Lyrebird Rising: Louise Hanson-Dyer of Oiseau-Lyre, 1884-1962Lyrebird Rising is a study of the extraordinary life of Louis Hanson-Dyer (1884-1962), which began in the Melbourne of the Land Boom and ended in Grace Kelly's Monaco. Born into a wealthy family - her father was a parliamentarian and controversial doctor - Louise developed her interest in music early, and used her wealth (augmented by marrying a man 25 years her senior) to advance the arts in Melbourne. She assisted the poet Shaw Neilson and underwrote musical ventures, but increasingly felt the tug of Europe. In 1932, in Paris, she established Editions de l'Oiseau-Lyre (Lyrebird Press), and as a music publisher set about reviving baroque and medieval music, in rare editions notable both for their scholarship and sumptuousness. Later (assisted by a second husband, 25 years younger) she began to make discs to illustrate these editions. From that original idea the recording venture grew and grew: in 1950 Louise made the first long-playing records in Europe, and by the time she died Oiseau-Lyre was a famous label, putting out some of the earliest recordings by such people as Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and Dame Janet Baker. Lyrebird Rising re-creates the ambience of Melbourne in the twenties, Paris in the thirties, and London in the fifties; it also discusses expatriatism, explores the paths open to a dynamic woman at the time, and examines the changes in musical taste that were set in motion by the rise of musicology, radio, and the gramophone record. |
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Alberto Zelman Alliance Française Anthony Lewis appeared Atyeo Australian Bernard Heinze British Music Society Brunold Carey catalogue century Clarinet Clive Carey composer concert Conservatorium contemporary Couperin Decca Désormière disc Disques Dyer early music edition England English EOO-L Flute France François François Couperin French Fritz Hart Gengoult Gerlin Gramophone Gustav Holst Handel Hanson harpsichord Herald hschd Imogen Holst J. S. BACH Jimmy Burnett July June Kinnoull later LaTL LBMD LBMD & JBH LBMD to Sybil letter London Louis Louise and Jeff Louise's Lully Lyrebird M. E. Smith major Melba Melbourne Milhaud motets MOZART musicians musicologists Oboe Oiseau-Lyre opera Orch orchestra Oubradous Paris performance piano pieces playing programme Prunières published Purcell recording Rokseth Schrade seemed Sept singer Sonata songs Sybil Hewett Symphony Thurston Dart told Trio voice volume Whittaker wrote Zelman