Arthur Maybee Chanter was an Australian composer, conductor, music teacher, choir master and musician. An accomplished pianist and watercolorist, Chanter was among the earliest music graduates of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, where he was instructed by

George Marshall-Hall George William Louis Marshall-Hall (28 March 1862 – 18 July 1915) was an English-born musician, composer, conductor, poet and controversialist who lived and worked in Australia from 1891 till his death in 1915. According to his birth certifica ...

. In 1910 Chanter was the adjudicator of a musical Eistedfodd and band competition of an association of native-born Australians in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He married Josephine in 1902 but divorced her in 1914, taking another wife Sara Kate Campbell in 1915. He live mostly in

Brighton, Victoria Brighton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside local government area. Brighton recorded a population of 23,252 at the 2021 census. ...

and Elsternwick, but was well travelled. He advocated recording as a means to reach the working clubs and masses and was damning of the teaching methods in public schools. He retired to

Euroa Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Euroa's population was 3,275. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning 'joyful'. History Major T ...

and died 28 November 1950, and is buried in Cheltenhan pioneer cemetery.

Works

* 1898 ''The Vintner's Daughter'' or ''The Vintner of Wurgburg'', an opera in four acts * 1900 Chaucer Songs * 1901 Saltwater Jack * 1910 Valse triste : pianoforte solo * 1911 ''A Daughter of Italy'', an opera * 1912 Snow clouds : song for soprano with lyrics by Catherine Cue-Campbell * 1913 Australians all : national song and anthem / words by William Carrington * 1914 Australia my beloved land / words by Randolph Bedford * 1915 Christmas hymn * 1930 ''Sorrento'' : one act comic opera * 1930 Sun of my soul : hymn anthem * There's a woman like a dewdrop : serenade from Browning's * The buccaneer for bass voice * O worship the Lord for choir * The bountiful harvest * Take, Oh Take those lips away (from ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' by Shakespeare)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chanter, Arthur 1866 births 1950 deaths Australian conductors (music) Australian male composers 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century classical composers Australian male classical composers Australian opera composers Musicians from Melbourne 20th-century Australian male musicians 20th-century conductors (music) 19th-century conductors (music) 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Australian musicians Male opera composers People from Brighton, Victoria Burials in Victoria (Australia) University of Melbourne alumni