Percy Kahn and Lilian Hoare - A Concert for the ANZACs

 

 

 SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

I continue to trawl though the collection of Victorian and Edwardian postcards that I was given recently by my parents-in-law. I’ll have to draw a halt somewhere as there are quite a few that pique my curiosity and set me researching the Internet to learn more – a dangerously boundless exercise.

But before I do, I thought that I should report on a post card that appears to have been sent home by Bill Kloogh to his sister Ivy in Lowburn, Central Otago, from a hospital in Torquay, England, while Bill was convalescing from war wounds acquired during WWI. As you can see it relates to a concert duo between Lilian Hoare and Percy Kahn – and it is likely that copies were distributed to the audience of wounded soldiers when the pair made a visit to raise morale.

It seems that Percival (Percy) Benedict Kahn (9 December 1880 - 1966) was a famous English composer and pianist. Most notably, he wrote the composition of the song Ave Maria that has become a much-loved favourite. No doubt Lilian and Percy performed a version during their concert [Xmas 1917?].

Kahn had accompanied some of the great musicians of the day, collaborating with such eminent musicians as violinist Mischa Elman, and tenors Enrico Caruso and Richard Tauber. His Ave Maria was recorded in 1913 by Enrico Caruso and Mischa Elman, with the composer at the piano:

In an interview with reporters from the Melbourne Age in July 1938, Percy goes some way to explaining why he made that special train trip down with Lilian to Torquay to play for the invalided ANZACs:

‘Australians? Yes, I have played with many notable Australians: Evelyn Scotney, Stella Power, Florence Austral, Wilma Berkeley, Harold Williams, Frances Alda, Peter Dawson, Lauri Kennedy - and Melba. And I have recently made a record with John Brownlee -'King Charles.'

"In fact, apart from that I have very close ties with Australia. My first cousin, Esther Kahn, my father's brother's daughter, is a Sydney girl. She is a composer and pianist. And my mother's brother married the sister of Sir Lewis Cohen, who was a number of times Lord Mayor of Adelaide; so that I have many blood relations here. And I might have become an Australian by adoption. I was born in London, and won a scholarship at the Royal College of Music when I was 15 years of age, and studied for four years under Sir Walter Parratt, and studied the 'cello with W. H. Squire. There was a chance that I might have come out as organist at Sydney Cathedral . . . but the fates decreed otherwise.

…

‘I am happy, too, to see Australia again. I like Australia. I like Australians. They are among my friends in London. David Low is my near neighbour in Golders Green. But one sad moment I have had since I arrived here, and that was when at George Armstrong's invitation I went out to Coombe Cottage.

‘Everything is the same, except that the garden has grown ... and Melba is not there.’