The Valiant Musicians

THE VALIANT MUSICIANS Wallace Hartley and the Titanic Ship’s Orchestra

Jack Kopstein

  “You gentlemen of England

Who sit at home at ease

How little do you think

Of the danger of the seas”

- -Martin Parker 1656

Introduction  

Countless books and articles have been written about one of thegreatest maritime disasters in world history, the sinking of theR.M.S. Titanic on the evening of 15 April 1912. The White StarLiner struck an iceberg and sank on it’s maiden voyage fromSouthampton to New York with a loss of two-thirds of the morethan 2,200 people aboard, claiming aristocrats, and immigrantsalike. It also claimed the lives of the eight piece Titanicorchestra including its leader Wallace Hartley.

Full studies by eminent musicologists have considered the severalprobabilities of the music that was played as the ship crossed

the threshold into its last moments to sink forever to the bottomof the sea. The following is an effort in deductive reasoning todetermine the state of mind of the shipboard musicians whomdecided to stay the course and give the passengers a solemnsendoff. In gathering information, much use was made of the newsreports of the day, later reconstructions in movies, first personreports, Internet studies, books and articles. Regarding themusic performed on the ship it is fair to say that based on thetime frame and the music published as well as the knowledge ofsalon repertoire, a musical blueprint will emerge.

In developing the outline for this article it was necessary toreview numerous photographs of military bands to determine if anyof the band members were former military musicians. This was aalmost a fruitless task, but in a photograph of pianist TheodoreBrailey he is seen in the dress uniform of the Royal Artilleryband which had one of the finest orchestras in Britain at thetime and spawned several significant musicians. Also in aphotograph of the Royal Irish Rifles band dated 1909, whichincluded the string section a striking resemblance to JWWoodward, is seen.

Being a musician on a cruise ship in today’s world is not unlikethe musician employed in similar work in the past. It is bynature incredibly hard work, you are on call for everyconceivable shipboard event and the pay is deplorable. But inevery instance the standard of musicianship is essentially starquality in comparison to the salary. The repertoire at the turnof the last century was extensive. The musicians were notemployees of the White Star Line, but employees of Black Brothersin Liverpool. The Black Brothers were artistic agents withseveral maritime companies. Blacks had a bevy of musicians undercontract and as a result could provide the musicians at a lowerprice. This caused a good deal of antagonism with the MusiciansTrade Union-The Amalgamated Musicians Union. On the other handmusicians needed to work and salary with free room and board

appeared a good inducement. Their salaries were about $30.00-40.00US per month with Hartley probably getting ten dollars more.The maiden voyage of the Titanic prompted the White Star Line toseek out the best musicians available and as a result Hartley wasextracted from his job with Cunard and off the Mauritania to takeover the leadership of the Titanic orchestra. Prior to 1912 themusicians of the transatlantic liners were an integral part ofthe crew. They received monthly wages of $50.00 US and a uniformallowance of about $7.00US. At the end of 1911 Black Brothersoffered musicians at the lower pay scale and no uniform allowanceand the musicians were now under contract to Black Brothers. Themusicians were also assigned

Ticket number 250654 which covered their passage as a groupin second class. The fact that they were considered passengerswould later work against their families

Figure 1- The boarding pass issued to visitors to the Artifact exhibit is a direct facsimile

of the one issue to the musicians when they registered at the dockside in Southampton on April 10th, 1912.

 MUSIC STYLES 1900-1912   At the turn of the last century salon music, a genre rangingfrom original compositions to arrangements of orchestral works,operas or operatic extracts, was a phenomenon found all overEurope. A growing market, in which direct means of musicalproduction was in it’s infancy, had to be supplied withcompositions which were easy on the ear

By the time of the sailing Salon(dinner) music was at itspinnacle. In the diary of saxophonist Albert A Knecht of theSousa band he remarks that the 5-piece salon orchestra on theWhite Star liner Baltic was excellent during the John Philip SousaWorld cruise of 1910. He said they played in every corner of the ship.

Similarly The Titanic orchestra performed nightly for the dinersin or near the first class dining saloon. They also playedregularly at the Veranda and Palm Court next to the First classsmoking room. Dining in First Class was a formal occasion everynight including the night to be remembered. The A la Carte diningroom and the Parisien restaurants which were in close proximityalso had musical entertainment on a daily and nightly occasion.The Grand Staircase was the focal point of the Titanic and behindthe staircase was a spacious Reception room, where guests wouldarrive before dinner to discuss the day’s activities. The eightplayers usually separated into two groups. A 2trio played mostly

22 The Titanic orchestra instrumentation of the eight piecesaccording to the London daily Sketch April 1912 was

in the lounge of the ala Carte reception room and the second-class dining room.

