Guide to the Papers of Varney Monk
MS 2294
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Varney Monk
- Title
- Papers of Varney Monk
- Date Range
- 1907-1986
- Collection Number
- MS 2294
- Extent
- 5.52 metres (17 boxes, 1 folio box)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises mainly scores of musical compositions by Monk, the bulk of which relate to her two professionally produced musical comedies of the 1930s, Collits' Inn and The cedar tree. There are also compositions based on poems of Henry Lawson and Henry Kendall and a small amount of correspondence relating to her professional career. Correspondents include Angus and Robertson, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Howard Carr, Fred Kendall (son of Henry Kendall), Katharine Susannah Prichard and Colin Roderick.
The papers of Varney Monk provide a record of the pioneering role she played in promoting the use of Australian themes and settings in the performing arts at a time when overseas shows featuring overseas artists dominated the Australian theatre circuit.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn759625).
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Varney Monk, National Library of Australia, MS 2294, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The bulk of the collection was originally acquired by the National Film and Sound Archive (later ScreenSound Australia) in 1986, from Monk's daughter, Pam Evans. It was transferred from ScreenSound to the National Library in 1998. In 1969, 14cm of material relating to Collits' Inn was donated to the Library by Monk's son, Ian.
Related Materials
The Mitchell Library holds cutting books of Cyril and Varney Monk
Arrangement
The Library has arranged the papers into nine series and within each series, grouped like papers together. The papers relating to Collits' Inn, which were received by the Library in 1969, have been combined with those received from ScreenSound Australia in 1998.
Monk dated very few of the compositions in the collection. At the start of her career and before her marriage, she experimented with variations of her maiden name for use as her professional name. They include Varney Desmond, Isabel Varney and Varney Peterson, which she was using in c1904. Where she has used one of these variations, the name has been noted in brackets after the description of the work, as a means of roughly dating the composition.
Biographical Note
Varney Monk was a composer and pianist. She was born Isabel Varney Desmond Peterson on 18 January 1892 at Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, the daughter of Ernest John Peterson and Miriam Jane (née Roberts). On 22 December 1913, she married the violinist Cyril Monk, with whom she had two children.
Monk composed her first song in her early teens entitled When roses fall, which was published by Palings, and in 1923 she won The Sunday Times song competition with her work 'The old bush track'. She went on to become a prolific composer, with the majority of her compositions being based on Australian themes. She felt very strongly that Australian history provided a rich wealth of material for plays, films and literature and that it was possible to give Australian audiences something which was different, but at the same time essentially their own. The appeal of Monk's work was the fact that it was fresh and original, and not a copy of overseas works.
In collaboration with T. Stuart Gurr, Monk wrote the first professionally produced Australian musical comedy, Collits' Inn. Staged by F.W. Thring and starring Gladys Moncrieff and George Wallace, the musical premiered at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in 1933, where it ran for four months. This was followed by a Sydney season of three months at the Tivoli Theatre. The fact that the setting was not an exotic foreign location, but one based on Australia's colonial past had an enormous impact on Australian audiences of that time, and the production of Collits' Inn was described as the beginning of a new era for Australian stage productions.
Monk's second musical comedy, written in collaboration with Helene and Edmund Barclay and entitled The cedar tree, followed in 1934. It was also staged by F.W. Thring and, although warmly received and enjoying a three month run at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, it did not receive the same critical acclaim that had been afforded Collits' Inn.
During the course of her career, Monk produced over 150 songs. In addition to composing works with her own lyrics, Monk set to music the poems of several Australian poets, including those of Henry Lawson and Henry Kendall. In 1966 she won the Henry Lawson Festival Song Award at Grenfell for her song A world of wattle.
Varney Monk died on 7 February 1967.
References
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Bronwen Arthur, 'The Pub with no Peer, or Collits' Inn: the first Australian musical romance', in One hand on the manuscript: music in Australian cultural history, 1930-1960, ed Nicholas Brown (et al), Canberra, Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, 1995
Item Descriptions
Series 1. Correspondence, 1948-1986
This series comprises a small amount of business correspondence relating to performances of Monk's works, mainly with the ABC. There is also correspondence with the HMS Endeavour Trust, regarding Monk's suggestion that it consider recording her song Australia as a fund raising project and with the Melbourne Bread and Cheese Club Composer's & Songwriter's Group (1948) regarding Monk's entries in its competition.
Series 2. Collits' Inn, 1935-1951
In collaboration with T. Stuart Gurr, Monk wrote the musical comedy, Collits' Inn as an entry in a competition run by Natalie Rosenwax of the Opportune Club. A romantic comedy, it was based on the story of Pierce Collits and his wife Mary, who, it is claimed, travelled with Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth across the Blue Mountains in 1813. The Collits remained at Hartley Vale, where they opened the first inn on the western side of the range.
