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Harold Blair

March 27, 2023

Harold Blair AM (13 September 1924 – 21 May 1976) was an Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist. He has been called the "last great Australian tenor of the concert hall era".[1]

Harold Blair
Blair at piano 1958
Born(1924-09-13)September 13, 1924
Cherbourg, Queensland
DiedMay 21, 1976(1976-05-21) (aged 51)
NationalityAustralian
OccupationTenor (singer)

Early life

Blair was born at the Barambah Aboriginal Reserve at Cherbourg, 5 kilometres (3 mi) from Murgon in Queensland, on 13 September 1924.[2] His mother was Esther Quinn, a teenage Aboriginal woman. His surname, Blair, came from the family that had "adopted" his mother. He and his mother then went to the Salvation Army Purga Mission near Ipswich. His mother entered domestic service, leaving Harold, then aged two, at the mission, where he received an elementary education. Blair left school at age 16, gaining employment as a farm labourer.

At the age of 17, he was working as a tractor driver at the Fairymead Sugar Mill. Communist trade union organiser Harry Green[3] of Ipswich heard him singing and encouraged him to make it his career. In 1944 he joined professional artists raising money for charitable and patriotic causes.[4] In March 1945 he entered a radio talent quest in Brisbane and attracted a record number of listeners' votes. The Queensland state government offered sponsorship for his further musical training,[5] but was not taken up.[6] A group of trade unionists, academics and musicians formed a trust to sponsor his career. Others credit Marjorie Lawrence for encouraging him, and an unnamed medical practitioner as a major sponsor.[7] The fund was managed by a Brisbane committee, under secretary Harry Green, president Professor J. V. Duhig, and whose members included Martin Healy (secretary of the Queensland T. and L. Council) and Dr Dalley-Scarlett.[8]

Singing career

He entered the Melba Conservatorium in Melbourne in 1945 and earned a Diploma of Music with honours in 1949.[9] In 1950, Blair was invited to study in the United States by the noted African-American singer Todd Duncan. Blair studied at the Juilliard School, New York. While in New York he sang in a church in Harlem,[10] and entered into their community life.

In 1951, the Australian Broadcasting Commission offered Blair a three-year singing contract, commencing with an extensive tour to celebrate 50 years of Federation. At least one critic disapproved of the ABC's lionizing an unproven performer,[11][12] but Henri Penn,[13] his accompanist throughout the tour, was generally praised.[14] His repertoire consisted largely of European classical pieces in their original tongue — German lieder, Italian opera, and French art songs, as well as works in English by Handel and Southern spirituals. He also introduced traditional Aboriginal songs — "Nananala Kututja" ("O God, Stay With Us Always"), "Maranoa Lullaby" (arranged by Dr. H. O. Lethbridge, of Narrandera and Arthur S. Leam of Wagga), "Jabin Jabin" and other traditional songs, but admitted he most enjoyed singing "Aba Daba Honeymoon" with his wife Dorothy.[15]

He cancelled his 41st concert in the series, at City Hall, Brisbane, due to a heavy cold[16] but, though suffering laryngitis, gave a good concert at Maryborough three weeks later.[17] He then returned to Brisbane, but was not in good voice.[18] and gave up public appearances, at least temporarily, to concentrate on studying.[19]

Having broken the contract, he was prohibited from singing professionally for three years. Discouraged, Blair sought other work including working for a hardware store. He expressed an interest in education and was taken on as a teacher at Ringwood Technical School. He later became a teacher at the Conservatorium in Melbourne, and served on the Aboriginal Arts Board.[20]

Coincident with the ABC's 1951 tour was the variety spectacular Out of the Dark – An Aboriginal Moomba, celebrating Victoria's 100-year jubilee, in which Blair, as well as Doug Nicholls, Bill Onus, and Georgia Lee participated. This show, directed by Irene Mitchell, toured much of country Victoria to good reviews.[21]

