Reginald Stoneham

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.

Biography

He was born in Carlton, Victoria in 1879 to musician William (ca.1833 – 25 March 1913) and Ellen Stoneham (ca.1846 – 10 February 1889) of 210 Madeline Street Carlton. Ellen was William's second wife.

In 1899 he married Adelaide Minnie "Addie" Lyons (d. 1959), daughter of Augusta Rachel (ca 1853 – 2 March 1934) and Jonah Aaron "Joe" Lyons (d.27 July 1916) of Unley, South Australia.

They had a daughter Val Augusta Elsa Stoneham on 10 April 1902.[1]

In 1900 he was on the force of the South Australian Contingent (to South Africa) as a trumpeter. His trade was listed as "wood turner".[2] He was buried with the ritual of the Returned Services League [3]

He wrote patriotic songs during World War 1, notably the popular "Heroes of the Dardanelles".[4]

He lived at St Kilda, Victoria from 1918, initially in Princess Street, perhaps later at 29 Orange Grove, East St Kilda as per a copyright notice in 1930, and at the time of his death at 3 Robe Street, St Kilda.[5]

Ill and unemployed, with an invalid wife and daughter to support, he petitioned for bankruptcy in 1936.[6]

F.F.F.

F.F.F., styled as a "mystery musical comedy", underwritten by Hugh D. McIntosh and devised by promoter-businessman C. J. De Garis who also wrote the lyrics to music by Stoneham. Its 1920 production starred Maggie Moore, Rex London, Minnie Love, Billy Rego, Hugh Steyne, Marie Le Varre and Charles H. Workman. The "mystery" centred on the meaning of the enigmatic title, for which solutions were solicited and a prize offered. The show opened 28 August 1920 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.[7] It was never revived.
Among the sixteen songs were:

  • The Murray Moon
  • The Courtship
  • The Aussie Glide
  • Wait For Me
  • A Garden of Girls
  • O-O-Omeo
  • We Feel Fine
  • Coo-ee

Other compositions

  • All for Australia Barbershop 78rpm Title 578275 at National Film & Sound Archive, Australia
  • Albury for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • The Attack (on Zeebrugge)
  • Back Home
  • Back to Warrnambool film sound archive recording
  • The Bells of Peace
  • Bendigo for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • Come to Mildura – the Land of Winter Sunshine[8]
  • Coral Isles ca.1923
  • Distant Memories Waltz 1914
  • The Drover 1912 (Recorded on 10" 78rpm; sung by Peter Dawson
  • (Those) Foolish Wives 1922
  • Football Song and Chorus Commissioned by West Adelaide Football Club 1911[9]
  • For God and St George, 1914 used as a recruiting song during World War I[10]
  • Frivolina ca. 1916
  • Garden of Rosy Dreams featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Bubbly"
  • Golden Dreams 1924
  • Heroes of the Dardanelles 1915 recording by Peter Dawson and John Ralston
  • Home Fireside
  • Home to Ballaarat 1927 78rpm recording by 2FC Dance Orchestra (words by W(illiam) A(ustin) Bevan) for Ballarat celebrations of 1927
  • Jazzin' the Blues
  • King of the Air 1913 as recorded by Malcolm McEachern
  • Lolita 1928 recorded by Jack Lumsdaine
  • Love featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Bubbly"
  • Maryborough for The Weekly Times newspaper 1932
  • Mellow Mersey Moon for "Come to Tasmania" carnival 1927.[11]
  • Memories of a Lovely Lei (with Barronne Kuva)
  • Mildura (Home of Mine)
  • The Murray Moon c.1922 with C.J. De Garis
  • Peace and Glory
  • Pride of the Nation: The National March of Australia
  • Princess Betty's Lullaby 1927 for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II
  • (My) Ragtime Drummer Boy
  • The Road To Anywhere "Between 1920 and 1932"
  • Sleepy Seas 78rpm recording by Johnny Wade & Hawaiians 1920
  • Sun-Raysed Waltz for Australian Dried Fruits Association of Mildura, Victoria.
  • The Tango Rag 1914
  • Tantalising Eyes featured in Hugh D. McIntosh's revue "Lads of the Village"
  • The Tintex Girl 1924
  • That Was a Perfect Night
  • The Wabash Moon ca.1922
  • Waikiki Moon Sheet Music Recording
  • The Warrnambool Waltz Song
  • When the Wattles Bloom Again (with Dan Leahy)
as "Alberto Agrati"
  • The Hesitation Valse-tango 1914
  • I've Got a Motorbike (waiting for you)
  • Viceroy Tea Waltz [12]

Further reading

  • 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

  1. ↑ Family Notices The Advertiser (Adelaide) 14 April 1902 p.4 accessed 2 July 2011
  2. ↑ South Australian Imperial Contingent South Australian Register 25 April 1900 p.8 accessed 31 July 2011
  3. ↑ "FUNERAL OF MR. R. STONEHAN". 13 March 1942. p. 3 – via Trove.
  4. ↑ "MUSIC COMPOSER'S DEATH". The Sydney Morning Herald (32, 518). New South Wales, Australia. 18 March 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 7 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ Stoneham v. Stoneham The Argus (Melbourne) 11 May 1904 p.5 accessed 2 July 2011
  6. ↑ Misfortunes of Musician Angus (Melbourne) 15 July 1936 p.10 accessed 31 July 2011
  7. ↑ Music and Drama Argus (Melbourne) 11 October 1920 p.8 accessed 27 July 2011
  8. ↑ 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
  9. ↑ "Request Rejected". www.samemory.sa.gov.au.
  10. ↑ The Appeal for Men Sydney Morning Herald 3 November 1915 p.12 accessed 2 July 2011
  11. ↑ Hobart Travel League Mercury (Hobart) 22 October 1930 p.3 accessed 2 July 2011
  12. ↑ "Request Rejected". music.slsa.sa.gov.au.
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