Collits' Inn was first presented as an amateur production by Natalie Rosenwax in the Mosman Town Hall. The show was offered to J.C. Williamson, who turned it down. It was F.W. Thring (Efftee Productions) who finally undertook to stage the musical professionally, in a bold attempt to provide an Australian alternative to the predominately overseas shows featuring overseas artists, which dominated the Australian theatre circuit at that time. The musical was a huge success, receiving enthusiastic reviews and delighting audiences with its portrayal of colonial Australian life.
With its premiere at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne on 23 December 1933, Collits' Inn became the first professional production of an Australian musical. Produced by Claude Flemming, the cast included Gladys Moncrieff, George Wallace and Robert Chisholm and after completing a four month season in Melbourne, the show moved to the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney for a three month season. The production was also notable for incorporating the first revolving stage ever used in Australia.
This series contains a large collection of papers, which relate mainly to the professional production of Collits' Inn. Included are orchestral parts, voice parts and scripts. In many cases there are several arrangements of the same work, including those by both Howard Carr and Hal Evans, and it is difficult to determine which is Monk's original work. There are also photographs and technical details of stage settings, lists of performers, wardrobe lists and designs for costumes.
A small amount of correspondence is included in this series, the bulk of which comprises letters from Howard Carr. There is also a letter from Monk to Sir Oswald Stoll in London (1935), broaching the possibility of the musical being produced over there.
Included in this series are the words and/or music for the following compositions: Aboriginal chant; Australia; Blue Mountains; Bushrangers' song; The chaperone; Corroboree ballet; Dangerous Dandy Dick; Drinking song; Duddawarra River; Happy with you; How I love you; I'll wait for my true love; Last year; Making memories; A laugh and a kiss; The man in the cabbage tree hat; Melos; My desire; My valentine; Next year; Only you; Outlaw's song; Overture; The Redcoats; The road song; The rouseabout; Sally at the sliprail; See what loves done to me; Some distant day; Square dance; Stay while the stars are shining; Sweet William; That's what love does to me; They're in love; This year; Waltz ballet and We're singing of Australia
Correspondence, 1935-1951 Newspaper cuttings and notes by Monk Photographs of stage sets and publicity photographs of George Wallace, Robert Chisholm and Claude Flemming (File 1) - Box 1
Melbourne and Sydney productions (1934-1935): wardrobe lists, lists of performers and technical notes regarding lighting, electrical requirements, switchboard and props (File 2) - Box 1
Original working script of T. Stuart Gurr Five watercolour costume designs by Pierre Fornari Pty Ltd (File 3) - Box 1
Ground plans of stage settings Manuscript and typescript of three songs, words by Ailsa Bosten and music by Hal Evans Loose pages of script (File 4) - Box 1
Scripts for the characters of Mary, Sally and Dandy Dick Rough set drawings and heavily annotated script (71pp) (File 5) - Box 1
Score (incomplete) with notation 'this was as it was sent in to Miss Rosenwax's competition and written out by my singer friend Phillipa Ashton' (File 9) - Box 3
Complete piano score with notation 'The original music as used in Princess Theatre' and 'edited by Howard Carr' (File 10) - Box 3
Score with notation 'All these are Howard Carr's corrections of my original manuscript' (File 11) - Box 3
Orchestrations of Hal Evans Three orchestral versions of the song 'Australia', one by Howard Carr and two by Robert Keers (File 14) - Box 3
Words and music: Australia and Blue Mountains (both published by Chappell Co.), Drinking song; Duddawarra River, How I love you, Last year, A laugh and a kiss (File 15) - Box 3
Words and music: Making memories, My Valentine, Next Year, The road song, Therouseabout, stay while the stars are shining (File 17) - Box 3
Words and music: Sally at the sliprails, Some distant day; They're in love; This year, We're singing of Australia (File 18) - Box 3
Series 3. The cedar tree
F.W. Thring encouraged Monk to follow up the success of Collits Inn, leading to her second professionally produced theatrical work. The cedar tree, a musical comedy set in the 1830s, was based on the history of the cedar tree and the ship building industries in the Windsor district of New South Wales. Helene and Edmund Barclay wrote the play and Monk wrote the music and collaborated with Helene Barclay on the lyrics. Howard Carr did the voice arrangements and Carr and Willy Redstone the orchestration.
Thring premiered the play at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in 1934 where it enjoyed a three month season. However, on transferring to the Criterion Theatre, Sydney it only ran for three weeks. Starring Gladys Moncrieff and Alfred Frith, the show was produced by Claude Flemming and conducted by Will Quintrell.
