HAROLD STEPHEN PARSONS - By John Parsons and Barbara Gower

HAROLD STEPHEN PARSONS

Mus Bac Elder Conservatorium . Adelaide

Born 1885 Nairne Died 1973 Adelaide

Harold Parsons was born at Nairne, South Australia on 20 August 1885. He completed his education at Prince Alfred College, and commenced to study the violoncello at about 12 years of age, his first teacher being Mr Thomas Grigg of Adelaide. At the age of 14 Mr Harold Parsons entered the Conservatorium of Music at the Adelaide University ( formerly Mr Reimann's College of Music) as a student, and was placed under the tuition of Herr Kugelberg and gave his first public performance on the violoncello at the age of 13 years. In 1902 he was awarded the first Elder Conservatorium Scholarship for cello.

In 1905 Harold Parsons studied in Frankfurt with Professor Hugo Becker and returned to Adelaide in 1907 and joined the Conservatorium staff as a cello teacher.

Harold Parsons completed the degree of Bachelor of Music University of Adelaide in 1911/12

Although he was foremost remembered as a cellist, he was to spend some fifty years as a church organist, playing in his early days at Dunn Memorial Methodist, Mount Barker before his departure for Europe to continue his musical studies. On his return he was apppointed Cello Master at the Adelaide Conservatorium as successor to Herr H. Kugelberg, and in addition played organ for some seven years at Highbury Street, Prospect Methodist church. Later he followed Harold Wylde as organist at Stow Church, Dr. Davies at Kent Town Methodist and T.H. Jones at Pirie Stree Methodist where he played from 1927 to 1939.  Later, during the 1940s he was appointed to
Brougham Place Congregational where he remained for some years to complete a 50 year cycle.

Recollections of Harold Parsons by his son John Parsons

 

“The family enjoyed two free tickets front row dress circle. Mum was an invalid and was unable to attend so I was allowed occasional visits from the age of 6 11 years.

 

I remember visiting soloists such as Schnabel, Rubenstein, Edmund Kurtz, Percy Grainger and many more and sometimes with visiting conductors. Rubenstein broke several strings in the grand piano!. I went out back after the concerts and collected their autographs. I recall the Budapest String Quartet coming home and playing for Mum.

 

A great variety of gifts were sent up at the conclusion of the concert….Flowers for soloist and for the conductor, a laurel wreath of which Dad had many on the walls in his study at the Elder Conservatorium plus for Dad, always a box of Kitchener buns from an unknown admirer. These were very welcome at home! Philip Hargarave, a youthful pianist prodigy was sent a bicycle – amongst other things.

 

In his early days as Conductor Dad had trouble holding the baton during violent passages and a couple of times let it fly into the front stalls. He then devised a wrist strap attachment.

 

I can recall Percy Grainger coming home for dinner and arriving a little late

to our home in Prospect arriving with cape and hair flying in walking boots and shorts with knapsack on his back. Percy wrote a very admiring letter to Dad with a signed picture which I passed on to the state archives.

 

The orchestra’s repertoire was fairly limited and I can remember Beethoven’s Eighth symphony coming up fairly regularly.

 

Harold Parsons played the first Australian performance of the Elgar violin cello Concerto with the Adelaide Orchestra in 1927 and my sister Helen thought the first Australian performance of the Berlioz Symphony Fantastique but perhaps in fact this was the Cesar Franck Symphony in D.

 

The orchestra was always strapped for funds and I can recall Lady Bonython as being a major patron and donor as were the Duttons of Anlaby

 

I think Dad’s old friend Bill Cade took over as conductor in 1936 and Dad carried on as a leader of the cellos. Bernard Heinze was an occasional visitor from Melbourne.

 

The ABC took over in 1949 and installed Henry Krips as conductor and I do not know what happened during the WW2 years although Dad continued to play for the orchestra for many years.

 

Dad wrote a much later saga called “ My 50 years with the Organ” which is unlikely to have touched on his appointment as conductor and the ABC may still have an interview that he gave in a  series entitled “ Men in Retirement”.

 

Harold Parsons was very friendly with and helped acclimatize James Whitehead  who arrived from England to the Conservatorium around about 1957-59

 

I think Harold Parsons served as conductor of the newly formed Adelaide Orchestra from 1931 to 1935”

“

 

Frances (Francie) Solomon

studied at the Elder Conservatorium c1924-31 as a student of the cello under William Silver and Harold Parsons. She joined the Unley Orchestra in 1947 and subsequently the Norwood orchestra (of which her husband was President from 1968), playing until the early 1990s.

