Australian Heritage Series

 Mirrie Hill (1889-1986)

45 piano solos for elementary level, composed between 1945 and 1973. 

Mirrie Hill contributed greatly to Australian music as a pianist, composer, teacher, and examiner. In her 76 years as a composer Mirrie wrote approximately 554 compositions many of which were published. 

Mirrie Hill’s undeniable specialty was in writing pedagogical works for children which were both educative and enjoyable to play. She always captured the imagery of the title extremely well in the material she used. This is especially relevant in the shorter and very simple works but also in those more difficult compositions for higher grades. In this volume there are many previously unpublished works as well as those composed quite early in her life when she would have been able to perform the works herself. On the unpublished works there is rarely a composition date and the date on the published works is presumably attached to publication and not composition.

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume.

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 10:  Mirrie Hill

Download samples of each piece

•  Sample pages of each work

• The Goblin’s Dance
• Green Grasshopper (1958)
• Dancing Slippers (1948)
• A Moonlight Dance (1953)
• Bell-Birds (1952)
• Jolly Jack Tar (1945)
• Sea Magic (Seven pieces for Piano)
•     March of the Blue Crabs
•     On the Beach
•     Dancing Sun
•     The One Who Makes that Creepy Sound
•     The Lap of the Little Waves
•     Shell Folk
•     Old Man Surf
• Three Highland Tunes
•     The Merry Making
•     The North Hunt Dance
•     Laddie With the Jet-Black Hair
• Engines (also called Machinery)
• Dancing (On a Pentatonic Scale)
• Fun on a Scale
• The Dream Time
• Honeybees
• Hurry-Skurry
• Men on the Moon
• Minuet
• Sad Little Ant
• I Like Dancing
• Happy Swaggie (1948)
• Mister ‘Roo (1948)
• The Jacobite War Song
• Jolly Jig
• My Pet Lost
• Leaping Frogs
• Dance of the Cunning Mouse (1973)
• Willie Wagtail (1952)
• March of a Robot (1973)
• Happy Time
• Sunday Eve
• Trains Come and Go
• Happily, Flows the Creek
• Quarrel of the Two Hands
• To Beauty in a Leaf
• Here Comes a Sailor
• Waltzing Matilda (1950) Marie Cowan arr. Mirrie Hill
• Bonny Ho! (1973)
• Blue-Tongue Lizard (1952)

ISMN 9790720231969
$35.00 for instant PDF download    

Mirrie Hill (1889-1986)

58 piano solos for beginner level, composed between 1919 and 1978 

Mirrie Hill contributed greatly to Australian music as a pianist, composer, teacher, and examiner. In her 76 years as a composer Mirrie wrote approximately 554 compositions many of which were published. 

Mirrie Hill’s undeniable specialty was in writing pedagogical works for children which were both educative and enjoyable to play. She always captured the imagery of the title extremely well in the material she used. This is especially relevant in the shorter and very simple works but also in those more difficult compositions for higher grades. In this volume there are many previously unpublished works as well as those composed quite early in her life when she would have been able to perform the works herself. On the unpublished works there is rarely a composition date and the date on the published works is presumably attached to publication and not composition.

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume.

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 10:  Mirrie Hill

Download samples of each piece

•  Sample pages of each work

• Six Pianoforte Pieces for Little Children (Mirrie Solomon) (1919)
•     After School
•     Little Waltz
•     Rain Drops
•     Grief and Hope
•     In the Time of a Minuet
•     The Soldiers March Along
• Child fancies 1 (1935)
•     Waltz
•     Gavotte
•     Raindrops
•     The Sad Doll
•     The Rippling Waters
•     Flowers in the Breeze
•     The Fairies Minuet
•     The Big Black Spider
•     March of the Toy Soldiers
• All in a Day: seven easy solos (1950)
•     Good Morning
•     The Swing
•     When I Wander
•     Dancing Feet
•     Come Riding
•     Daddy Long-Legs Takes a Walk
•     Good Night
• Come into My Garden (1955)
•     Nodding Grasses
•     Pansy Faces
•     My Climbing Bean
•     The Goldfish Pond
•     Midnight Prowls
• Advertisements: a series of four tuneful pieces for young pianists (1959)
•     Red Eagle
•     He Scampers Away
•     Little White Pony
•     Sailing around Australia
• Round About (Six Easy solos) (1965)
•     The Clock
•     Little Black Ant
•     Cracker Night
•     Mr. Bandicoot
•     A Maori Tune
•     Moreton Bay
• Fun in the Sun and three other pieces (1971)
•     Fun in the Sun
•     The Worm that Wriggled.
•     Possum Scampers
•     Dancing on the Sand
• Jolly wallaby and three other pieces
•     Jolly Wallaby
•     Bush Sunset
•     The Trees are Dreaming
•     The Owl that Blinked (1971)
• Merry Romp (1973) 77
• The Two Frogs (1973) 78
• Up and Down (1973) 80
• Saturday (1973) 82
• Child fancies 2 (1978)
•     Mia-ow (That is my cat’s name)
•     Here comes a Sailor
•     Puppy, in Search of a Home
•     The Jolly Companions
•     Dream–Time Song
•     That Nippy Crab
•     Two Voices Sing
•     Jumpity Creatures
•     Chords and Bells

ISMN 9790720231976
$35.00 for instant PDF download     

Mirrie Hill (1889-1986)

9 piano duets - preliminary to second grade level.