The other group members including Wallace Hartley remained in thefirst class lounge or in the dining saloon or the first classentrance to the boat deck. The portable string players wouldoften venture into the midst of diners to provide music asstrolling strings, where they would serenade the patrons withrequests. A diverse and extensive repertoire was necessary.Mostly the orchestra kept to the ship policy of being heard butnot seen, setting up behind palms and outside doorways. Thepolicy of performing without being conspicuous was what the WhiteStar Line referred to as their “seamless” crew and employees.The orchestra was in attendance for Sunday services, which wereusually conducted by the Captain, and the orchestra led thecongregation in the hymn sing.

Since there was limited rehearsal space the orchestra met eachmorning in the instrument storage room on Deck E near the laundrylocker located in the adjacent passageway. This deck was also tohouse the cramped quarters of the musicians and was in closeproximity to the stern of the ship. The musicians room is shownon a cutaway drawing of the Titanic with the notation “musicians5”. Deck E or Upper Deck in the ship configuration. It was 3rd

class accommodation but the ship’s band all appear on the “didnot survive” listing as Second Class passengers. Since there wasnot an indication of where the remaining three musicians werequartered they may have been in the printer’s cabin, which heldsixteen in bunk beds and was located next to the musician’scabin. Their accommodation has been described as very cramped,

Piano(Brailey),Hartley(Violin and bandmaster) First violin(Hume)Violin(Krins), Clarke(viola)Cellos(Bricoux,Taylor and Woodard) StringBass . Taylor also played piano.

and diagrams showing the interior of crew cabins do indicate bunkbeds

Bandmaster Hartley would provide a schedule of the day’sactivities, meals. . Rehearsals were brief, almost certainly forstarts and stops, or musical marks to be observed. Orchestramusicians were all members of the Amalgamated British Musician’sUnion and had been hand picked by bandmaster Hartley through themusicians agency CW and FW Black of Liverpool Most of themusicians had vast experience on other ships of the line as wellas the Cunard Ship Lines. Their professionalism is unquestionablebased on their backgrounds, training and musicianship. Musician’swork to clock and the following is a frequently used method ofscheduling performance routine on a daily basis.

Date Undertakings Time Location 11 April 1912

Breakfast 0800-0900 hrs 2nd dining room

Rehearse and Advise

0915-10:30 Storage cabinE deck

Free Time 10:30-11:50Luncheon music

12:00-13:30 5 piece to Dining saloonD deck, Trio to A la CarteRestaurant/reception room or trio to second class dining room

Free time 1330-1500Tea Time 1500-1600 5 pc Dining

Room

Trio A la

Carte/reception room

Early Dinner -for orchestra

1700-1750 2nd class

Dinner 1800-1930 5 pc to Firstclass dining and trio to Ala Carte

After dinner concert (*dancing?)

2030-? As arranged*

*It has been recounted that dancing was discouraged on theTitanic, and it not alluded to in the enormous volumes ofmaterial available to the author.

  The popularity of small ensemble music was due for the mostpart to the rise of young virtuoso violinist Fritz Kreisler. By1910 the Austrian prodigy enjoyed enormous success andrecognition, as a performer, which was reinforced by his numerousshort tuneful compositions many of which by the time of thesailing of the Titanic had made their way into the small ensemblemusic list. Schon Rosmarin and Liebeslied are but two pieces thathad gained universal appeal.

  INSTRUMENTATION   In examination of several books and articles, which refer tothe Titanic “band”, it would appear that for all intents and

purposes that it was a string orchestra. Orchestra members werepre-selected by Hartley in conjunction with Black Brothers andsome had experience on other White Star and Cunard ensembles.Others may have worked with on the RMS Mauritania and RMS Baltic.The pianist Ted Brailey was very experienced, particularlybecause he had to fill in instrumental holes. What that means canbe explained by outlining the instrumentation of a Ragtime bandorchestration by Scott Joplin. The Maple Leaf Rag written byJoplin in 1898 and it was scored for piccolo, Bb clarinet Altosax, trumpet Trombone, Violins 1 and 2, viola, cello, Bass, Pianoand drums. Brailey certainly had numerous cues to play within themusic.

Fixed instruments included five grand pianos and an Aeolianelectric organ were stationed at various locations throughout theship. As well two upright pianos (for steerage class sing- a -longs) were to be found on the ship. A set of bagpipes also wassent to the ocean floor when the ship sunk. They were owned bypassenger Eugene Daly, and were Uillean Pipes. Two of the numbershe was known to play were Erin’s Lament and A Nation Once Again

Some of the items discovered by Dr Robert Ballard in July 1986and 1987 during the search and salvaging of the Titanic wereviewed by the author in Victoria BC at the Titanic artifactsdisplay in 2007. It was disclosed that paper products did notsurvive with the exception of a piano/conductor part for a turnof the century number titled “Pleasant Memories”. Also discoveredwas a Db piccolo and a music holder or lyre. The instrument asshown in the display was very good quality despite the ravages ofthe sea, and one could determine that this was a professionaltype instrument. The lyre was for a clarinet as it can bedistinguished from other instrumental music holders by the factthat there is a place for a screw nut on it’s underside (screwmissing). The following is a chart showing the musician andinstrument(s) played by the orchestra with remarks

Name Instrument Secondary RemarksBrailey,W Theodore

Piano Cello?

