Titanic Piano

When reading interpretations of Titanic survivors’ accounts one needs to sift through the information carefully. Just because a survivor mentioned a performance by the band on Sunday night, it does not necessarily mean it was at the time Titanic was sinking. Here is one example: Violet Jessop, who was a First Class stewardess on Titanic,…… Continue reading Sunday Night Part I How do we interpret accounts?

The Music Scene Then and Now. In 1912 the music scene was on the eve of many transformations. At that time popular music, born of divergent cultural influences in the USA, was beginning to have an infectious appeal to audiences. Ragtime was making it big abroad, as was jazz. And yet, the music of the…… Continue reading Titanic sailed in the golden age of trained musicians

There is an art to arranging music, and it is an interesting topic to touch on considering Titanic’s repertoire was entirely arranged. Basically, music intended for one instrument or ensemble is re-written to suit the characteristics of a different instrument or ensemble. The pianist and string players on board likely did not grow up practicing…… Continue reading The art of arranging Titanic’s music

What was listed in the White Star Line MUSIC songbook? Part IV Titanic sailed at a time in music history when there were few clear lines defining musical taste. There was little distinction made between music composed by major composers who were highly recognized in the public ear, and those who were well-liked from a…… Continue reading The popular side of the WSL songbook.

What was listed in the White Star Line MUSIC songbook? Part III The word “number” as it refers to a music selection comes from books like the WSL songbook, where an ensemble’s extensive repertoire was listed by number. The audience could participate in an informal performance, making requests by calling out the numbers of the…… Continue reading Titanic’s WSL songbook – Intermezzos and Popular tunes

What was listed in the White Star Line MUSIC songbook? Part II The composers of the 1910s era we continue to cherish to this day, among them Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, Delius, Mahler and Elgar were not well represented in Titanic’s request list – only Elgar’s music appeared. It seems as though the society of the…… Continue reading Composers in Titanic’s WSL songbook – Who made the list?

If you have ever seen a karaoke list you will be able to picture the music list in the White Star Line songbook. It was a stapled booklet, small enough to carry in your purse or pocket, with a faun-colored card stock cover and off-white inside pages. There were 9 pages of numbers listed.* The…… Continue reading What was listed in the White Star Line MUSIC songbook? Part I

Did Titanic’s two bands have separate libraries? Part III The Final Performance With separate libraries, how could Titanic’s two bands have performed together on the night of the sinking? The story has always been told that the two bands came together to perform for passengers on the night the Titanic sank. From a musical point…… Continue reading Was Titanic’s last performance impacted by separate libraries?

Did Titanic’s two bands have separate libraries? Part II The matter of “separate libraries” has puzzled historians for quite a while, because it was wondered whether this meant the two bands also played different pieces. The question was asked that if the bands both played different titles then how would all eight have been able…… Continue reading Did Titanic’s bands play two different repertoires?

It has been an exciting week! While having a new blog is pretty exciting in itself, beyond that I’ve had an article published in an international piano magazine and a radio interview that went national – all in one week! And to top it off, I’m January’s feature composer in a 2012 calendar of Canadian…… Continue reading CBC Radio Interview with Rebekah Maxner