Aboriginal activism

Blair continued to act for Aboriginal rights all his life. He joined the Aborigines Advancement League in its early days and later the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Watching an Aboriginal marching girls group at Moomba in 1962 led Blair to establish the Aboriginal Children's Holiday Project, and he was an early member of the Aborigines Welfare Board in Victoria. In 1963 he stood as a candidate for the Australian Labor Party for the seat of Mentone in the Victorian Parliament against Edward Meagher, the then Transport Minister and chairman of the Aboriginal Welfare Board.[22]

Personal life

Blair married a fellow conservatorium singing student, Dorothy Eden,[23] on 30 July 1949,[24] and had two children, Nerida and Warren. The marriage encountered some hostility at the time, as it involved the marriage of an Aboriginal man to a European woman.[2] He is survived by three grandchildren.

He had twin half-sisters, Joy and June Thompson (born around 1936), with whom he remained in contact.[25]

Blair's favourite sport was Australian rules football.[26]

Honours and recognition

Blair was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours of 1976.[27]

The Australian Electoral Division of Blair in Queensland, created in 1998, is named after him.

In 2012, the Melba Opera Trust established the Harold Blair Opera Scholarship, to provide young Indigenous singers with artistic development, mentoring and performance opportunities.[28] The scholarship was won by Tiriki Onus in 2012[29][30] and 2013.[31]

In 2013, Blair was inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.[32]

He died in Melbourne's Mercy Hospital on 21 May 1976, aged 51. An obituary opined that his most enduring legacy would be his Aboriginal children's holiday project, which saw thousands of children boarding in private homes in Melbourne and Sydney during school holidays.[33]

References

  1. ^ "True Stories: Harold". Torres News. No. 130. Queensland, Australia. 7 April 1995. p. 1 (TV Entertainment Guide). Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ a b ADB
  3. ^ "Aborigine who's fighting his way up". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XVI, no. 19. New South Wales, Australia. 14 April 1951. p. 13. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Advertising". Queensland Times. No. 18, 005. Queensland, Australia. 12 August 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Govt. to Employ Harold Blair and Pay for Training". The Queensland Times. No. 18, 197. Queensland, Australia. 28 March 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 27 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Aboriginal Tenor". The Central Queensland Herald. Vol. 16, no. 854. Queensland, Australia. 26 July 1945. p. 11. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Harold Blair". The Barrier Miner. Vol. LXIV, no. 17, 504. New South Wales, Australia. 9 July 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Harold Blair May Go to London". The Telegraph (Brisbane). Queensland, Australia. 24 October 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Message Stick 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Australians in New York help Harold Blair". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 18, no. 44. Australia, Australia. 7 April 1951. p. 19. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Music and Films". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 23, 124. Victoria, Australia. 5 July 1951. p. 10. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "No way to aid singer". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 23, 133. Victoria, Australia. 16 July 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Associate Artist With Harold Blair". Saturday Evening Express. Vol. 23, no. 59. Tasmania, Australia. 12 May 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Harold Blair Impresses". Queensland Times. No. 20, 358. Queensland, Australia. 13 August 1951. p. 2 (Daily). Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Harold Blair Visits Mother at Currumbin". The South Coast Express. Vol. 2, no. 49. Queensland, Australia. 10 August 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "Concert Off". The Courier-mail. No. 4593. Queensland, Australia. 17 August 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Blair Pleased Audience". Maryborough Chronicle. No. 24, 810. Queensland, Australia. 23 August 1951. p. 5. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Orchestra had hushed night". Brisbane Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 27 August 1951. p. 10. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Harold Blair studying". The Courier-mail. No. 4911. Queensland, Australia. 25 August 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ Aboriginal Arts Board, Press Statement No. 83 18 July 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Aboriginal Stars in Centenary Show". The Age. No. 29, 998. Victoria, Australia. 21 June 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Aborigine To Be Labour Candidate". The Canberra Times. Vol. 38, no. 10, 660. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 October 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 27 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia. The Canberra Times misspelled "Labor Party" several times in this article.
  23. ^ "Blair with Bride-to-Be". The Courier-mail. No. 3830. Queensland, Australia. 5 March 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Singer's Wedding". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 34, 823. New South Wales, Australia. 1 August 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "Meeting with sisters". Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga). New South Wales, Australia. 26 September 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ^ "Tenor draws big crowd at church". The Courier-mail. No. 3926. Queensland, Australia. 27 June 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ^ It's an Honour - Harold Blair
  28. ^ Barnard, Loretta (6 August 2018). "Harold Blair: Aboriginal tenor, activist, educator, leader". Australia Explained. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  29. ^ "2012". Melba Opera Trust. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  30. ^ Graham, Jillian (27 August 2012). "Tiriki Onus awarded Harold Blair Opera Scholarship". Precinct. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Tiriki Onus Has A Chat About New Film "Ablaze"". 3 Kool n Deadly. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Harold Blair AM". First Peoples - State Relations. Victorian Government. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Aboriginal tenor Harold Blair dies". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 385. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 22 May 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.

