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Reginald Stoneham

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Stoneham in 1919

Reginald Alberto Agrati Stoneham (1879 – 11 March 1942) was an Australian composer and publisher of mostly topical songs, and a musical comedy F.F.F. He was perhaps Australia's leading exponent of jazz and ragtime piano styles in the first decades of the 20th century as both composer and performer. He was also a popular accompanist and recording artist.

What'll we do, when the wattle blooms again? 1929 by Reginald Stoneham
"Deva Jazz: Jazz as you like it" circa 1920 by Reginald A A Stoneham

Biography

[edit]

He was born in Carlton, Victoria in 1879, the fifth son of musician William (c. 1833 – 25 March 1913) and Ellen Stoneham (c. 1846 – 10 February 1889) of 210 Madeline Street Carlton.[1] His siblings include Harry Stoneham (cornet) and Herbert Stoneham (flute) of Melbourne, also Fred and Will Stoneham, music-hall artists in London, and Elsa Stoneham, a popular contralto.[2]

In 1900 he served in the South Australian Mounted Rifles as a private trumpeter. His trade was listed as "wood turner".[3][4] He was wounded in action at Slobet's Nek.[5]

In 1901 he married Adelaide Minnie "Addie" Lyons (1880–1959).[6] On 10 April 1902 they had a daughter Val Augusta Elsa Stoneham,[7] who married Edward Benjamin on 29 August 1923.[8] She opened a florist's shop on Carlisle Street, Balaclava in 1928.[9] They divorced in 1931[10] and she continued to operate as a florist.[11]

Stoneham is most remembered for the song "Sleepy Seas"[12] and patriotic songs during World War 1, notably the popular "Heroes of the Dardanelles".[12][13]

He lived at St Kilda, Victoria from 1918.[14] In 1920 he composed the musical comedy, F.F.F., styled as a "mystery musical comedy", with a book and lyrics by C. J. De Garis, was underwritten by Hugh D. McIntosh. It starred Maggie Moore and Charles H. Workman, among others. The "mystery" centred on the meaning of the enigmatic title, for which solutions were solicited and a prize offered. The show played at Adelaide's Prince of Wales Theatre for a successful season, followed by a week in Perth and a fortnight in Melbourne, where the "Argus" critic praised the songs but lambasted the play.[15] It has not been revived.

In November 1929 the baritone Robert Nicholson recorded "Ballarat the Fair" and "Back to Warrnambool", accompanied by Stoneham. In March 1930 he recorded "Mildura (Home of Mine)".[16]

In 1932 he conducted a radio orchestra in Adelaide.[17]

Ill and unemployed, with an invalid wife and daughter to support, he petitioned for bankruptcy in 1936.[18]

His remains were ashed at the Springvale Crematorium according to the rituals of the Returned Services League and the Church of England.[19]

Other compositions

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  • "All for Australia"
  • "Albury" for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • "The Attack (on Zeebrugge)"[20]
  • "Back Home"[21]
  • "Back to Warrnambool"[22]
  • "The Bells of Peace"[23]
  • "Bendigo" for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • "Come to Mildura – the Land of Winter Sunshine"[24]
  • "Coral Isles" c. 1923[25]
  • "Distant Memories Waltz" 1914[26]
  • "The Drover" 1912[27]
  • "(Those) Foolish Wives" 1922[28]
  • "Football Song and Chorus" commissioned by West Adelaide Football Club 1911
  • "For God and St George", 1914[29] used as a recruiting song during World War I[30]
  • "Frivolina" c. 1916[31]
  • "Garden of Rosy Dreams"[32] featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Bubbly"
  • "Golden Dreams" 1924[33]
  • "Heroes of the Dardanelles" 1915[34] recording by Peter Dawson and John Ralston
  • "Home Fireside"[35]
  • "Home to Ballaarat"[36]
  • "Jazzin' the Blues"[37]
  • "King of the Air" 1913[38][39][40] as recorded by Malcolm McEachern
  • "Lolita" 1928[41] recorded by Jack Lumsdaine
  • "Love"[42] featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Bubbly"
  • "Maryborough" for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • "Mellow Mersey Moon" for "Come to Tasmania" carnival 1927[43]
  • "Memories of a Lovely Lei" (with Barronne Kuva)[44]
  • "Mildura (Home of Mine)"
  • "The Murray Moon" c. 1922 with C. J. De Garis[45]
  • "Peace and Glory"[46]
  • "Pride of the Nation: The National March of Australia"[47]
  • "Princess Betty's Lullaby" 1927[48] for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II
  • "(My) Ragtime Drummer Boy"[49]
  • "A Road To Anywhere" 1920~1932[50]
  • "Sleepy Seas"[51]
  • "Sun-Raysed Waltz"[52] for Australian Dried Fruits Association of Mildura, Victoria.
  • "The Tango Rag" 1914[53]
  • "Tantalising Eyes"[54] featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Lads of the Village"
  • "The Tintex Girl" 1924[55]
  • "That Was a Perfect Night"[56]
  • "The Wabash Moon" c. 1922[57]
  • "Waikiki Moon"[58]
  • "The Warrnambool Waltz Song"[59]
  • "When the Wattles Bloom Again" (with Dan Leahy)[60]
  • "What'll we do when the wattle blooms again?"[61]
  • "Commerce and Heart" a radio play[62]
as "Alberto Agrati"
  • "The Hesitation Valse-tango" 1914[63]
  • "I've Got a Motorbike (waiting for you)"[64]
  • "Viceroy Tea Waltz"[65]

