Click images for larger size.
From a concert at National Folk Festival, Canberra, Friday 10 April 1997
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The Bush Music Club was founded in 1954 to collect, publish and popularise Australia’s traditional songs, dances, music, yarns, recitations and folklore and to encourage the composition of a new kind of song - one that was traditional in style but contemporary in theme.
Articles © Bush Music Club Inc unless stated otherwise, photographs © individual photographer.
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Showing posts with label Bush Music (phrase). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bush Music (phrase). Show all posts
Monday, 22 September 2025
Sunday, 3 September 2023
From the Archives - Bob Bolton’s (Very Preliminary) Timeline - Bush Music Revival 1950 - 1970
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undated document
Notes -
VBMC - Victorian Bush Music Club, renamed Victorian Folk Music Club in 1963
FLSV - Folklore Society of Victoria
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Monday, 13 January 2020
What Bush Dances? by Rob Willis
Click on pictures for full-screen
image
Reprinted from Verandah Music with Graham Seal's permission
Following on our recent dance posts, here’s one to stir the possum a little. We begin with a relevant reminiscence from Rob Willis, with links to a video of John Meredith and Ollie Willis lightfooting some Eureka Youth League dances.
There is also a link to Rob’s edited version of the late Peter Ellis’s detailed discussion of this issue. (NB Some issues with these historical file formats).
Rob writes:
I was born and raised in Forbes, Central West NSW, and in my youth during the 1960s went to dances in the many country halls that were scattered around the surrounding countryside. We learnt, mainly from the older women, how to waltz and also have fun with such dances as the Barn Dance, Pride of Erin, Jolly Miller and a raft of others.
I was therefore mystified in the late 1970s when becoming involved in the 'folk scene', going to so-called ‘bush dances’ (a term that was never used in the Central West) and being taught dances that I had never heard of in the bush. As time progressed and I started to travel on field recording trips with John Meredith (a good dancer in his own right) I met and formed a very strong friendship with dance historian, the late Peter Ellis. It became clear that ‘bush dance’ was a dance genre that had evolved over recent decades.
In conversations on the track with John and also with the people we were recording then for the National Library, some born in the 1890s, it became clear that the dances of the bush were in reality the Quadrilles, Polkas, Varsoviennas, Mazurkas as well as the later ones I had learnt in the Forbes district.
Over the many hours that Meredith and I had on the track talking about the past he explained how the genre was formed and Peter's article puts it all together as well as John's explanation in a video I shot of him and my wife, Ollie, demonstrating a couple of these dances.
I can remember being with Meredith and Alan Scott at a Bush Dance at a festival in Newcastle when Merro leaned over to Alan and said "Geez mate, just to think that we were responsible for this".
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Reprinted from Verandah Music with Graham Seal's permission
Following on our recent dance posts, here’s one to stir the possum a little. We begin with a relevant reminiscence from Rob Willis, with links to a video of John Meredith and Ollie Willis lightfooting some Eureka Youth League dances.
There is also a link to Rob’s edited version of the late Peter Ellis’s detailed discussion of this issue. (NB Some issues with these historical file formats).
Rob writes:
I was born and raised in Forbes, Central West NSW, and in my youth during the 1960s went to dances in the many country halls that were scattered around the surrounding countryside. We learnt, mainly from the older women, how to waltz and also have fun with such dances as the Barn Dance, Pride of Erin, Jolly Miller and a raft of others.
I was therefore mystified in the late 1970s when becoming involved in the 'folk scene', going to so-called ‘bush dances’ (a term that was never used in the Central West) and being taught dances that I had never heard of in the bush. As time progressed and I started to travel on field recording trips with John Meredith (a good dancer in his own right) I met and formed a very strong friendship with dance historian, the late Peter Ellis. It became clear that ‘bush dance’ was a dance genre that had evolved over recent decades.
In conversations on the track with John and also with the people we were recording then for the National Library, some born in the 1890s, it became clear that the dances of the bush were in reality the Quadrilles, Polkas, Varsoviennas, Mazurkas as well as the later ones I had learnt in the Forbes district.
