Melba's gift book of Australian art and literature. (Melbourne: George Robertson Co), [1915]

Component identifier:

Item 107

Content Summary:

Light green silken cloth. Sml. 4to.

Inserted is Dennis's typescript for his contribution, 'The year around in timber land', with his stamp thereon, dated July 15, and that it is for this publication. He has made several corrections in pencil.

Inserted also is paragraph about Melba by Norman Lindsay to appear in the Bulletin, with added note in autograph addressed to the Editor, David Adams.

Included also are two programmes for concerts to be given in Melbourne by Melba (November 1918). She was to sing operatic arias by Mozart, Donizetti, and Thomas, also songs by Henri Duparc, Claude Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Ernest Chausson and H. Bemberg. So much for the famous canard, 'Sing 'em muck'. One of the programmes is for a concert to aid the funds of the Lady Northcote Permanent Orchestra, Melbourne. To assist this orchestra she presented the Trust with a complete set of brass instruments.

This book was issued to assist the Belgian Relief Fund. Dennis's story although printed as prose reads well as poetry, much of the text being composed in iambic pentameters. The last few lines look well too, when put into verse-lengths.

Hal Gye is also represented in this book by his painting at page 52, 'Evening in the dead timber, South Sassafras', about which he writes that the rough sketch was made some evening at dusk when he was sitting on the top of Dennis's bus, at Toolangi.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The collection was purchased from Harry Chaplin in 1981.

Names:

Chaplin, Harry F.

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