Bibliography

  • Dark Man, White World: A Portrait of Tenor Harold Blair ISBN 0-909091-08-0 (1975) biography by Kenneth Harrison (Novalit Australia Pty Ltd, Cheltenham, Melbourne)

External links

March 27, 2023
harold, blair, september, 1924, 1976, australian, tenor, aboriginal, activist, been, called, last, great, australian, tenor, concert, hall, blair, piano, 1958born, 1924, september, 1924cherbourg, queenslanddiedmay, 1976, 1976, aged, nationalityaustralianoccupa. Harold Blair AM 13 September 1924 21 May 1976 was an Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist He has been called the last great Australian tenor of the concert hall era 1 Harold BlairBlair at piano 1958Born 1924 09 13 September 13 1924Cherbourg QueenslandDiedMay 21 1976 1976 05 21 aged 51 NationalityAustralianOccupationTenor singer Contents 1 Early life 2 Singing career 3 Aboriginal activism 4 Personal life 5 Honours and recognition 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksEarly life EditBlair was born at the Barambah Aboriginal Reserve at Cherbourg 5 kilometres 3 mi from Murgon in Queensland on 13 September 1924 2 His mother was Esther Quinn a teenage Aboriginal woman His surname Blair came from the family that had adopted his mother He and his mother then went to the Salvation Army Purga Mission near Ipswich His mother entered domestic service leaving Harold then aged two at the mission where he received an elementary education Blair left school at age 16 gaining employment as a farm labourer At the age of 17 he was working as a tractor driver at the Fairymead Sugar Mill Communist trade union organiser Harry Green 3 of Ipswich heard him singing and encouraged him to make it his career In 1944 he joined professional artists raising money for charitable and patriotic causes 4 In March 1945 he entered a radio talent quest in Brisbane and attracted a record number of listeners votes The Queensland state government offered sponsorship for his further musical training 5 but was not taken up 6 A group of trade unionists academics and musicians formed a trust to sponsor his career Others credit Marjorie Lawrence for encouraging him and an unnamed medical practitioner as a major sponsor 7 The fund was managed by a Brisbane committee under secretary Harry Green president Professor J V Duhig and whose members included Martin Healy secretary of the Queensland T and L Council and Dr Dalley Scarlett 8 Singing career EditHe entered the Melba Conservatorium in Melbourne in 1945 and earned a Diploma of Music with honours in 1949 9 In 1950 Blair was invited to study in the United States by the noted African American singer Todd Duncan Blair studied at the Juilliard School New York While in New York he sang in a church in Harlem 10 and entered into their community life In 1951 the Australian Broadcasting Commission offered Blair a three year singing contract commencing with an extensive tour to celebrate 50 years of Federation At least one critic disapproved of the ABC s lionizing an unproven performer 11 12 but Henri Penn 13 his accompanist throughout the tour was generally praised 14 His repertoire consisted largely of European classical pieces in their original tongue German lieder Italian opera and French art songs as well as works in English by Handel and Southern spirituals He also introduced traditional Aboriginal songs Nananala Kututja O God Stay With Us Always Maranoa Lullaby arranged by Dr H O Lethbridge of Narrandera and Arthur S Leam of Wagga Jabin Jabin and other traditional songs but admitted he most enjoyed singing Aba Daba Honeymoon with his wife Dorothy 15 He cancelled his 41st concert in the series at City Hall Brisbane due to a heavy cold 16 but though suffering laryngitis gave a good concert at Maryborough three weeks later 17 He then returned to Brisbane but was not in good voice 18 and gave up public appearances at least temporarily to concentrate on studying 19 Having broken the contract he was prohibited from singing