Over the many hours that Meredith and I had on the track talking about the past he explained how the genre was formed and Peter's article puts it all together as well as John's explanation in a video I shot of him and my wife, Ollie, demonstrating a couple of these dances.
I can remember being with Meredith and Alan Scott at a Bush Dance at a festival in Newcastle when Merro leaned over to Alan and said "Geez mate, just to think that we were responsible for this".
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Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Saplings workshop for young Bush Musicians 8-16 years, Marrickville Saturday 10th August 2014
Click on pictures for full-screen
image
What is it? – A one day master class for young people (8 – 16 years) to experience playing Australian collected music.
Aim - For young people to have fun and introduce them to Australian collected tunes. Associated topics such as history of the music, the musicians who played the tunes and those who collected the music will be briefly covered.
What we will be offering - Our tutors are musicians who are some of the foremost players of Australian Traditional Music.
Students will not only learn the tunes but how they should be played.
Each student on arrival will receive a comprehensive booklet, which will contain a large collection of tunes and songs plus associated material.
All meals will be catered – snack on arrival, morning and afternoon tea + pizza for lunch.
Extra activities will be offered such as introduction to bush dancing and bush percussion. As well as percussion instruments, there will be an opportunity for students to have a feel or play of other instruments eg: the banjo or concertina.
At the end of the day each student will receive a gift bag.
Each student on arrival will receive a comprehensive booklet, which will contain a large collection of tunes and songs plus associated material.
What if my child does not play an instrument? - There will be a class for students who do not play a musical instrument. This group will focus on to the joy of music and playing bush percussion. We can also offer these students basic instruction on harmonica, tin whistle or ukulele. Please note these students will be required to bring a harmonica or tin whistle in the key of C or G or a ukulele.
The Venue
Tritton Hall and The ARCC - The Sapling Master Class will be held at Tritton Hall, Hut 44, Addison Road Community Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville and other huts in this complex.
Tritton Hall is the home of the Bush Music Club and the Addison Road Community Centre (ARCC) is Australia’s largest not-for-profit community centre. Parking is available but as the markets are on Sundays, it is best to allow extra time to find a car spot.
How to get there – A detailed map and directions will be sent on registration.
The Cost
Only $25 per student! This will cover a full day’s tuition, sheet music, gift bag and all meals. The day is being subsidized by the Bush Music Club so we can keep costs to a minimum.
Class Structure
Intermediate to advanced Melody instruments (depending on numbers this group may be split)
Beginner Melody Instruments
Rhythm Instruments
Musicians of the future
The final programme for the day will be designed closer to the date as this will depend on the registration numbers of each individual group.
Registration will be from 9.30
10:00 am Fun begins, classes commence and individual groups go off with the tutors
Except for a morning tea break the first half of the day will be spent in groups playing music and experiencing other instruments – some rotation of tutors
12:00 am Lunch – (pizza, drink and fruit)
1:00 pm Musicians split back into groups to play more music
2:00pm Bush Dance
2:40pm Break (snacks and a drink) group photo
3:00 pm All in Session. A chance for the groups to showcase what they have been playing
and everyone to play together
4:00 pm finish
Meet The Tutors
Our head tutors are David Johnson, Jason Roweth and Tony Romeo. A bio with a picture of tutors can be forwarded on request.
Examples of Music
A sample of the music and songs can be provided on request.
Contact Details:
For more information or to register contact:
Email: bushmusicclubsaplings@gmail.com
Helen Romeo: 4297 5128
Kerry Doherty: 0409 600 949
photos - Sandra Nixon, National Folk Festival 2014, Saplings session
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Introduction
What is it? – A one day master class for young people (8 – 16 years) to experience playing Australian collected music.
Aim - For young people to have fun and introduce them to Australian collected tunes. Associated topics such as history of the music, the musicians who played the tunes and those who collected the music will be briefly covered.
What we will be offering - Our tutors are musicians who are some of the foremost players of Australian Traditional Music.
