Music

Of all the activities that pleased Edmund and Jessie, we can guess that music was high on their list. Although we are not able to see Edmund or Jessie, playing or singing, we can only suppose they were very fond of music by the amount of money they spent on their piano. There is a diary entry for the 23rd of January 1871 which noted: Hardings, paid Aylward 11th and 12th instalments piano. £7-0-0. Leaving aside the times when a piano was hired at Cork when Edmund and Jessie were based there, the instalments for their own piano suggest a total cost of £42-0-0. The diary also notes the purchase of sheet music: 16th November 1869 Music 'Only' £0-2-0, and 9th March 1871 Music (Two pieces) £0-3-0. 

It would be typical for a Victorian family to have evening entertainment around a piano. They could concentrate on the popular ballads or traditional songs with all the family - and perhaps the servants at Christmas - joining in. A little later than the time of the diary, after Edmund's last sea service as Vice Admiral during the 1870's, Gilbert and Sullivan had begun their musical collaboration. Jessie and Edmund would have enjoyed 'Trial by Jury' 1875, 'The Sorcerer' 1877 and in particular 'HMS Pinafore' in 1878 would be most appreciated. 'Pinafore' was a big hit in England and in the United States. Unfortunately for Gilbert, the US versions were all 'pirated' and he was unable to obtain performance fees. When 'The Pirates of Penzance' was ready in 1879, it was put on in the US and England at the same time. US performance fees were paid. 

We can imagine a Fritham Lodge evening of musical entertainment with Edmund as Sir Henry Porter who aims to '..rise to be the ruler of the Queen's Navy' and Jesse perhaps taking the role of Little Buttercup - a Portsmouth bumboat woman - singing 'A many years ago when I was young and charming as some of you may know I practised baby farming', with other friends and relations joining in. There may have been a persistent gene of music in the family, for Edmund's great, great, great, granddaughter in Australia, descended from William Eustace, has an Honours Degree in Music and is a practising music teacher.

So interested in music was Edmund that he used a full page and a half of his diary to write out the words and score notes of a song in Italian. The first line of the text is: S' io fossi un Angelo del Paradiso. Edmund has supplied the English version of the words as follows:

 
 

If you were an Angel of Paradise

I could not live from you divided

               with my loving I would lift you up to God

  would take you; asking as reward,

                 for your beauty with you to share eternity.

With you Ah......
 

Just as for the sheet music titled 'Only', we have been, so far, unable to find the name or composer of the pieces. Edmund certainly regarded them both highly and it would be interesting to revive them in full. There is much more to extract from Edmund's diary. We will add to these pages in due course.
 
 

BACK    HOME