|
George William Louis Marshall-Hall (28 March 1862, London 18 July 1915, Fitzroy, Victoria) was an English-born musician, composer, conductor, poet and controversialist who lived and worked in Australia from 1891 till his death in 1915. According to his birth certificate, his surname was 'Hall' and 'Marshall' was his fourth given name,〔Certified Copy of An Entry of Birth, Given on 22 January 1975 at the General Register Office, London, No. BC871181〕 which commemorated his physiologist grandfather, Marshall Hall (1790–1857). George's father, a barrister – who, however, never practised that profession〔A. L. Munn ''The Alpine club Register'' 1864-1876 London, 1926, pp. 6-8〕 – appears to have been the first to hyphenate the name〔see e.g. Marshall Hall to J.H. Collins 18 September 1875 and 21 October 1875 in Archives of the Mineralogical Society, London〕 and his sons followed suit.〔"Tristan and Isolde" by John E. Marshall Hall in ''Musical World'' 18 January 1889〕 ==Early life== Marshall-Hall's father owned a 65-ton iron ocean-going yacht which, he said, was kept "in great measure to give my family fresh air, the opportunity of seeing foreign ports, of leading a healthy life such as cannot be led on shore". He was, he declared, a "family yachtsman who likes to see his youngsters' skin-tanned".〔''Field Quarterly'' August 1871 pp. 170–171〕 As a child George probably participated in family trips on this vessel when it explored Norwegian fjords and grappled for broken telegraph cable in the Atlantic Ocean.〔see e.g. ''Geological Magazine'' 1869 p. 528〕 He began his schooling in Brighton. But then his family moved to Blackheath in London's southeast where in 1873 he enrolled in the Blackheath Proprietary School〔Principal's Register, New Boys: Visitors' Book in Local History Department, Manor house Library, Lewisham, UK〕 and at much the same time began taking private music lessons.〔Typescript in Marshall-Hall papers, Melbourne University Archives Group 1/1/2; the writer identifies himself as Marshall-Hall's brother which means he is either John E. or Algernon S. Marshall Hall〕 His interest in music, according to his brother, had first been aroused by his paternal grandmother and his great-uncle. The latter, it seems, was himself an organist and composer.〔J.E. Marshall-Hall to William Moore n.d. Marshall-Hall papers, Melbourne University Archives Group 1 1/1/2〕 In 1878 the family moved again, this time to Montreux on the shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where George formed a choral society which met to practise in the family dining room.〔Typescript in Marshall-Hall papers, Melbourne University Archives Group 1/1/2; the writer identifies himself as Marshall-Hall's brother which means he is either John E. or Algernon S. Marshall-Hall〕 By 1880, having become proficient in both French and German, he was back in England teaching languages and music, first at the Oxford Military College, Cowley,〔John Tecklenborough ''Seven Years' Cadet Life. Containing the Records of the Oxford Military College ...'' Oxford, 1883 p.12〕 and afterwards at Newton College, South Devon.〔Testimonial from G. Townsend Earner 21 October 1885 Melbourne University Council Letter Book 3, 295 in Melbourne University Central Registry〕 Then, late in 1886, bent now on devoting himself to a career in music, he returned briefly to Switzerland to take up a position as organist in Lausanne〔''Newtonian'' vol. 12, p.176〕 before becoming musical director of Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire.〔Melbourne University Council Minute Book 3, 297〕 In 1888 he was appointed orchestral and choral conductor as well as composition- and singing-teacher at the London Organ School and Instrumental College of Music.〔J.E. Marshall-Hall to William Moore n.d. Marshall-Hall papers, Melbourne University Archives Group 1 i/i/2〕 At the same time articles written by him on musical subjects began appearing in English newspapers and magazines.〔see e.g. ''Magazine of Music'' June1888, August 1888〕 He was later to claim that his father disapproved of his choice of career, declaring that 'he wouldn't want any damn fiddler in his family' and, when thwarted in this regard, cutting his son off without a shilling. So George apparently received no paternal assistance when, unable to get enough work in his chosen profession on occasions in the 1880s, he was compelled, he recalled, to sleep in the snow in Trafalgar Square and to button his jacket up to the neck when in polite society to conceal his lack of a shirt collar and waistcoat.〔Ella Winter to Herbert Brookes 9 January 1921 in Marshall-Hall papers, Melbourne University Archives Group 1/5〕 His fortunes took a turn for the better in 1890 when he was appointed as foundation Ormond Professor of Music to head the newly created music department at the University of Melbourne.〔Sir Arthur Brownless to G. Berry, 1 September 1890, in Melbourne University Council Letter Book 3, 351, Melbourne University Central Registry〕 He had few formal qualificatHiions for the position. In 1883 he had enrolled at the Royal College of Music in London but left after only a single term,〔Students' Register, Department of Portraits, Royal College of Music, London〕 having according to a friend become 'impatient with the college's slow ways and slower Professors'.〔John Runciman in ''Magazine of Music'' June 1892〕 This was the sum total of his tertiary education in music. His only other relevant achievement apart from his freelance musical journalism had been a February 1888 performance by the London Symphony Orchestra of an excerpt from his opera ''Harold''.〔programme note on 'The Defence of Earl Godwin before the Witan' from Harold in Melba Memorial Conservatorium Archives, Melbourne〕 The appointment of Australian university professors at that time was usually based on recommendations from expert committees set up for the purpose in London. The deficiency of Marshall-Hall's formal qualifications for the Melbourne chair is reflected in the fact that, although he was one of 48 applicants when the post was first advertised in March 1888, the London committee declined to make a recommendation. One member, the Professor of Music at Oxford, Frederick Ouseley, conceded that there were 'some eminently respectable men, and good musicians in the ordinary sense of the words' among the applicants, adding however that there were 'certainly not five – hardly one – of whom I could honestly speak as first-class (). The best men have not become candidates'.〔Ouseley to Victorian agent-general G. Berry 3 May 1888 Melbourne University Central Registry Correspondence file 1888/31〕 Certainly two other committee members, principal of the Royal Academy of Music Sir Alexander Mackenzie and concert pianist Sir Charles Hallé, while echoing Ouseley's view, agreed that Marshall-Hall was the only candidate who was 'near to the mark'.〔A.C. Mackenzie to G. Berry 30 May 1888, C. Halle to G. Berry 27 April 1888 in Melbourne University Central Registry Correspondence file 1888/31〕 But when later that year the job was re-advertised, Marshall-Hall was still not considered the most suitable applicant by the committee, which selected four names, including his, to send to the Council of the University of Melbourne, but declined to rank them.〔G. Berry to Sir A. C. Brownless 1 February 1889 Melbourne University Central Registry Correspondence file〕 The impasse was broken in 1890 when the Council obtained private advice from Hallé (then on a concert tour of Australia) and (indirectly) from Mackenzie and the Director of the Royal College of Music, Sir George Grove, all of whom recommended the appointment of Marshall-Hall.〔Sir William Cleaver Robinson to G. Berry 19 June 1890 Melbourne University Council Letter Book; Australian Critic 1 October 1890; Melbourne University Review October 1890; A. C. Brownless to G. Berry 2 September 1890 Melbourne University council Letter book 3, 351 in Melbourne University Central Registry〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Marshall-Hall」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|