Bricoux ,Roger

Cello Trio

Clarke, John Frederick

Viola String Bass?

Hartley, Wallace, Henry

Bandmaster-Violin

Hume, John, Law (Jock)

Violin

Krins,Georges Violin Trio*Taylor, Percy Cornelius

Cello Piano Trio

Woodward, John Wesley

Cello

  *Taylor was listed as cellist but it is unlikely that Hartley would select three cellists for an eight-piece group. A balanced instrumental ensemble would see the scenario of Bandmaster (violin) Hartley, Hume (violin), Brailey (piano), Clarke (string Bass-Viola), Woodward (cello), in the five piece group and Krins (violin), Taylor (piano) and Bricoux (cello) in the trio.

The fact that within the full ensemble that groups would breakup and move individually or in pairs from room to room or to thetables for tips lends more credence to there being string playerswhom could play in a continental style.

The White Star Line was very interested in having the presence ofcontinental musicians near both the Parisien and A la Cartedining rooms. Both Belgian musician Georges Krins and FrenchCellist Roger Bricoux fitted that scenario. Violinist “Jock” Humealso had the ability as a busker and there is no doubt that hedelighted passengers with his artistry in other locationsincluding the veranda.

A subject that needs to be scrutinized is the issue of both theWhite Star music book and the notion that the musicians would berequired to memorize all of the music contained in the book. Inone account it is stated emphatically that there was a “standard352 piece repertory”, and this was reiterated in Ian Whitcomb’sTitanic Songbook where he states that there was a 352-piecesongbook, which had to be learned, by name and number. The musicplayed will be discussed later but generally the Titanic ”book”consisted of light music, waltzes, romances, serenades, excerptsfrom opera, period pieces, polkas, marches, show tunes and thenewest sensation, ragtime. Whitcomb also refers to 114 in the WhiteStar music book as “Songe d’Automne” being played on the BoatDeck by the strings as the passengers tried to escape the frenzyof the sinking ship.

Since this chronicle relies on research and some supposition, itis hoped that a little common sense musical logic can be applied.The musicians selected for the cruise ship industry were schooledmusicians with both orchestral and small ensemble experience.Thus, despite the fact that they may have had the ability to ad-lib or perform as buskers, they were professional musicians whotook their craft seriously and they must have strived for musicalaccuracy. A posed photograph of an orchestra purported to be onthe Titanic but is probably from the Olympic clearly shows musicon the piano rack. In addition Walter Lord in his book “The NightLives On” categorically states that both groups had separatelibraries of music. The library meaning is music at hand.

Figure 2- Note the instrumentation in the above photograph, twoviolins, Cello, piano and clarinet (seen standing) probably takenon the Olympia (photo credit- Ulster Folk and Transport Museum-Northern Ireland)

The best example of music that needs distinctive nuance is the“Blue Danube Waltz” by Johannes Strauss (Junior 1825-1899). Themelodic line for this waltz certainly is not difficult to placein the memory bank. All that one can do however is to scrutinizethe accompaniment which is the rhythmic essential in all waltzes,there are bars and bars of after beats, often shifting rapidlywith chord changes. This was the job of the 2nd violin, cellistand string bass to provide a solid musical background. Justimagine having 352 pieces of music, some 3 and 4 pages long, withseveral bars and memorizing the cello parts. This is animprobable scenario for any ensemble or musician. Most stringensembles seen by the author on present day cruise ships have 40-

50 tunes memorized, which they play over and over again during aseven-day voyage.

The outpouring of sympathy by musicians all over England whenthey went down and the solidarity of the major London orchestrasattested to Titanic’ band’s classical training and ability.

In the end the fact that the music was numbered in the White Starbook is the universal method for calling out dance sets. This iscertainly very strong evidence that music existed and wasperformed.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the titanic, indicating their cabin(s) and where they played on the fateful night on the boat deck near the first class entrance to the first class stairway. (The Titanic at 2:00 am -Don Lynch)

