Edward Harold Davies, generally referred to as E. Harold Davies) (18 July 1867 — 1 July 1947) was professor of music at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, Principal of the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder (1818–1897). Dating in its earliest form from 1883 ...

, and brother of Sir

Walford Davies Sir Henry Walford Davies (6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was an English composer, organist, and educator who held the title Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War, du ...

. Harold was the third of four sons of John Whitridge Davies of

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...

on the English-Welsh border. He emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in 1886, returned to England in 1890 where he was appointed organist at the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

, then returned to Australia where he founded the South Australia Orchestra (later to become the

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian orchestra based in Adelaide, established in 1936. The orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Hall, but the ASO also performs in other venues. It provides the orchest ...

) and played a leading role in the teaching and examination of music. He enrolled in the Bachelor of Music degree at Adelaide University in 1883 after graduating and requested that the university prepare regulations for the degree of Doctor in Music. In 1902 was the first to obtain this degree from an Australian university. Davies was in his time a choir leader, conductor, critic, promoter, teacher and organist. He was also a radio commentator and a noted recorder of indigenous music. In 1925, before the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

was established, he was on the University Council's broadcasting subcommittee and organized bi-weekly music broadcasts from Elder Hall. Later, Davies became a regular on the ABC, discussing music and other topics like philosophy and ethics. Between 1927 and 1930, he joined the University

Anthropological Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behaviour, wh ...

Society, journeying to

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

and

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

for Aboriginal studies. His role was to document Aboriginal songs. His published notebooks showcased him as a trailblazer in Australian

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

, earning him membership in the

Royal Society of South Australia The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a learned society whose interest is in science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in re ...

. In 1930 He co-founded the formation of the Music Teachers Association of South Australia. In 1933, Davies edited "The Children's Bach", a collection of 20 simple

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

pieces for piano, selected mostly from the Clavier-Book for Anna Magdalena. Beloved by both music students and teachers, the collection is still in print. Davies was Elder Professor of Music and Director of the

from 1919 until his death in 1947.

References

External links

Online Guide to Records at the South Australian Museum Archives

Sources

* Colles, H. C. ''Walford Davies'', 1942

at Australian Dictionary of Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Edward Harold English organists British male organists 1867 births 1947 deaths