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Regatta Waltzes - Advance Australia

Composer Charles Louis Napoleon d'Albert (1809-1886)

Lithographer John Brandard (1812-1863)

Publisher Woolcott and Clarke

Date1855

Object number00037256

NameSheet music

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 344 × 257 × 3 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection

Collections

Music

Terms

DescriptionThe 'Regatta Waltzes' is an English piece of piano music, published in Sydney to coincide with the Anniversary Regatta in 1855, an annual event that celebrated the colonisation of the land which became Australia in the arrival of the British 'First Fleet' in 1788. The cover lithograph features Australian fauna including the emu and kangaroo beside a scene of sailing ships racing in Sydney Cove. The music would have been played at concerts, recitals and balls during the regatta.HistorySheet music offers an insight into popular culture and social values at the time of their production. The widely distributed pieces were sold fairly cheaply, making them popular purchases with the general public. Music was an integral part of people's social life in the home and at public events such as balls, recitals, concerts and theatre shows. In the mid-19th century many middle class families owned a piano, an important part of their social entertainment and recreation at home. Music sheets featuring waltzes, quadrilles, galops, polkas and mazurkas were everyday favourites. The music covered a range of themes including travel, plays, public events and literature, with the launch of a ship being a common reason for composing a piece. Charles D'Albert was a French composer who migrated to England. He produced at least 300 pieces of work during his career, including 81 quadrilles, 76 waltzes, 64 polkas and 48 galops. His musical scores were made for piano duets, orchestral arrangements and military bands. He is known to have composed a number of pieces around famous ships of his time. The Anniversary Regatta was first held in 1837 after a group of citizens from Sydney decided to celebrate the landing of the First Fleet on 26 January 1788. The regatta consisted of rowing and sailing races and always had a flagship, usually a merchant ship or passenger liner. This social and sporting event was very popular with the public who would take picnic refreshments to the foreshore and attend balls and recitals in the evening.SignificanceThis booklet of sheet music displays the growing pride and identity in the emerging colony of New South Wales. It demonstrates how sheet music was used to market and celebrate public events. Buying and playing the 'Regatta Waltzes' became an act of patriotism, as its banner 'Advance Australia' suggests.