  The Titanic Musicians  

Wallace Henry Hartley-Bandmaster -Violin He was born in the smallcommunity of Colne, Lancashire near and the sea port town ofHarwich England.He was born in 1878 and studied under his fatherwho was choirmaster of the local Bethel Methodist church. Hebegan the study of the violin at an early age and reached a highlevel of proficency by the time he was 15. He was a fleetingmember of the Huddersfield Philharmonic orchestra in 1898, but hewas sent a letter asking him “if they (the HPO) can rely on yourattendance for rehearsals and concerts“. It was a reminder thatthey needed his services in the orchestra. It appears that hereturned the next season as he is shown as a member in 1899.Laterhe was first violin of orchestras in Bridlington and Harrogate.In 1909 he decided to become a cruise musician. He was hired bythe music-booking agency CW and FW Black out of Liverpool andassigned to various cruise ships in the White Star and Cunardregistries. He appeared as a musician on the Liners Arabic, andBaltic In 1910 he was offered the leadership of the band on theCunard Liner Mauritania. Before leaving to take up a position ofbandmaster on the Titanic. He was credited with having made 80voyages. He joined the Titanic at age 33 and was a fullyprofessional all-around-musician. The lure of being leader of thebiggest and most decadent ship in the world helped to convincehim to take the position plus the increase in pay. He was a veryskilled violinist and leader. It was said he had very nimblefingers for jigs, reels and ragtime. Hartley was selected forleadership of the orchestra, because of his reputation as ahighly trained arranger, composer and player and a man with thecommon touch. After the band stopped playing he was not seen

again and his body was recovered by the Cable Steamer MacKay -Bennet. He was dressed in his uniform, which had green facings, abrown overcoat and black boots. Some of his effects included agold fountain pen, solitaire ring, silver cigarette case, andsilver matchbox marked W.H.H. As well as a nickel watch. Hismusic case was also found strapped to his body (see note 1)

  John Frederick Preston (NobbY) Clarke. -Bass Violin -ViolaJohn Clarke’s home residence was listed as Smithdown-roadLiverpool and he was the string bass player with the Ship’sorchestra. He was a member of the Amalgamated Musician’s Union.Prior to joining the Titanic he had been a member of the ArgyleTheatre of Varieties. He was well known in the Birkenhead, whichis a town on the Wirral Peninsula on the west bank of the RiverMersey, opposite Liverpool. The town was famous as a seaport andas a centre for shipbuilding as it was close to the maritimeactivity of Liverpool. His proximity to Liverpool presented himan opportunity to obtain employment in the cruise industry withthe White Star Line. He was 35 when he perished and was wearinga grey overcoat and uniform with green facing. His effectsincluded a diamond pin, gold watch, and a memo book. Although thecontents of the memo book were never divulged it may have beenused to help maintain his work schedule. The Steam Ship Mackay -Bennett, recovered his body and he was buried at the 4MountOlivet Cemetery in Halifax Nova Scotia Canada. He was 30 yearsold at the time of his death.

W.Theodore Ronald Brailey- Piano He was a resident of London andhad previously served on the Cunard Steamer Carpathia before jointhe White Star Line. As noted previously Brailey was part of agifted group of pianists who could condense music score for asmall group and provide numerous instrumental cues. He was aresident of London England. Prior to joining the band of theTitanic he was on the Cunard Steamer Carpathia. Brailey was an

44 Gravesite viewed by the author in July 1994.

airman having been associated with the Freshfield Aerodrome. Hewas a member of the Southport Pier Pavilion band before takingemployment in the cruise industry. His body was not recovered.

ROGER BRICOUX-CELLO Roger Bricoux was a permanent resident of 5Place du Lion d/Or in Lille, France prior to sailing with theCunard Line on the Carpathia. Lille is located in the historicalregion of Flanders, a few kilometers from border with Belgium.

He was born in France (place not known). Lille was an industrialcity in the early 1900’s but there were a number of orchestravenues, particularly in the variety theatres, which were popularin France. Prior to joining the Carpathia and Titanic he wasknown to live in Monaco, France. His body if recovered was neveridentified.

  John (Jock) Law Hume-Violin John Hume was 28 years old when theTitanic went down. He was a professional violinist from DumfiresScotland, which is located in the south west of Scotland.Dumfiries is the birthplace of Robbie Burns. The town is home tothe Dumfiries Academy, which has had music as part of thecurriculum since 1889. It is possible that Hume attended theschool and began the study of violin as they produced a musicalplay every year beginning in the 1890’s. Hume must have madeapplication to Black Brothers and since he was a well-knowntalented violinist the music contractor for service on theTitanic hired him. An interesting sidelight to his membership inthe orchestra was the incident of Black’s notice regarding theuniform, which Hume was forced to purchase as a member of theTitanic band. The letter which post dated his drowning on theTitanic by over two weeks stated:

C.W.& F.N Black

30 April 1912

We shall be obliged if you will remit us the sum of 5s. 4d, which is owing us as per theenclosed statement. We will also be obliged if you will settle the enclosed uniformaccount.

