard (Sydney) 7 August 1869,

PETITION OF MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF SINGING AND DANCING ROOMS IN PUBLIC HOUSES.

We are informed that a petition having in view the above object is in the course of signature for presentation to Parliament at its approaching meeting. We sincerely hope that it will be numerously signed by the mothers and daughters of our city. The dancing and singing houses in connexion with tap rooms are an abomination that should not be permitted. Most of them could be suppressed at once were our magistracy what it ought to be. They are a nuisance to the neighbourhood in which they appear: they are places where the worst of characters congregate; they are places for pollution and crime of the worst description; and, associated as these places are with tap rooms, where the drink consumed on the premises is the payment for the amusement offered, we can easily imagine the course of dissipation and iniquity. On these grounds, the magistrates could put these places down at once; unfortunately, many of our magistrates are more or less connected with the public-house traffic; many more have such correct ideas of free trade; others have so much fear; while all of them are embarrassed with a vicious licensing system, that little will ever be effectually done until some stringent law is passed by Parliament. Our female refuge will require enlargement, our youthful criminals will continually increase, and our “fast young men,” who end their career by some case of embezzlement, will continue to multiply unless some very positive reforms be made immediately in connection with all the subsidiaries of the liquor trade. But, without waiting to grapple with the whole subject and without aiming at effecting at once all the desirable reforms, let us try the one now in hand, the suppression of those schools of folly and vice, where the youth are corrupted and habits of drunkenness and crime are strengthened, commonly known as “Free concert rooms,” and “Free dancing saloons.”

SINGALONGS

By the near end of the 19th century the affect of popular songsters became apparent and community singalongs emerged as a popular entertainment. Often led by a pianist and in some cases the evening’s entertainment was led by a popular singer who had magic lantern slides of the song words projected on a wall or screen.

Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate (NSW : 1876 – 1954), Friday 14 December 1888

Singing contest. The Assembly Rooms at the Rouse Hotel were crowded last night, the occasion being a singing contest between Mr. E. Peters, the well-known tenor vocalist, and a gentleman named Boston, who also lays claim to being the possessor of a particularly agreeable voice. The entrance was by ticket, which had been issued to fully 300 persons, but it is estimated that there were nearly 500 present, all of whom evinced great interest in the proceedings. The winner, Mr. Peters, whose singing of “Let me like a soldier fall,” and “The anchor’s weighed,” was splendid, the top notes being highly appreciated by the audience, was the recipicipent of a handsomely-designed gold medal, suitably inscribed, and manufactured by one of the leading metropolitan houses. In acknowledging the medal, Mr. Peters feelingly acknowledged the honour done him, which, however, he felt was but his due, and issued a challenge to all comers for a singing contest, from £5 to £50 a side. It is unlikely, however, that the challenge will be accepted, as there are but few in the district who would enter the lists in the attempt to take away his well-earned laurels.

Magic Lantern Singalongs

The magic lantern singalongs continued into the 20th century.

A primitive slide of an extraordinarily popular songs (Somethings known as ‘He Played His Ukelele As The Ship Went Down’

‘The Wreck of the Nancy Lee’ was a popular song written by Arthur Le Clerq in 1931. Le Clerq was British and a composer of mainly novelty songs including ‘Nobody Loves A Fairy When She’s Forty’, ‘Tan Tan-Tivvy Tally Ho’ and ‘There’s Another Trumpet Playing In The Sky’. Undoubtedly, Le Clerq’s most successful song was ‘The Wreck of the Nancy Lee’, which became colloquially known as ‘He Played His Ukulele As The Ship Went Down’.

As a cultural historian who tracks songs, this song has fascinated me. Although recorded by only a handful of singers it was widely known. In 1999 I wrote an article in the Australian National Maritime Museum’s journal Afloat, calling for readers to send me fragments of any old maritime songs. I lost count of the number of people who sent versions of ‘The Wreck of the Nancy Lee’. Many thought it was a very old song, “possibly early1800s”. The contributed verses testified to its popularity and the fact it had entered what we call ‘the oral tradition’. There were also several interesting bawdy versions.

Jack Hayward was a ‘community singing leader and conductor’ from the Sydney suburb of Lakemba. He is represented by a large collection of slides, held at Museums Victoria, featuring popular songs for community singing. Favourites include ‘After The Ball’, ‘Don’t Bring Lulu’, ‘Bull and Bush’, ‘Little Sir Echo’, “I’m Popeye The Sailor Man’, ‘Along the Road to Gundagai’ and Ramona’. There are few reviews of the style of evening Jack Hayward presented so we must assume he led the singing and conducted the audience.

Hayman was obviously no slouch as a self-promoter. In 1936 he organised a contest between Arthur Davis, a champion axe man, and himself – to push a billiard ball across an improbable course (2). We know that Jack Hayward served in World War Two and, near the end of the war, relocated to Victoria. His war duty appears to have been with the Entertainment Division (3). Hayman was also a pianist and had performed in England alongside some of the greats, including George Formby and Vera Lynne.

Although ‘The Wreck of the Nancy Lee’ is a basic typed slide, others Hayward’s slides appear to have been prepared and, possibly, given to him free of charge, by music publishers like J. Albert & Son, and Sterling Music Publishing Co. These were usually ‘hits of the day’, sometimes, like ‘Ramona’ (1928) were taken from current motion pictures. Get the audience singing and you sell music!