This series comprises papers relating to the production of The cedar tree and includes orchestral parts and words and music for songs, voice parts and the script.
Included in this series are the words and/or music for the following compositions: Australian bird ballet; Bush dance; The cedar cutters' song; The Cedar tree; Coo-ee; Cupid follows the mode; Drinking chorus; Every song of love; Finale; Following the sun around/Following the sun/We'll follow the sun; Forty miles from Sydney Town; Hawkesbury River Road; How I love you; I did not know; I'd love to be a statue in the park; I'm happy with you; It had to be; March of the pioneers/Pioneer's march; Marching song; Outcast; Overture; Pie song/The flying pieman's song; Shipwrights' chorus; Soldiers' march; Well, well - fancy meeting you; We never really meant goodbye; Wild emu/Why does the wild emu; Words, words, words; You're every song of love
Scripts for the parts of Captain Grudgeon, Dianella Weston, Carvell Weston and Nitson (File 1) - Box 2
Original rough drafts of songs, with corrections by Howard Carr and Willy Redstone (File 2) - Box 11
Words and music: Bush dance, The cedar-cutters, The Cedar tree, Coo-ee and Cupid follows the mode (File 4) - Box 11
Words and music: Following the sun, Forty miles from Sydney Town, Hawkesbury River Road, How I love you, I did not know, I'd love to be a statue in the park (File 5) - Box 11
Words and music: I'm happy with you, It had to be you, March of the pioneers, Outcast, Pie song (File 6) - Box 11
Words and music: Shipwrights' chorus, Well, well - fancy meeting you, Wild emu, You're every song of love, Words, words, words, (File 7) - Box 11
Orchestral parts: Following the sun, Forty miles from Sydney Town, Hawkesbury River Road, Finale (File 12) - Box 12
Series 4. Musical compositions by Monk
During the course of her career, Monk produced over 150 songs. She believed strongly that her music should reflect Australian history, places and events and this is evident in the titles and themes of many of her compositions.
This series includes the musical scores for a number of Monk's works, listed alphabetically by title. Most of the works are undated. However, where Monk has used a variation of her name, indicating that they are early compositions, this name has been included in brackets after the title as an indication of the approximate date.
From the obelisk to the carillon: songs of Old Sydney (File 4) - Box 14
A book which includes the songs: The bells of Bathurst (dedicated to the memory of Ben Chifley, who was born and died in Bathurst), In Macquarie Place, Martin Place, The Old Tank Stream, The road to Hartley, South Head light and Sydney now.
Songs of the South (File 18) - Box 15
A book of songs written when Monk was about 16 years old and calling herself Varney Peterson. Includes the following song titles: Down by the creek, In the hush of the bush, The little brown bird, A summer storm, Wattle bloom, Where the locusts drone and Wild rose.
Series 5. Musical compositions for poetry
As well as writing her own lyrics for her compositions, Monk also set the poems of a number of poets to music, including those of Adam Lindsay Gordon and Ian Mudie. Included in this series are the musical scores of a number of these works, listed alphabetically by title of the work, followed by the name of the author.
Most of the works are undated. However, where Monk has used a variation of her name, indicating that they are early compositions, this name has been included in brackets after the title as an indication of the approximate date.
Series 6. Henry Lawson poetry set to music by Monk, 1942-1966
Monk set to music some of the poetry of Henry Lawson (1867-1922). The music was very popular at the annual Henry Lawson Festival in Grenfell and was broadcast regularly on the ABC to commemorate the poets birthday.
This series contains musical scores for Lawson's poems Kiss in the ring, On the night train, The sliprails and the spur and When the world was wide. Also included is correspondence, notes, programs featuring performances of the works and cuttings relating to Monk's writing of the songs and her interest in Lawson. Correspondents include Angus and Robertson regarding permission to use the poems, the ABC regarding the recording of the songs, Colin Roderick and Katharine Susannah Prichard.
Series 7. Henry Kendall poetry set to music by Monk, 1935-1966
Monk set a number of the poems of Henry Kendall (1839-1882) to music. Included in this series are musical scores, correspondence and notes relating to these works, which were in the form of a songbook entitled 'A singer of the dawn'. The songbook was dedicated to the memory of Mrs A.M. Hamilton-Grey, whose biography of Kendall entitled Kendall, our "God-made chief", "a singer of the dawn": a continuation of Poet Kendall, making a complete history from cradle to grave was published in Sydney in 1929.
Correspondents include Fred Kendall, son of Henry Kendall; E.J. Dolly of the Henry Kendall Cottage Committee; Joseph Fagan, whose family had befriended Kendall in Gosford when he was destitute and Maud Black, a one time lady's help to Monk, who had co-incidentally taken a job caring for Mrs Hamilton-Grey.