professionally for three years Discouraged Blair sought other work including working for a hardware store He expressed an interest in education and was taken on as a teacher at Ringwood Technical School He later became a teacher at the Conservatorium in Melbourne and served on the Aboriginal Arts Board 20 Coincident with the ABC s 1951 tour was the variety spectacular Out of the Dark An Aboriginal Moomba celebrating Victoria s 100 year jubilee in which Blair as well as Doug Nicholls Bill Onus and Georgia Lee participated This show directed by Irene Mitchell toured much of country Victoria to good reviews 21 Aboriginal activism EditBlair continued to act for Aboriginal rights all his life He joined the Aborigines Advancement League in its early days and later the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Watching an Aboriginal marching girls group at Moomba in 1962 led Blair to establish the Aboriginal Children s Holiday Project and he was an early member of the Aborigines Welfare Board in Victoria In 1963 he stood as a candidate for the Australian Labor Party for the seat of Mentone in the Victorian Parliament against Edward Meagher the then Transport Minister and chairman of the Aboriginal Welfare Board 22 Personal life EditBlair married a fellow conservatorium singing student Dorothy Eden 23 on 30 July 1949 24 and had two children Nerida and Warren The marriage encountered some hostility at the time as it involved the marriage of an Aboriginal man to a European woman 2 He is survived by three grandchildren He had twin half sisters Joy and June Thompson born around 1936 with whom he remained in contact 25 Blair s favourite sport was Australian rules football 26 Honours and recognition EditBlair was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia AM in the Australia Day Honours of 1976 27 The Australian Electoral Division of Blair in Queensland created in 1998 is named after him In 2012 the Melba Opera Trust established the Harold Blair Opera Scholarship to provide young Indigenous singers with artistic development mentoring and performance opportunities 28 The scholarship was won by Tiriki Onus in 2012 29 30 and 2013 31 In 2013 Blair was inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll 32 He died in Melbourne s Mercy Hospital on 21 May 1976 aged 51 An obituary opined that his most enduring legacy would be his Aboriginal children s holiday project which saw thousands of children boarding in private homes in Melbourne and Sydney during school holidays 33 References Edit True Stories Harold Torres News No 130 Queensland Australia 7 April 1995 p 1 TV Entertainment Guide Retrieved 29 December 2022 via National Library of Australia a b ADB Aborigine who s fighting his way up The Daily Telegraph Vol XVI no 19 New South Wales Australia 14 April 1951 p 13 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Advertising Queensland Times No 18 005 Queensland Australia 12 August 1944 p 5 Retrieved 27 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Govt to Employ Harold Blair and Pay for Training The Queensland Times No 18 197 Queensland Australia 28 March 1945 p 1 Retrieved 27 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Aboriginal Tenor The Central Queensland Herald Vol 16 no 854 Queensland Australia 26 July 1945 p 11 Retrieved 29 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Harold Blair The Barrier Miner Vol LXIV no 17 504 New South Wales Australia 9 July 1951 p 12 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Harold Blair May Go to London The Telegraph Brisbane Queensland Australia 24 October 1945 p 5 Retrieved 29 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Message Stick Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Australians in New York help Harold Blair The Australian Women s Weekly Vol 18 no 44 Australia Australia 7 April 1951 p 19 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Music and Films The Herald Melbourne No 23 124 Victoria Australia 5 July 1951 p 