MS 5414, MS Acc08.082
National Library of Australia
View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
-
Edith Harrhy
Edith Harrhy
- Title
-
Papers of Edith Harrhy
- Date Range
-
1902 - 1992
- Collection Number
-
MS 5414, MS Acc08.082
- Extent
-
3.45 metres (14 MS Boxes + 3 Small Folio Boxes + 1 Medium Folio Box)
- Language of Materials
-
English
- Repository
-
Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection includes photographs, an autograph book, student reports from Guildhall, and two scrapbooks containing cuttings, programs, music scores and some letters, including one from Peter Dawson. The second consignment is mainly music scores, including the operas Alaya, The jolly friar, the plays David and Myfanwy, Perhaps one day, and published works such as Some Australian songs for children and Four songs of Australia. There is also some correspondence with William F. Morriss, six discs and a manuscript titled 'Edith Harrhy musician extraordinaire: a personal memoir' by her daughter, Honor Marianne Coutts. The collection includes about 154 letters to Harrhy from Con Daly.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn692356).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Edith Harrhy, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.
Provenance
The papers were donated to the National Library by Harrhy's daughter Mrs Honor Coutts in several instalments between 1971 and 1995. Papers were purchased by the Library from Mrs Coutts in 1997. Further papers were added in 2008. This collection also incorporates papers which were previously held at MS 2949.
Biographical Note
Edith Harrhy, singer, pianist, and composer of songs and light opera, was born in London in December 1893. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London from 1909 to 1913. She married an Australian, W.C. Daly, in 1919, and later that year they settled in Melbourne. Harrhy gave recitals and broadcasts throughout Australia and in New Guinea. From 1935 to 1952 she was associated with the National Theatre Movement in Melbourne and was also musical director of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Lyric Light Opera Society, and other bodies. Her works include two light operas, 'Alaya' and 'The jolly Friar', and about 1000 songs, 200 of which were published. Harrhy died in Brisbane in 1969.
Item Descriptions
Class MS 5414. Original consignment
Students' reports from Guildhall School of Music, 1912-15; Address given by Nellie Melba 1911 (File 1) - Box 1 (MS 5414)
Autograph book and photographs (File 2) - Box 1 (MS 5414)
Correspondence with William F. Morriss, 1966-72 (File 3) - Box 1 (MS 5414)
Sepia photograph of Edith Harrhy (folio item) (Item 1) - Folio 1 (MS 5414)
Two scrapbooks containing programs, music scores and newspaper cuttings (folio item) (Item 2-3) - Folio 2-3 (MS 5414)
Class MS 5414. Consignment received February 1977
Alaya, music score (File 4-11) - Box 1 (MS 5414)
The jolly friar, music score (File 12-14) - Box 2 (MS 5414)
David and Myfanwy, music score (File 15-17) - Box 3 (MS 5414)
Baby asleep, music score (File 18) - Box 3 (MS 5414)
Lilly, music score (File 19) - Box 3 (MS 5414)
Mystery in the black forest, music score (File 20) - Box 3 (MS 5414)
Ballet suite for light orchestra, music score (File 21) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
The taming of the shrew, music score (File 22) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Some Australian songs for children (File 23) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Four songs of Australia (File 23) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Two songs of the sea (File 23) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Dusk (File 23) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Goblin Blues and others. (File 23) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Trumpet Overture (File 24) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Bass Overture (Bob Gibson and his band) (File 25) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Christmas carols (File 26) - Box 4 (MS 5414)
Miscellaneous music scores (File 27-32) - Box 5 (MS 5414)
The dreamland tree, printed score (File 33) - Box 5 (MS 5414)
Miscellaneous printed scores (File 35) - Box 5 (MS 5414)
'Perhaps one day' lyrics only (File 36) - Box 6 (MS 5414)
Musical play (no title) lyrics only (File 37) - Box 6 (MS 5414)
The jolly friar, score (folio item) (Item 4) - Folio 4-7 (MS 5414)
Lucky Lady, score (folio item) (Item 5-6) - Folio 4-7 (MS 5414)
Miscellaneous scores (folio item) (Item 7) - Folio 4-7 (MS 5414)
The sailor's wife, printed score (folio item) (Item 8) - Folio 4-7 (MS 5414)
Class MS 5414. Consignment received April 1993
Photocopies of letters (1902-92), scores and newspaper clippings. (File 38) - Box 6 (MS 5414)
The correspondents are Peter Dawson and Joseph D. O'Connor and there are copies of letters between Honor Coutts and Brian Wilkins.
Class MS 5414. Consignment received October 1995
154 letters to her husband Con Daly, 1918-19 (File 39-41) - Box 6 (MS 5414)
Class MS 5414. Consignment received August 1997
The papers in this addition include papers of Mrs Honor Coutts, written or assembled when she was writing a biography of her mother.