  The uniform account was for 14 shillings and 7 pence. Itappeared that to Black Brothers nothing was sacred. Hume was avery gifted busker and was adept in flushing out tips from theTitanic passengers in the first class areas of the ship. When hisbody was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett he was dressed in hisuniform, a light raincoat and a purple muffler. His effectsincluded a cigarette case, a silver watch, and a knife with acarved pearl handle. John Hume was buried in the FairlawnCemetery in Halifax Nova Scotia on May 8th 1912

GEORGES ALEXANDRE KRINS-Violin Georges Krins was born in Parison March 18th; 1889.He was accepted for violin study at theConservatoire Royal de Musique in Liege Belgium on October 30th

and studied there until 1908. The College, which Krins attended,is one of the most prestigious music schools in Europe, even bytoday’s standards. He seemingly had a desire to seek a career asa military musician, but his parents persuaded him to remain acivilian violinist. He worked for his father and also played inLa Grande Symphonie of Spa, Belgium that had become his family’shome. In 1910 he performed as first violin at Le Trianon Lyriquein Paris. He eventually moved to London and played for two yearsat the Ritz Hotel which was a perfect fit as the Hotel had aParisian flavor and “tea at the Ritz|” was the favorite pastimeby London’s elite. In April 1912 he was recruited by BlackBrothers of Liverpool to play on the RMS Titanic. He was theleader of the trio which played near the A la Carte restaurant.His last known address was in Brixton. He was the most wellskilled and educated musician among the professional musicians onboard the ship. There is a good possibility that Krins wasseeking to immigrate to the United States where good orchestralplaying positions were in abundance. Krins died in the disaster.His body if recovered was never identified.

Percy Cornelius Taylor-Cello-Piano Percy Taylor was a resident ofLondon and was part of the London musical community and a well-trained professional musician with the ability to play both celloand piano. After scouring numerous photographs of military bandsin Britain, a photograph, which is believed to be Taylor ascellist with the Irish Rifles band in 1909, is shown in figure 4.

  Figure 4 Cellist on left, has features of Percy Taylor in thisphotograph taken in 1909 of the Irish Rifles band and orchestra.Many British musicians were schooled in secondary instruments; itis possible that Taylor was also employed as a pianist. (Author’scollection)

John Wesley Woodward-Cello John Woodward was born in WestBromwich England on September 11th 1879. West Bromwich is in theheart of the West Midlands and is known, as “Black Country” Thecity is not far from the soccer Mecca of Wolver Hampton. He grewup in a family of six brothers and two sisters. He later moved toOxford where they lived in the community of Headington.It wasdiscovered at an early age that he had musical talent and he wastrained on the cello and grew up playing in a number of stringquartets (2 violins, viola, and cello). He left Oxford to jointhe Duke of Devonshire band in Eastborne, but he found he was notcut out to be a serviceman. In 1909 he joined the White StarLine, initially cruising to Jamaica in the Caribbean. He madeseveral Trans-Atlantic sailings and at least three across theMediterranean. He was on board the Olympia when she collided withthe HMS Hawke and he narrowly escaped injury. He had taken hisprized best cello for employment on the Titanic and he wasscheduled to play at the May dinner of Magdelen College, Oxford.His brother Thomas Woodward became a well-known tenor vocalistwith the Magdalen choir. Taylor perished in the disaster. Hisbody if recovered, was never identified.  

 The Music the Titanic Orchestra played

  The Romantic period in music began in 1815 and ended in 1900.The 1890’was described as a gilded age, an era of supremeelegance and it carried on until the First World War in 1914,when there was a dramatic shift to military music and songs ofwar. The elements of music from the 1890’s were particularlyromantic in light music. There was an abundance of love songs,waltzes with romantic titles such as Love’s Dream and Somebody’sSweetheart I want to Be.The melody and harmony of the music remainedconsistently traditional. The timbre of the romantic period wasof large orchestras, choirs, bands and most prominently smallensembles. In the early period of the twentieth Century a largevolume of printed music was available. There was vast array of

selections from shows, Fantasies, Serenades, Airs from opera,potpourri of classical nuggets, and medleys of music by popularcomposers and collections of songs. The music libraries of smallensembles were filled with the overtures of Jacques Offenbach,Waltzes by the Strauss family and music hall medleys. Americanmusic had just begun to become a craze in Britain and thecontinent and it was led by the new and exciting Ragtime music.The compositions of the American composer Irving Berlin had madeit’s way across the Atlantic and British composer LionelMonckton”s smash hit The Acadians was making it’s first appearanceon Broadway at the Liberty theatre in 1910. The following is asampling of the music, which would have appeared in the WhiteStar songbook.