10 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia No way to aid singer The Herald Melbourne No 23 133 Victoria Australia 16 July 1951 p 4 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Associate Artist With Harold Blair Saturday Evening Express Vol 23 no 59 Tasmania Australia 12 May 1951 p 3 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Harold Blair Impresses Queensland Times No 20 358 Queensland Australia 13 August 1951 p 2 Daily Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Harold Blair Visits Mother at Currumbin The South Coast Express Vol 2 no 49 Queensland Australia 10 August 1951 p 1 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Concert Off The Courier mail No 4593 Queensland Australia 17 August 1951 p 1 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Blair Pleased Audience Maryborough Chronicle No 24 810 Queensland Australia 23 August 1951 p 5 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Orchestra had hushed night Brisbane Telegraph Queensland Australia 27 August 1951 p 10 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Harold Blair studying The Courier mail No 4911 Queensland Australia 25 August 1952 p 1 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Aboriginal Arts Board Press Statement No 83 Archived 18 July 2005 at the Wayback Machine Aboriginal Stars in Centenary Show The Age No 29 998 Victoria Australia 21 June 1951 p 4 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Aborigine To Be Labour Candidate The Canberra Times Vol 38 no 10 660 Australian Capital Territory Australia 7 October 1963 p 1 Retrieved 27 December 2022 via National Library of Australia The Canberra Times misspelled Labor Party several times in this article Blair with Bride to Be The Courier mail No 3830 Queensland Australia 5 March 1949 p 1 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Singer s Wedding The Sydney Morning Herald No 34 823 New South Wales Australia 1 August 1949 p 3 Retrieved 26 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Meeting with sisters Daily Advertiser Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia 26 September 1953 p 1 Retrieved 29 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Tenor draws big crowd at church The Courier mail No 3926 Queensland Australia 27 June 1949 p 3 Retrieved 5 May 2022 via National Library of Australia It s an Honour Harold Blair Barnard Loretta 6 August 2018 Harold Blair Aboriginal tenor activist educator leader Australia Explained Retrieved 8 August 2022 2012 Melba Opera Trust 30 November 2019 Retrieved 8 August 2022 Graham Jillian 27 August 2012 Tiriki Onus awarded Harold Blair Opera Scholarship Precinct University of Melbourne Retrieved 8 August 2022 Tiriki Onus Has A Chat About New Film Ablaze 3 Kool n Deadly 24 May 2022 Retrieved 8 August 2022 Harold Blair AM First Peoples State Relations Victorian Government 30 September 2019 Retrieved 8 August 2022 Aboriginal tenor Harold Blair dies The Canberra Times Vol 50 no 14 385 Australian Capital Territory Australia 22 May 1976 p 1 Retrieved 29 December 2022 via National Library of Australia Bibliography EditDark Man White World A Portrait of Tenor Harold Blair ISBN 0 909091 08 0 1975 biography by Kenneth Harrison Novalit Australia Pty Ltd Cheltenham Melbourne External links EditTranscript of 2004 episode of Message Stick ABC video documentary Papers of Harold Blair at the National Library of Australia 1995 review by Norm Dixon of Harold a documentary by Steve Thomas 20Number 3A357816 20 20Number 3A362586 querytype resCount 10 Harold Blair at the National Film and Sound Archive permanent dead link Listen to Harold Blair singing the Maranoa Lullaby on australianscreen online Maranoa Lullaby was added to the National Film and Sound Archive s Sounds of Australia registry in 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Harold Blair amp oldid 1145983124, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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