Recordings

[edit]
  • 1945 Sleepy Seas by Johnnie Wade and His Hawaiians
  • 1989 Murray Moon by Slim Dusty with Anne Kirkpatrick

Critical reception

[edit]

Reginald Stoneham is mentioned in Australian newspapers as a well known and respected music creator.[66][12]

His work 'For God and St George' featured in a charity concert to support Belgians at the outbreak of the Great War.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Van Straten, Frank Play it Again Reg in Theatre Heritage Australia: on stage part 1. in Vol.11 no.3 WINTER 2010 p. 10; part 2 in Vol.11 no.4 SPRING 2010 p. 42
  • Van Straten, Frank. The Riddle of 'FFF', A Forgotten Australian Musical Comedy Australasian Music Research, No. 6, 2002: 105–119. Availability: http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=755888837969038;res=IELHSS ISSN 1325-5266
  • Hill, Jennifer, "Stoneham, Reg(inald) A. A.)", in Oxford Companion to Australian Music (ed. Warren Bebbington) (Melbourne: OUP, 1997), p. 532

References

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  1. ^ "Musical and Dramatic Notes". The West Australian. Vol. XXIX, no. 3, 431. Western Australia. 12 April 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Men and Women". The Sun (Sydney). No. 859. New South Wales, Australia. 28 March 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ South Australian Imperial Contingent South Australian Register 25 April 1900 p.8 accessed 31 July 2011
  4. ^ "R a A Stoneham".
  5. ^ "At the Front". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 6413. Victoria, Australia. 8 February 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Family Notices". The Advertiser. Vol. XLIII, no. 13, 306. South Australia. 11 June 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 8 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ Family Notices The Advertiser (Adelaide) 14 April 1902 p.4 accessed 2 July 2011
  8. ^ "Victorian Vignettes". The Hebrew Standard of Australasia. Vol. 28, no. 10. New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1923. p. 17. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Personal". The Australian Jewish Herald. Victoria, Australia. 1 March 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Divorce Court". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26, 362. Victoria, Australia. 10 February 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Advertising". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 21, no. 1, 089. South Australia. 8 April 1933. p. 5 ("Candida's" Woman's Section). Retrieved 8 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ a b c "Music Composer's Death". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 32, 518. New South Wales, Australia. 18 March 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Soldiers' Songs". The Sun. No. 665. New South Wales, Australia. 26 December 1915. p. 11. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ Stoneham v. Stoneham The Argus (Melbourne) 11 May 1904 p.5 accessed 2 July 2011
  15. ^ "Music and Drama: King's F.F.F.", Argus, 11 October 1920, p. 8, accessed 8 December 2019
  16. ^ "Back to Warrnambool - Robert Nicholson". NFSA. Retrieved 18 August 2022. The year 1924 also mentioned in this article, perhaps in error.
  17. ^ "Social". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 29 September 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ Misfortunes of Musician Angus (Melbourne) 15 July 1936 p.10 accessed 31 July 2011
  19. ^ "Funeral of Mr R. Stoneham". Argus. 13 March 1942. p. 3 – via Trove.
  20. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1914), The attack (on Zeebrugge) [music] / Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Loebel
  21. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1918), Back home [music] / words and music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, J. Albert & Son
  22. ^ Stoneham, R. (1934). Souvenir back to Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia : Official program [music] : Song "Back to Warrnambool" / written and composed by Reg. A. A. Stoneham. Warrnambool, Vic.: Warrnambool Progress Association.
  23. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The bells of peace [music] : song / words and music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Allan & Co
  24. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., 1879–1942; Come to Mildura Committee; Archive CD Books Australia (2005), Come to Mildura the land of winter sunshine: souvenir & song, Archive CD Books Australia, ISBN 978-1-921081-71-2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Coral isles [music] : waltz romance of the south seas / written & composed by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Reginald Stoneham Music
  26. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1914), Distant memories waltz [music] / composed by R. A. A. Stoneham (in no linguistic content), Chapman's
  27. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The drover [music] : song / words and music by Reginald Stoneham, W. J. Deane & Son
  28. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1922), Those foolish wives [music] : song fox trot / by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, The Reginald Stoneham Music Publishing Co
  29. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., For God and St. George [music] : song / words and music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, W. H. Paling & Co
  30. ^ "The Appeal for Men Church Day". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 24, 281. New South Wales, Australia. 3 November 1915. p. 12. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Frivolina [music] : valse / by Reginald Stoneham, Allan & Co
  32. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Garden of rosy dreams [music] : song / words & music by Reg A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  33. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Golden dreams [music] / words & music by Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Allan & Co