Students will not only learn the tunes but how they should be played.
Each student on arrival will receive a comprehensive booklet, which will contain a large collection of tunes and songs plus associated material.
All meals will be catered – snack on arrival, morning and afternoon tea + pizza for lunch.
Extra activities will be offered such as introduction to bush dancing and bush percussion. As well as percussion instruments, there will be an opportunity for students to have a feel or play of other instruments eg: the banjo or concertina.
At the end of the day each student will receive a gift bag.
Each student on arrival will receive a comprehensive booklet, which will contain a large collection of tunes and songs plus associated material.
What if my child does not play an instrument? - There will be a class for students who do not play a musical instrument. This group will focus on to the joy of music and playing bush percussion. We can also offer these students basic instruction on harmonica, tin whistle or ukulele. Please note these students will be required to bring a harmonica or tin whistle in the key of C or G or a ukulele.
The Venue
Tritton Hall and The ARCC - The Sapling Master Class will be held at Tritton Hall, Hut 44, Addison Road Community Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville and other huts in this complex.
Tritton Hall is the home of the Bush Music Club and the Addison Road Community Centre (ARCC) is Australia’s largest not-for-profit community centre. Parking is available but as the markets are on Sundays, it is best to allow extra time to find a car spot.
How to get there – A detailed map and directions will be sent on registration.
The Cost
Only $25 per student! This will cover a full day’s tuition, sheet music, gift bag and all meals. The day is being subsidized by the Bush Music Club so we can keep costs to a minimum.
The Program & Structure
Class Structure
Intermediate to advanced Melody instruments (depending on numbers this group may be split)
Beginner Melody Instruments
Rhythm Instruments
Musicians of the future
The final programme for the day will be designed closer to the date as this will depend on the registration numbers of each individual group.
Registration will be from 9.30
10:00 am Fun begins, classes commence and individual groups go off with the tutors
Except for a morning tea break the first half of the day will be spent in groups playing music and experiencing other instruments – some rotation of tutors
12:00 am Lunch – (pizza, drink and fruit)
1:00 pm Musicians split back into groups to play more music
2:00pm Bush Dance
2:40pm Break (snacks and a drink) group photo
3:00 pm All in Session. A chance for the groups to showcase what they have been playing
and everyone to play together
4:00 pm finish
Meet The Tutors
Our head tutors are David Johnson, Jason Roweth and Tony Romeo. A bio with a picture of tutors can be forwarded on request.
Examples of Music
A sample of the music and songs can be provided on request.
Contact Details:
For more information or to register contact:
Email: bushmusicclubsaplings@gmail.com
Helen Romeo: 4297 5128
Kerry Doherty: 0409 600 949
Bush Music Club Inc: www.bushmusic.org.au
photos - Sandra Nixon, National Folk Festival 2014, Saplings session
Monday, 25 February 2013
Citations of the term "Bush Music"
Click on pictures for full-screen
image
Bob Armstrong found the attached citation on the ANL TROVE website, an advertisement for some sheet bush music in the Maitland Mercury of April 1863. Polkas and Schottisches for 1 shilling a copy including postage.
Bob Boltons' reply 13/1/2013
I'm aware that many of the locally arranged / written / popularised music tunes and sets for the popular social dances of the latter part of the 19th century were published with Local / Australian / Popular titles ... often simply a naming of the full set ... not necessarily the individual tunes. Very few of the tunes collected by field folklorists - such as John Meredith (founder of the Bush Music Club) and his BMC associates and followers in other similar clubs and societies had such grandiose names.
I haven't actually analysed the relationship of 'local' tune and/or set names but many were known only by association with a local player ... occasionally with local area names ... or just the name of the dance (with or without an associated player's name.) Some later researchers have done a fair amount of matching up 'Australian-collected' tunes and sets with tunes and dance sets published by British / American /Australian music publishers.
