Charles Sandys Stuart Shipley Packer (1810–1883), commonly referred to as Charles S. Packer, was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

composer, born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He was a graduate of The Royal Academy of Music in London. Packer was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to penal transportation to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

in 1839 on the ship ''Mangles.'' On release, he became a successful teacher and performer In 1863, he was convicted of

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

and sentenced to five years' imprisonment in

Darlinghurst Gaol The Darlinghurst Gaol is a former Australian prison located in Darlinghurst, New South Wales. The site is bordered by Darlinghurst Road, Burton and Forbes streets, with entrances on Forbes and Burton Streets. The heritage-listed building, predom ...

with hard labour. He was accompanist to the Sydney Choral Society, of which Joseph Massey sen. was conductor, meeting at the Sydney School of Arts, and which performed the Handel oratorios

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

and

Judas Maccabaeus Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleu ...

with some success.

Works

* 1855 City of Sydney Polka * Reminiscence of the garden palace * The crown of thorns : an oratorio * The royal Charlie polka * The song of the angels * Exchange ball schottische * The captive's child : ballad * Arm! arm! : Australian patriotic song) * Little Nell : a ballad * My Johnny was a shoemaker * Lily Lee (arrangement) * Queen of the west : new ballad (orchestration) * Australia hail! Australian national hymn

Recordings

* 1999 Classical Music Of Colonial Australia - Polka Classical Music Of Colonial Australia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, Charles Sandys 1810 births 1883 deaths Australian conductors (music) Australian male composers Australian composers English emigrants to Australia Australian poets Alumni of the Royal College of Music 19th-century male musicians People convicted of bigamy