  34. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1916), Heroes of the Dardanelles [music] / composed by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Allan & Co
  35. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Home fireside [music] : song / written & composed [by] Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  36. ^ Home to Ballaarat, Official programme and souvenir song book for the Home to Ballarat (Back to Ballarat) celebrations, held Jan 28 - Feb 4, 1927, 1927, retrieved 14 February 2019
  37. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Jazzin' the blues [music] : jazz fox trot / Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  38. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1913), King of the air [music] : bass or baritone song / words & music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, W. H. Paling & Co
  39. ^ "St Cuthbert's Tennis Club Concert". The St George Call. Vol. X, no. 34. New South Wales, Australia. 23 August 1913. p. 7. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  40. ^ "The Concert at Night". Northern Star. Vol. 40. New South Wales, Australia. 2 August 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  41. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Lolita [music] : Mexican waltz song / words and music by Reginald Stoneham, Allan & Co
  42. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Love [music] / written and composed by Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  43. ^ "Hobart Travel League". The Mercury. Vol. CXXXIII, no. 19, 722. Tasmania, Australia. 22 October 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  44. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A.; Humphries, Don; Adams, Les; Bowden, Charles, Memories of a lovely lei [music] / Reg. Stoneham, Reginald Stoneham Publishing House
  45. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A.; De Garis, C. J. (Clement John), -1926 (1922), The Murray moon [music] : song fox-trot / written and composed by R. A. A. Stoneham and C. J. De Garis, Chappell & Co. Ltd{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Peace & glory [music] / written and composed by Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  47. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1914), Pride of the nation [music] : the national march of Australia for piano / Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Deluy
  48. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Princess Betty's lullaby [music] / words and music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Allan & Co
  49. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1914), Ragtime drummer boy [music] / words and music by Reg. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  50. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1920), Sleepy seas [music] : waltz song / by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, unknown
  51. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1920), Sleepy seas [music] : waltz song / by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co.; Melola Salon
  52. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1919), The sun-raysed waltz [music] / composed by Reg A. A. Stoneham, C. J. De Garis
  53. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The tango rag [music] / composed by R. A. A. Stoneham (in no linguistic content), Chapman's
  54. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Tantalizing eyes [music] / written and composed by Reg. A. A. Stoneham, Loebel & Co
  55. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The Tintex girl [music] : one step song / words & music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Tintex
  56. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A. (1915), That was a perfect night [music] : song / words and music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, M. Witmark & Sons; Allan & Co
  57. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The Wabash moon [music] : song waltz / words & music by Reginal A. A. Stoneham, Reginald Stoneham Music Publishing Co
  58. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., Waikiki moon [music] : vocal waltz / words & music by Reginald A. A. Stoneham, Reginald A. A. Stoneham
  59. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A.; Weekly times (Melbourne, Vic.) (1932), The Warrnambool waltz song [music] / composed by Reginald Stoneham, The Weekly Times
  60. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A.; Leahy, Dan (1920), When the wattles bloom again [music] : song foxtrot / words by Dan Leahy; music by Reginald Stoneham, Reginald Stoneham
  61. ^ "Advertising". The Herald. No. 16, 117. Victoria, Australia. 12 January 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 30 April 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  62. ^ "On The Air From 2NR". Northern Star. Vol. 61. New South Wales, Australia. 24 August 1936. p. 11. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  63. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., The hesitation valse-tango [music] / by Alberto Agrati, Chapman's Music & Musical Instrument Stores
  64. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A., I've got a motor-bike (waiting for you) [music] / words and music composed by Alberto Agrati, Loebel & Co
  65. ^ Stoneham, Reginald A. A.; Wilkinson & Co, The Viceroy tea waltz [music] / composed by Alberto Agrati, Wilkinson & Co
  66. ^ "Tasmanian Popular Song". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 11 October 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
[edit]
  1. ^ "National Film & Sound Archive of Australia [Australia's Living Archive]". 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Australian Variety Theatre Archive".
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