The papers include correspondence, personal documents, manuscripts, programs, cuttings, photographs, research notes, the unpublished biography of Harrhy, and manuscript music. Correspondents include Wilfrid Thomas, Peter Dawson, Marjorie Lawrence, Sir Charles Moses, Dame Sybil Thorndike, Conan Doyle, Joyce Grenfell and Felix Werder.
The Guildhall School of Music papers include letters to Harrhy (1909), achievement certificates (1910-14), letters to Harrhy and Con Daly (1918-19), typescripts by Harrhy on music in Australia, and issues of Guildhall Music Student with articles by Harrhy.
The programs, mainly of performances by Harrhy as a pianist and singer, also include some which feature her own compositions. The later programs are of musical comedies and other productions which Harrhy directed.
The large quantity of manuscript sheet music, mostly songs, includes files of music composed by Harrhy to words by Helen Dames, Sir William Watson, Alexander Steven, Charles Souter and Will Foster.
Family letters, including pre-marriage letters from Con Daly, 1915-68 (File 42) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Letters from Wilfrid Thomas, 1932-92 (File 43) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Letters from Maureen Watson, wife of composer Sir William Watson, 1933 (File 43) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Letters from Jess Appleby, 1934-35, and letters from Vicky Appleby to Coutts, 1993 (File 43) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
General correspondence, 1918-95 (File 44) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Correspondence re biography of Harrhy, 1980-92 (File 45) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Personal papers, 1914-87. Includes an address book begun in 1914 (File 46) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Lists of published and unpublished works by Harrhy, 1921-66 (File 46) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
'Lily', a musical play in two acts (typescript) (File 47) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
'No-man's island', a musical play in two acts, music by Edith Harrhy (File 48) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
'Old Moore's Almanac'; 'Christmas Eve'; 'A bushland fantasy' (typescripts) (File 48) - Box 7 (MS 5414)
Manuscript and typescript poetry and prose (File 49) - Box 8 (MS 5414)
Contracts and a power of attorney, 1925-58 (File 50) - Box 8 (MS 5414)
Papers relating to the Guildhall School of Music, 1909-31 (File 51) - Box 8 (MS 5414)
Newspaper cuttings and photocopies or typescripts of newspaper articles, 1919-1992 (File 52-54) - Box 8 (MS 5414)
Programs, 1910-67 (File 55) - Box 8 (MS 5414)
Research material of Honor Coutts, including notes on Harrhy family and typescript copies of newspaper articles used in the biography (File 56-57) - Box 9 (MS 5414)
Manuscript of 'Edith Harrhy - musician extraordinaire: a personal memoir by her daughter, Honor' (File 58) - Box 9 (MS 5414)
Edith Harrhy - Musician Extraordinaire by her daughter Honor Coutts (Item NLA.MS-DM000007) - Digital-Carriers-Box 1
1 item, Verbatim Valulife Double Density, 3.5 inch floppy disk
Photographs, mainly family, most in poor condition (File 59) - Box 9 (MS 5414)
Manuscript music scores (File [unnumbered]) - Box 10 (MS 5414)
Class MS Acc08.082. Consignment received May 2008
This consignment includes letters, family photographs (originals and copies), manuscript and published music scores of Harrhy's songs and other compositions, genealogical materials such as family trees, recital programs and clippings relating to performances of Harrhy's works, pay slips from ABC, typescript of 'A character reverence' (biography of Harrhy by Honor Coutts).
Set of excerpts of Edith's letters to Con, September 1918 (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Packet of letters from Desmond O'Brien (friend) (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Packet of recital programmes and photocopies of photos (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Packets (12) of photos (some photocopies) (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Press clippings (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Original family photos (annotated) and press clippings (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Packets (2) of personal papers of Honor Coutts (daughter) (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Papers on Daly family history (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Legal documents of Daly (including sketch of family tree), Beckx and Harrhy tree (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Personal papers - Pat Jones Daly (File) - Box 1 (MS Acc08.082)
Spiral bound printed copy of "A character reverence" - book about Edith Harrhy (File) - Box 2 (MS Acc08.082)
Different version of "A character reverence" (File) - Box 2 (MS Acc08.082)
Large folder of family history of Daly (File) - Box 2 (MS Acc08.082)
Ephemera (recital programs and press clippings) (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Published music (sheet) by Edith Harrhy and others (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Bound sheet music album (piano) (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Payslips from ABC (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Lists of Harrhy's works (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Press clippings (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Papers of Honor Coutts (daughter of Edith Harrhy) (File) - Box 3 (MS Acc08.082)
Unpublished music and handwritten scores (in composer's hand?) (File) - Box 4 (MS Acc08.082)