George H. Clutsam

George Howard Clutsam (26 September 1866 – 17 November 1951) was an Australian pianist, composer and writer, best remembered as the arranger of Lilac Time. Clutsam published over 150 songs.

ca. 1919 portrait of Clutsam

Life

Clutsam was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His career began as a pianist, at which he had little formal training. After establishing himself in Australia and New Zealand, he moved to London in 1889, where he continued as an accompanist to various artists including fellow Australian Nellie Melba in 1893. From 1895 he increasingly moved to arrangement and composition of orchestral works and light opera.

From 1888,[1] Clutsam frequently shared the stage as pianist with Australian singer Minna Fischer,[2] who was married to Herbert Flemming but separated with two sons. They were also paired or made a threesome with Amy Sherwin at social occasions such as the Crossley–Muecke wedding.[3] Clutsam and Fischer married quietly on 12 December 1908,[4] two months after the death of Flemming.

Between 1908 and 1918 he wrote music criticism for The Observer and "The Musical Times", while continuing to compose and arrange. In 1912, he wrote a biography of Franz Schubert. Aside from his many stage works, he wrote numerous songs, including the popular "Ma Curly-Headed Babby". Later he became Vice-Chairman of the Performing Right Society. He also wrote music for the silent cinema and subsequently also composed for the "talkies".

Clutsam published under a number of pseudonyms, namely Paul Aubry, Robert Harrington, H.S. Iseledon, Georges Latour and Ch.G. Mustal. His brother, Fred Clutsam (1869–1934), was a pianist described as George Marshall-Hall's prize pupil,[5] an inventor[6] and the conductor of Melbourne's Orpheus Society.[7]

He died in London in 1951 at the age of 85.

Selected musicals and other works
  • Carnival Scenes (1895; orchestral work)
  • The Queen's Jester (1904 opera)
  • The Fool's Cap (1906 opera)
  • A Summer Night (1910; opera)
  • King Harlequin (1912; opera/masque)
  • Carmen Ballet (1912; Alhambra Theatre, based on Bizet music)
  • Young England (1916 musical)
  • A Southern Maid (1920; contributed additional music)
  • 101 original studies for the pianoforte (1920)
  • The Green Lanes of England (1920; orchestral suite)
  • Gabrielle (1921 musical, co-written with Archibald Joyce)
  • The Little Duchess (1922 play with music)
  • Lilac Time (1922 arrangement of Franz Schubert's music)
  • The Damask Rose (1929; play with arrangements of Chopin music)
  • Lavender (1930 musical)
  • Barbara; or, The Broken Sixpence (1932 comic opera)
  • Mimi (1935; film score with arrangements from Puccini's La bohème)
  • Heart's Desire (1935; film score)
  • Three Plantation Sketches (orchestral work)
  • Plantation Songs

References
  1. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 13 October 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  2. "Musical Notes". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 20 October 1894. p. 6. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  3. "The Ada Crossley-Muecke Wedding". The Observer (Adelaide). South Australia. 20 May 1905. p. 7. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  4. "Personal Notes from London". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 21 January 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
  5. "Personal". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 911. Victoria, Australia. 8 December 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "A New Piano Keyboard". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. New South Wales, Australia. 3 July 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Personal". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 911. Victoria, Australia. 8 December 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.

Sources
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