Documents pertaining to Frances were kindly donated to the Barr Smith Library at the University of Adelaide by her daughter Janice Gould in November 2002.  A selection from Mrs Frances Gould's printed scores and other published works included a copy of the score of César Franck's Symphony in D minor, annotated by Harold Parsons "I did the first performance of this symphony in South Australia with the S.A. Symphony Orchestra" were also presented to the Elder Music Library.

 

Archives of South Australian Orchestra (1920-35)

South Australian Orchestra (1920-35)

 

E. Harold Davies  (1867-1947) was installed as Elder Professor of Music in 1919, and on March 20th, 1920, he launched an appeal for funds to establish a South Australian Orchestra.  Many of the players for this orchestra were staff and students of the Elder Conservatorium. 


In 1921, the English bassoonist and conductor, William H. Foote, A.R.C.M., was brought to Adelaide to teach woodwind instruments and orchestral playing at the Elder Conservatorium, and to conduct the South Australian Orchestra. 


William Foote left Adelaide at the end of 1931 and was succeeded as conductor by Harold Parsons, ‘cello teacher at the Elder Conservatorium.  

 

The 1935 season included concerts which were conducted by Percy Grainger, and included the first Adelaide performances for some of Grainger’s compositions.  The South Australian Orchestra was wound up after the conclusion of the 1935 season to make way for the developing A.B.C. Studio Orchestra.  

 

THE ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

 

The Australian Broadcasting Commission established a studio orchestra in 1934, with William Cade as conductor. 

 

This small orchestra of 17 players performed light music for radio audiences, and in 1936, it was augmented for Australian Broadcasting Commission sponsored concerts and called the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. 

 

The South Australian Orchestral Association, an organisation of music-lovers, was formed in 1948 with the objective of assisting the Australian Broadcasting Commission to set up a permanent orchestra.  Henry Krips was appointed resident conductor in 1949 and the orchestra, with a full-time body of 45 players, was renamed the South Australian Symphony Orchestra.  The orchestra reverted to its original name, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in 1975.

 

-         Robert Brown

 

Booklet

G. Shirmer's Course in Contemporary Musical Biography;  'At the Fountain Head: An Australian Musician in the Old World; Mr Harold Parsons Interviewed', n.d.

 

Memoirs:  Nathan Solomon

Music

My father had an enormous love of classical music and he invited musical groups and different touring artists from all parts of the world who were visiting Adelaide. I recall such well-known musical identities as Harold Parsons, William Silver, Sylvia Whitington, and Professor Harold Davies, who was head of the Conservatorium. Harold Tideman, Maurie Moskovtiz (who was a well-known actor in America) and Leo Packer who conducted all orchestras who came to Adelaide, including Gilbert and Sullivan etc. These were some of the illustrious visitors my father invited to his musical evenings in our home.

 

ASO Heritage website

1.     Programme Notes for Town hall Concert August 11, 1934 – Conductor Harold Parsons.

2.     Grainger conducts Grainger.

 

On 11th August 1934 at the Town Hall, being the 4th concert in the series of concerts performed by the South Australian Orchestra, Percy Grainger conducted some of his pieces. They included “Handel on the Strand”, “Spoon River”, Blithe Bells, Swedish Folk Songs, Danish Folk Songs and Children’s Overture. The vocalist was Harold Tideman with Miss Sylvia Whitington as leader.

The conductor of other items (Ruy Blas Overture and Mozart and Verdi arias), during the concert was Harold Parsons.

 

3.      BREWSTER-JONES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

 

The Brewster-Jones Symphony Orchestra an accomplished fact, and the first concert is announced for Tuesday evening, April 15, in the Adelaide Town Hall. 

Mr. Brewster-Jones will conduct and Miss Sylvia Whitington is the leader of 60 distinguished instrumentalists.

 

Mr Harold S. Parsons, Mus Bac., will also appear as conductor in the “Piano concerto” by Rubinstein, which Mr. Brewster-Jones will play with orchestra.

 

The “Symphony in D minor” of Cesar Frank will be performed here for the first time. This is regarded as one of the greatest symphonies extant; and although quite a modern works, Cesar Frank made an innovation in symphony writing when he wrote an important part for the “Cor Anglais”. This gives to the “D minor symphony” a mystic effect which does not belong to other works of this order. The programme will include another composition new to Adelaide, “The nightingale suite” By H. Brewster-Jones, in which music suggestive of the immortal bird will be interpreted by Mr Gilbert, flautist. Mr John Dempster, organist, will supplement the orchestra in the great 1812 Overture (Tschaikowski) and “The bartered bride” (Smetana) will complete the programme.

 

Register, March 22, 1919

 

 

ABC Radio Interview

 

Harold Parsons  was interviewed for the radio programme “ In retirement” in 19xxxx