Music Title ComposerAlexander’s Ragtime Band (1911)-ragtime

Irving Berlin

The Merry Widow (1903)-operetta

Franz Lehar

Lilly of Laguna -Barn Dance and Cake walk -1909

Leslie Stuart

Somewhere a Voice is Calling-1911

Arthur Tate

Destiny -Slow Waltz-1905 Sydney BainesMon Coeur s’ouvre a at voix-from Sampson and Delilah -1877

Camille-Saint Saens

Music Hall Medley-I Do Like to be by the Seas side-1907,

John Glover-Kind, Bennett Scott,

Fall in a Follow Me-1910, and Ship Ahoy-1909.The Glow-Worm-1908 Paul LinckeThe Shop Girl Musical-1898 Lionel MoncktonThe Chocolate Soldier- Operetta 1899

Franz Lehar

Frankie and Johnny-1912 The Leighton BrothersIt’s a Long Way to Tipperary1912

Harry Williams

The Maple Leaf Rag-1899 Scott JoplinMelody Rag-1911 Charles L JohnsonMusic from Carmen-1875 George BizetA Little Night Music-1725 Wolfgang Amadeus MozartUna Furtiva Lagrima from L’Elisir D’Amore

Gaetano Donizetti

Mary’s a Grand Old Name-1904 George Michael CohanCaprice Viennois , Op 2 1905 Fritz KreislerRondo from Serenade- 1907 Fritz KreislerSlavonic dance in E minor Antonin DvorakBlack and White Rag-1909 George BotsfordThe Gypsy Baron-1885-Operetta

Johannes Strauss (the Junior)

Shine on Harvest Moon-1908 Nora Baye-NorworthThe Yeoman of the Guard-1888 Gilbert and SullivanWaiting for the Robert E Lee-1912

Lewis F Muir

The White Star March-Polka-circa 1900

J.T. Gardner

Songe D’Automne waltz-1908 Archibald JoyceOh You Beautiful Doll-1889 Nat AyerGood-Bye Dolly Gray-1900 Paul BarnesBy the Light of the Silvery Gus Edwards

Moon-1909Give My Regards to Broadway-1903

George M Cohan

Melody Rag-1911 Charles L JohnsonIn the Shade of the Old Apple Tree-1905

Egbert Van Alstyne

Melodie in F-1875 Anton RubensteinThe Skaters Waltz-1900 Emil WaldteufelIl Baccio-1891 Luigi Arditi

  The Fateful Night -April 15th 1912

  “It was an event that made the world awake and rub its eyes”.Said surviving passenger Lawrence Beesley. The greatest mostmajestic ship in the world struck an iceberg in the northAtlantic and sank within hours. This was the biggest event of theTwentieth Century. The heaven on earth ship had given way to thedangers that lurk in the sea, an iceberg the size of a 10-storybuilding and the watertight compartments were overwhelmed becauseof a huge gash in the forward bulkhead. The collision had takenplace at 11:40 on the 14the and within minutes water had startedto rush into the boiler rooms. Thus began the slow and painfuldemise of one the world’s crowning achievements. It was thebeginning of the end for the Titanic, the death of a dream.

Hartley very quickly realized that he and the band must play tocalm the passengers by playing up tempo ragtime and waltzes. Itwas probably the only time that the two groups had joinedtogether during the short voyage. The orchestra members wereroused and dressed in their green uniforms and wearing overcoatsthey moved with the throngs that were shuffling about, unawarethat the ship had received mortal damage

  Many of the first class passengers had made their way to thelounge and the orchestra had struck up a variety of waltzes,polkas, and ragtime tunes and as one passenger expressed “therewas a feeling of gaiety“. They were able to play in this locationbecause one of the small upright pianos was located in the loungenear the first class staircase, which entered onto the boat deck.As the passengers made their way from their cabins out to thelifeboats they continued to provide entertainment.

  As the first class area of the lounge emptied they moved outon the deck near the doorway to the lounge and the grandstaircase. From here they continued without the piano, and with areduced group of 5-6 players with the remote possibility that oneof the musicians added another voice on piccolo. The others stoodby in hope they could at least help passengers and one passengerrecalls seeing a musician helping a woman on with her life jacketand into one of the lifeboats.

  The ship had begun to take on masses of water and it began tolist, which caused consternation among the passengers, Hartleyurged his musicians on, playing waltzes and other well knownbrisk tunes. Passengers who were now lowered to the sea inlifeboats were rowed by crew to some distance from the ship. Theycould still hear above the din, the orchestra playing livelytunes.

One has to wonder now at the character of the musicians. When allaround them there was panic and trauma they kept playing. Theystayed their post through all of the agony that now had filteredthrough to the passengers It had become common knowledge therewas not enough lifeboats and many would perish. The ship was nowcommencing its final death clatter. It was at this time that theybegan to play what has been described as a hymn of sacrifice. Alasting musical memento for many of the passengers who were neverto see the light of day again and for those that survived.

  There is also much mystification on what was their last song.From the lifeboats, a number of different songs were heard. Among

them is "Nearer, My God to Thee". Both the American and Britishsurvivors recall hearing it. This hymn is ordinarily played toentirely different music on both sides of the Atlantic.

