John Henry Antill,

CMG CMG may refer to: Companies * Capitol Music Group, a music label * China Media Group, the predominant state radio and television broadcaster in the PRC * China Media Group Co., Ltd., publicly listed Chinese holding company in the media sector * ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(8 April 190429 December 1986) was an Australian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

best known for his ballet ''

Corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...

''.

Biography

Antill was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1904, and was educated and trained in music at Trinity Grammar School, Sydney and St Andrew's Cathedral School. Upon leaving school in 1920, he was apprenticed to the New South Wales Government Railways. He left the railways five years later to study full-time at the

New South Wales Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and known by the moniker "The Con") is a heritage-listed music school in Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the ol ...

under Alfred Hill. After graduation, he played in both the NSW State Orchestra and the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and firs ...

, and, from 1932 to 1934, he toured with the

J. C. Williamson James Cassius Williamson (26 August 1845 – 6 July 1913) was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company. Born in Pennsylvania, Williamson moved with his fami ...

Imperial Opera Company as a tenor and a rehearsal conductor. In 1936, he became assistant Music Editor with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC). He remained with the ABC until his retirement in 1968, having taken up the position of ABC Federal Music Editor in the meantime. His most famous work, ''

'', was first performed as a concert suite in 1946, conducted by Eugene Goossens. He based his composition on a real

corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...

, which he witnessed in 1913 at La Perouse in Sydney. He had intended the work as a ballet, but it was not performed as such until 1950. The 1950 ballet premiere, choreographed by

Rex Reid Rex may refer to: * Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title ** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom People * Rex (given name), for people with the given name * Rex (surname), for people with t ...

, of this work was hailed as a "coming-of-age" milestone in Australian cultural life,Potter, M. (2004) “Corroboree”. ''NATIONAL Library of Australia News'', March 2004 Volume XIV No. 6, pp.11-14 although to modern eyes it appears a quaint and disconcerting period piece reflecting dated views of indigenous Australia. A new version of the ballet, performed in 1954, was choreographed by American-born dancer, choreographer and writer

Beth Dean Beth may refer to: Letter and number * Bet (letter), or beth, the second letter of the Semitic abjads (writing systems) *Hebrew word for "house", often used in the name of synagogues and schools (e.g. Beth Israel) Name *Beth (given name) lists ...

who, with her Australian husband Victor Carell, spent eight months in parts of central and northern Australia to capture a more authentic understanding. The National Museum of Australia holds a large collection of costumes, props and ephemera from the Dean production. Dean and Carell also wrote a biography of John Antill titled ''Gentle Genius'', published in 1987. In 1971, Antill was appointed an Officer (OBE) of the Order of the British Empire for services to Australian music. In 1981, he was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG).It's an Honour: CMG
/ref> In 1985, the year before his death, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong.

References

Other sources

*1968, ''World Book Encyclopedia'', Australasian edition
Australian Music Centre: John Antill
*

* *
National Museum of Australia
Beth Dean collection.

External links

* Listen to an excerpt of John Antill'
'Cooroboree'
o
australianscreen online

'Cooroboree'
was added to the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

's Sounds of Australia registry in 2007
National Library of Australia News, March 2004: ''Cooroboree''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Antill, John 1904 births 1986 deaths APRA Award winners Australian male composers Australian composers Ballet composers Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at Trinity Grammar School (New South Wales) Musicians from Sydney 20th-century composers 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century Australian male musicians