A typical path for dispersal of tunes without attached names - testified to in field-recorded interviews associated with tune collecting - would be the way that many "folk" players have recounted attending the local dance (often a fund-raising event for the local town's hospital / school / whatever) ... and the kids humming / singing / playing on portable instruments tunes that had caught their ears at the dance ... and the boast that, by the time the buggy or dray had reached their bush home, they had memorised ( ... at least fairly well ...) the best of the tunes - and these might stay in the family ... devoid of name or provenance ... right up until systematic recording began in the 1950s!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
further comments from Bob -
He picked up that reference as part of a lot of cross-posting centring around Peter Ellis , Keith McKenry,, Rob Willis ... and a few other folk historians who have become involved in a bit of niggling about the Bush Music Club "inventing" terms/events/practices under the name "Bush Music" / "Bush Dance" / "Bush dancing" / "Bush song" ... and that this wasn't reflected in "real Australian history' (... as some of them perceived it ...) My forward of a 1907 Reverend gentleman's newspaper account of "bush dancing" at a "bush dance" (noticed in the Dan Worrall CD ROM on world-wide late 19th / early 20th century traditions of (~) "House Dances" seems to have shaken some of them out of their dusty volumes of un-involved and dis-interested academics ... with their own barrows to push - and now we are finding lots of support for our preferred terminology ... via unbiased scans coming out of recent increases in access to 19th century publications - especially magazines and newspapers - with actual scanned texts of the entire publication visible over ... and linked to ... the downloadable text ( ... admittedly, as it comes straight out of [~] un-corrected OCR!)
*********************************************************************************************** ***********************************************************************************************
Bob Armstrong found the attached citation on the ANL TROVE website, an advertisement for some sheet bush music in the Maitland Mercury of April 1863. Polkas and Schottisches for 1 shilling a copy including postage.
Bob Boltons' reply 13/1/2013
I'm aware that many of the locally arranged / written / popularised music tunes and sets for the popular social dances of the latter part of the 19th century were published with Local / Australian / Popular titles ... often simply a naming of the full set ... not necessarily the individual tunes. Very few of the tunes collected by field folklorists - such as John Meredith (founder of the Bush Music Club) and his BMC associates and followers in other similar clubs and societies had such grandiose names.
I haven't actually analysed the relationship of 'local' tune and/or set names but many were known only by association with a local player ... occasionally with local area names ... or just the name of the dance (with or without an associated player's name.) Some later researchers have done a fair amount of matching up 'Australian-collected' tunes and sets with tunes and dance sets published by British / American /Australian music publishers.
A typical path for dispersal of tunes without attached names - testified to in field-recorded interviews associated with tune collecting - would be the way that many "folk" players have recounted attending the local dance (often a fund-raising event for the local town's hospital / school / whatever) ... and the kids humming / singing / playing on portable instruments tunes that had caught their ears at the dance ... and the boast that, by the time the buggy or dray had reached their bush home, they had memorised ( ... at least fairly well ...) the best of the tunes - and these might stay in the family ... devoid of name or provenance ... right up until systematic recording began in the 1950s!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
further comments from Bob -
He picked up that reference as part of a lot of cross-posting centring around Peter Ellis , Keith McKenry,, Rob Willis ... and a few other folk historians who have become involved in a bit of niggling about the Bush Music Club "inventing" terms/events/practices under the name "Bush Music" / "Bush Dance" / "Bush dancing" / "Bush song" ... and that this wasn't reflected in "real Australian history' (... as some of them perceived it ...) My forward of a 1907 Reverend gentleman's newspaper account of "bush dancing" at a "bush dance" (noticed in the Dan Worrall CD ROM on world-wide late 19th / early 20th century traditions of (~) "House Dances" seems to have shaken some of them out of their dusty volumes of un-involved and dis-interested academics ... with their own barrows to push - and now we are finding lots of support for our preferred terminology ... via unbiased scans coming out of recent increases in access to 19th century publications - especially magazines and newspapers - with actual scanned texts of the entire publication visible over ... and linked to ... the downloadable text ( ... admittedly, as it comes straight out of [~] un-corrected OCR!)
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