Survivors recall hearing three different tunes in all! I find itvery unlikely they played all of them unless the trio played in adifferent location. Also in the running are the hymn "Autumn" andthe slow waltz "Songe d'Automne". It is important to note that there were two separate bands on the Titanic and they had two totally different playing styles. None of the band members survived.

  A book which was published in 1912 by a firm in Philadelphia titled “On Board the Titanic” has a illustrated page showing the hymn as played by the Titanic band called autumn. This is the hymn that was suggested in a statement by Harold Bride the surviving wireless operator when he said, “From Aft came the tunes of the band. it was a ragtime tune , I don’t know what . Then there was autumn” He may have been referring to the slow waltz Songe d'Automne, which had become very popular.

Following the catastrophe music was published to commemorate the sinking and Nearer to My God to Thee became a hit sensation along withtunes called Be British, The Ship will Never Sink and The Wreck of the Titanic.

  With the end being very close, Wallace Hartley called to his comrades that they may try and save themselves. None chose to do so and they remained together on the boat deck until the slope ofthe ship did not enable them to continue playing. Inevitably theystopped playing, as it was impossible to remain upright. Surviving passenger Colonel Gracie mentioned in a speech he made in November 1912 that he remembers the band stopped playing and laid down their instruments about a half hour before the ship sunk. Gracie had been aboard almost to the end and recalls that he was there when they ceased performing. A member of the orchestra was seen by a surviving passenger dragging his cello with the spike still intact, to some other location.

The final moments come at 2:18 am as all of the lifeboats have gone; no ship has been able to reach the Titanic in time. The crowd of people including orchestra members are on the stern and there is no hope of rescue. As the bow sinks further and furtherthe stern is lifted out of the water and a huge roar is heard as the ship breaks in two and within moments the lights go out. The stern will raise completely upright, then slide out of sight intothe icy water of the Atlantic.

Aftermath and Memorial

  The heroism of the musicians was immortalized in the words of 2nd class passenger Lawrence Beesley when he said” Much of the acts of courage achieved themselves this night, but none equalized the notch of those men who continued to play minute after minute while the ship was inserted more and more towards the place where they played-the music which they performed serving as a requiem.” and he went on to by saying ”they had the right to be engraved forever on the shelves of eternal glory.”

  Later it was learned through the secretary of the Trade Union of Musicians of Britain that the band had received an order to play in order to avoid panic. It was also disclosed that none ofthem were wearing life jackets. First class passenger Pierre Marechal wrote later that he was convinced that in they’re both receiving the orders and responding, that they had sacrificed their lives in order to avoid disorder on board.

  Katherine Gold another survivor said that when she left the ship, she saw men on the boat deck smoking cigarettes and taping their feet to the sound of the lively and cheerful music of the orchestra. She said” I as particularly struck by seeing a violinist playing with a large life jacket in front of him. At that moment, the music was ragtime”.

  As the word filtered out that the great liner Titanic had hit an iceberg and sunk with the loss of several lives, the tales of survivors became front-page news in world newspapers. Headlines in Britain’s Daily Sketch screamed Orchestra Played On, and in New York the Times said Band Played Solemn Hymn As Great Ship Sunk. Eventuallythe name of the bandmaster Wallace Hartley surfaced as the central figure on the ship when it went down. The ensemble had achieved immortality. The bravery of the leader and band members in their effort to convey hope and comfort to others without any consideration of their own safety created a outpouring of sympathy around the world.

  Wallace Hartley was laid to rest in a ceremony befitting a monarch. The newspaper account describes the solemn occasion as “pageantry beyond Belief”. Over forty thousand people attended the funeral on May 18th 1912. Seven bands led the possession. Bass Violinist John Clarke was buried in Halifax Nova Scotia and the funeral was held on May 3rd 1912. Violinist John Hume was interred in Fairview Cemetery on May 8th 1912. The Royal Canadian Regiment band under Captain Michael Ryan played these funerals and those of other passengers whose bodies were recovered.

  In 1915 a statue of Wallace Hartley w was erected in Colne to commemorate his heroism. In November 1912 a plaque was placed at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, The hall was destroyed by fire in 1933 and also sustained damage during the war, but the plaque survived. The All Saints church in Headington near Oxford, England has an unadorned Brass Plaque in dedication to cellist John Woodward. A memorial was unveiled in Southampton in 1913, but was destroyed during the war. A replica was unveiled in 1990.Violinist Georges Krins was finally remembered in 2002 with a plaque, which was placed on the Hotel Cardinal in Spa Belgium. His parents had lived at this location in 1910 and 1911.

