In the aftermath of the sinking of Titanic the deeds of the orchestra were well publicized. So much was said about the final piece heard moments before the Titanic sank that the focus of the press and public fell on Wallace Hartley, who had reportedly led the band in the final number. The survivors testified that they had…… Continue reading Was Jock Hume a bandmaster on Titanic?

It is an interesting and difficult proposition to reconstruct the make-up of the bands aboard Titanic. Several have tried, though under the old assumption that both bands had a pianist. Although there were six pianos on board, there was no piano in the trio’s only performance venue, the Reception Room adjoining the à la carte…… Continue reading Which musicians played in Titanic’s trio?

Ever since I began reading about music on the Titanic I’ve been perplexed about the instrumentation. At first, like most, I assumed that both ensembles had a piano. Had they both had a piano, the trio would have been a standard piano trio: Trio Possibility 1 PIANO TRIO ViolinCelloPiano Piano trio: violin, cello and piano…… Continue reading Which instruments made up Titanic’s bands?

Every photomontage of Titanic’s band lists six to eight musicians with their photos, names and sometimes with their instruments. (There were eight musicians on board, and in some publications, for various reasons, photos were simply missing.) When the story of the band’s final brave performance hit the press the public wanted to know more about…… Continue reading Titanic’s instrument list as reported by the press

The main gist of the last few posts has been to explore the likelihood that Titanic’s bands did not perform together as Titanic sank. The performance locations were quite far apart, one at the top of the forward Grand Staircase, and the other on B Deck of the aft Grand Staircase. Most passengers would have…… Continue reading When did Titanic’s bands stop playing?

The tale of Titanic’s last performance usually goes something like this: “…as the eight assembled to perform together for the first time, they risked everything for the sake of others. They played in a lounge and then at the top of the 1st Class Grand Staircase while passengers put on their lifebelts and awaited orders…… Continue reading Evidence that Titanic’s trio played separately during sinking

Titanic had a “saloon orchestra” of three men, and a “deck band” of five, according to Charles Black. He was one of the brothers who formed C. W. & F. N. Black, the agency that had hired the bandsmen and handled all musical matters pertaining to the voyage. After the sinking the public and press…… Continue reading Did Titanic’s bands play together as RMS Titanic sank?

After several days on Carpathia, Titanic’s passengers arrived in New York late in the evening on April 18, 1912. Wireless messages from the ship had been limited, so this was the first time survivors had the chance to tell their stories of the disaster. The press sought interviews (or made them up), and letters written…… Continue reading Where did Titanic’s quintet play during the sinking?

Titanic’s bandsmen would have just returned to their berths from their regular Sunday night performances. Perhaps they were counting and dividing tips, filing away their sheet music, preparing for bed. At the stern of the ship on the starboard side of E Deck the members of the quintet would have felt and heard the impact…… Continue reading April 15, 1912: Was Titanic’s band ordered to play?

Until the morning of Sunday, April 14, 1912, Titanic’s two Dining Saloon pianos had stood silent. As the dinner hour was the band’s downtime, the pianos in the First and Second Class Dining Saloons had not yet been played. Although it has been depicted in movies that the band played during dinner, this was not…… Continue reading April 14, 1912: Sunday’s music on board Titanic