Sunday, March 15, 2015

MUSIC MAN OF WEST AUSTRALIA

A  bundle  of  sheet  music, nearly 50 pieces ,  from the collection of  a  popular West  Australian radio personality, Hugh P. Hay, active in  the  l930s and  l940s, has  been acquired by this  blog . In  the above covers  the  one  bottom left  displays his name  in handwriting  and also  embossed form ,   the  latter with  a  Leederville, Perth , address .  There is also the trade seal of  Musgrove's, music  store , Perth , founded 1922, still operating today .

Australian  actor  Errol Flynn is shown with Olivia De Havilland  in a  Warner Brothers  movie. The  photograph on the bottom right   cover,  captioned " Sunbeams" Panto Kiddies , was almost   certainly  from  the December 23 ,1924  Sunbeams Pantomime staged  at  Sydney's Haymarket Theatre ,broadcast over 2FC, the words and  music  for Hitch Your Waggon  to a Sunbeam  by  Henry Hayes  and  Billy Edwards,  who the year earlier  had composed The  Ginger Meggs - Australia's famous cartoon character- tune, The Sunbeams Song for the Forty Thieves Pantomime .

 
Hay may have  worked in  radio in NSW  as  several pieces  bear  the trade stamps  of   Sydney music stores , one F.E.Field  in the Strand Arcade . Each  piece of music has a sticker on  the cover  which  appears  to  have been part of an   alphabetical catalogue , the  letter indicating  the  first letter of  the song or music  title , the  year of  copyright  underneath . Most are professional  copies , not  for  sale. One piece is printed by the renowned  Coles  Book  Arcade, Melbourne .

These  other covers  include a photograph of King George Vl singing  the  l938  Neath the Spreading Chestnut Tree  at a boys camp,  with instructions  on  how to  dance  the   song  with  stick figures . The Tommy Trinder  sheet music  is stamped  in  various places : The  People's Printing  &  Publishing Company  of  Western Australia . RADIO 6KY STATION COPY. Manager .

The   find  was    discussed  with   avid  researchers  Zanita  and Gary Davies, of Magnetic Island , who  are  working  on a  major exhibit   to  mark the Anzac  centenary  in   the Magnetic Island   History and Craft Centre . This blog has contributed  a piece of trench art  found in Adelaide  and  ephemera , including a piece of sheet music  from the  Hay collection to  the exhibition .   Sharp-eyed  Zanita  it was who spotted the  hard to see  embossed  Hugh P. Hay name and  Leederville, WA  address , unnoticed by  this  feeble eyed person . She  quickly  Googled  Hay and   came up with  two interesting  news items . The  first, dated August 30,l939,  in the West Australian newspaper, said  Hugh Hay of  stations 6AM and 6PM  would conduct a community concert at  Guildford Town Hall  under the auspices of Toc H  to  raise funds  for  a  fortnight's camp  for orphan boys and  lads from poor families.A well known  radio comedian   and saxophonist ,Dave Howard, would be among the artists .

In the same paper, August 28,1942, it announced  Hugh Hay of   6KY , assisted by well known Perth radio artists , would  conduct  a community concert  in the Mount  Lawley  parish hall  in aid  of the  2/32nd Battalion AIF Welfare Association .