  Royal Albert Hall was the setting for an remarkable concert On May 24, 1912 in the city of London. Several orchestras combined to number more than 500 performers for a once-in-a-lifetime

performance for The Titanic Band Memorial Concert conducted by Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Henry Wood, Percy Pitt, Landon Ronald Thomas Beecham and the Dutch conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg. The orchestra played several commemorative pieces including Arthur Sullivan’s In Memorium Overture, and Chopin’s Funeral March. Henry Wood also provided an orchestration of the Hymn Nearer my God to Thee. The solemnity ofthe occasion was heightened by the voices of many of the audience. A rare photograph of the concert survives and the massed orchestras clearly reflect the respect and admiration the British musicians had for Hartley and the ship’s banded.

The decision by the White Star line to carry the musicians as 2ndpassengers in order to avoid paying them the shilling that was paid to personnel to make them official members of the crew wouldcome back to haunt the families of the orchestra members. They were unable to claim for financial benefits under the Workman’s Compensation Act. White Star insisted that they were 2nd class passengers and not covered by the act. As well Black Brothers inLiverpool completely abdicated their responsibility to the musicians and declared that the families should seek redress from the insurer. But the insurer claimed they were passengers working as independent contractors and were using Blacks as therebooking company. The families finally went to court and the decision rendered was they were passengers working as independentcontractors not employees. Even when the Musicians Union made an appeal to the White Star Line saying the men had performed an actof heroism, the Shipping Line did not relent. In the end the Titanic Relief Fund saved the families, which was an umbrella organization for worldwide charities. The White Star Line haddemonstrated an appalling lack of gratitude to the musicians.

  Line top, from left to right: Georges Krins, Wallace Hartley, Roger Bricoux

Center Lin: left to right: Theodore Brailey, Percy Taylor,JohnWoodward

Bottom Line: Fred Clarke, John Hume.

  REQUIEM FOR THE MUSICIANS

  The military refrain “Ours is not to question why, ours is to but to do or die” echoes throughout the disaster of the Titanic and the response made by Wallace Hartley and the orchestra. Conventional wisdom would tell us it was plain suicide to stand on the boat deck playing while others sought to save themselves. In discussing what took place at the turn of the last century itis a far cry from today‘s world. Gallantry was not always the domain of the soldier. The official gallantry award system for acts of heroism at sea has evolved since 1854. Noble acts of heroism at sea often took place and were rewarded with a civilianGallantry medal. The orchestra members were performing in an atmosphere of chaos, well above the call of duty.

The idea of playing music to calm fears and for people to move inan orderly fashion in the face of danger was recognized long before the Titanic disaster. John Philip Sousa the American bandmaster was called upon at various times with his band to quiet down unruly crowds during his outdoor concerts by playing one of his dazzling marches. Bands and orchestras playing for dancing would often break up drunken brawls by breaking into national anthems. The idea that the passengers on the Titanic were lulled into a false sense of security by the band playing ragtime and that more of them might have been rescued as has been recently presented may have some merit. We must draw our ownconclusions from the turmoil that took place during the last terrible moments of the demise of the Titanic. The legend of the Titanic band continues to this day. Their devotion to duty has made them immortal.

No one will ever know what was in Wallace Hartley’s mind or that of his musicians. Earlier in his career he told a friend what he might play if a ship he was on was sinking but he never alluded to the fact that he would remain until the bitter end. The course he took cannot be measured in words; it is the deed that really counts, purely and simply an act of valour. A newspaper at the time of the catastrophe reported “the part played by the orchestra on board the Titanic in her last dreadfulmoment will rank among the noblest in the annuls of heroism at sea.”

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Bibliography: There are several works from which information was reviewed; thislist is by no means the complete list.

Books:

Titanic and Illustrated History - Don Lynch

Unsinkable-The Full Story -Daniel Allen Butler StackploleBooks-1998

A Night to Remember-Walter Lord -Hold, Rinehart and Winston-1955

The Night Lives On-Walter Lord -Charnwood -1999

Titanic Halifax-A Guide to Sites -Alan Jeffers and Rob Gordon1998

The \Titanic Song Book-Mel Bay Presents-Collection by IanWhitcomb 1997

The Sinking of the Titanic Eyewitness Accounts-Edited Jay HenryMowbray-Dover Publications -1998

Titanic-Simon Adams--Eyewitness Books -1999

Building the Titanic-Rod Green -Readers Digest Books 2005

The Birth of the Titanic -Michael McCaugan-1998

Story of the Titanic-Illustrations by Steve Noon-Written by Dr DrEric Kentley-DK Publishing 2001

Titanic Conspiracy-Robin Gardiner and Dan Van Der Vat-CitadelPress 1995

The Story of the Titanic as told by Survivors -edited by JackWinocour -Dover Publications reprint 1960

On Board the Titanic Edited by Logan Marshall-DoverPublivcations-2006

The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa -Paul Bierley Universityof Illinois Press-2006

Video

The Titanic Videos 1 and 2 A and E Television Network 1994

Newspaper Accounts:

The London Sketch

The New York Times

The London Daily Mail

Toronto Globe

Internet

Titanica -The Encyclopedia of the Titanic