One hand on the manuscript: Music in Australian cultural history 1930-1960

Abstract

From the almost total lack of reference to music in the published works of mainstream Australian historians, it would seem that they found music to be of little significance in the shaping of Australian society and culture in the twentieth century. These historians directed their attentions principally to politics, economics, and sport. Perhaps they were intimidated by their lack of specialized knowledge of music, and were happy to sequester it and the other arts to the cultural historians, where there could be an extensive focus on these areas. However, for their part, the cultural historians gave reasonable attention to major figures and movements in Australian visual art and drama, but very little to music. To assist in rectifying this sidelining of music in our cultural history, a conference, ‘Music and Musicians in Australian Cultural History, 1930-1960’, was held at the Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, in September 1993. One Hand on the Manuscript comprises nineteen papers given at the conference. The title refers to the situation facing the Australian composer during the years 1930–1960, who, caught in a period of change, repeatedly dealt with institutions and entrepreneurs which might place one hand on the manuscript of their original work while exacting a price—personal and professional— with the other, and in which musicians themselves kept one hand, literally or metaphorically, on that same manuscript, while turning the other hand to whatever was available (p.6).