Mirrie Hill contributed greatly to Australian music as a pianist, composer, teacher, and examiner. In her 76 years as a composer Mirrie wrote approximately 554 compositions many of which were published. 

Mirrie Hill’s undeniable specialty was in writing pedagogical works for children which were both educative and enjoyable to play. She always captured the imagery of the title extremely well in the material she used. This is especially relevant in the shorter and very simple works but also in those more difficult compositions for higher grades. In this volume there are many previously unpublished works as well as those composed quite early in her life when she would have been able to perform the works herself. On the unpublished works there is rarely a composition date and the date on the published works is presumably attached to publication and not composition.

In the volume most are arrangements of folk tunes or popular melodies.  Summer Shower seems to be the only original composition. The duets had all been previously published and there is only the publication date, not the arrangement or composition date available.

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume.

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 10:  Mirrie Hill

Download samples of each piece

•  Sample pages of each work

• Fantasy on “Botany Bay”
• The British Grenadiers
• Lullaby (Brahms)
• Nowell
  
• Ye Banks and Braes
• Pipe Reel
• Three Nice Mice
• Summer Shower
• All Through the Night

ISMN 9790720231983
$30.00 for instant PDF download      

13 piano solos from 1932 to 1966 are represented in this collection and includes  biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each piano composition, the scores and a recording by Jeanell Carrigan of all works in the hard copy.

Hesse’s compositional output almost completely consists of piano compositions which are mostly pedagogical works written for juveniles. Many of these were utilised by the AMEB and were almost all published.Original publishers included Augener, Allans, Leeds, Palings and Nicholson’s. Hesse being an experienced teacher knew which elements to exploit in her compositions to instruct students in the best technical methods.

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume which also includes a CD of all the works.

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 2(a): Marjorie Hesse

• Sample pages of each work

•  All Suddenly the Wind Comes Soft(1932)
•      https://youtu.be/EcVJFBnHz9o
• The Piper (1936. Originally published 1939)
•      https://youtu.be/JW9zwQwocA0
•  Twilight(1937)
•  Romance (1947)
• Jollity (1948)
• Valse Gracieuse (originally published 1950)
• Rustic Dance (1957)
•      https://youtu.be/VwSx4PmMqgU
• Country Jig (1957)
•      https://youtu.be/A0KF3gehYAQ
• The Ballerina (originally pub. 1961)
• La Pastourelle(originally pub. 1961)
• Sonatina (1966)
•    https://youtu.be/Oo7szDE_0Fc
• Scherzo and Trio
•        https://youtu.be/15evvW4GEuw
• Rondo
•      https://youtu.be/NXrx1DWvgg0

ISMN 9790720226675
$35.00 for instant PDF download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080); Reverie (Wirr 106)

Marjorie Hessie

41 pieces for solo piano  are represented in this collection and includes  biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each piano composition and the scores.

Marjorie Hesse was a performer, but like many performers earned the bulk of her income from teaching, and later examining, piano students. The bulk of her compositions are for students – mainly those she taught herself - and those works are dedicated to individuals by name. She wrote for students of different levels of attainment and her works all had a pedagogical focus. The focus was sometimes a technical one but often was aimed at increasing musical or tonal awareness. The works in this volume have been ordered by difficulty level beginning with the very basic works for piano.

Volume 2(b): Marjorie Hesse

• Ten Busy Fingers (1959);  Preliminary grade
• At Play (1937; This and That (c.1982); When we were very Young; Growing Up (1936) 2nd - 3rd grades
  
• Playtime 3rd - 4th grades
• Skipping Suite; Eight Piano Solos (1973) 4th - 5th grades

ISMN 9790720226682
$35.00 for instant PDF download 

Marjorie Hessie

5 pieces for piano duets are represented in this collection and includes  biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each piano composition and the scores

Volume 2(a): Marjorie Hesse

• Sample pages of each work

ISMN 9790720226699
$25.00 for instant PDF download 

Katharine "Kitty" Parker (1886-1971)

7 piano solos composed between 1925 and 1936).

The compositions for piano number only seven works. There are the Four Musical Sketches – A Patchwork of Shadows, Down Longford Way, The Red Admiral and One Summer Day, of which Down Longford Way has been the most successful; A Water Colour and Nocturne, published in 1925;[ and the Arc-en-Ciel, otherwise known as a ballet waltz for piano.  Arc-en-ciel would lend itself very well to being orchestrated, as it is a work with dense harmony and several waltz sections, while Nocturne and A Water Colour are exquisite examples of piano writing of the 1920s. Nocturne is similar in style to that of John Field or Fauré and explores the timbre and colour of the piano wonderfully.

The piano works are absolutely exquisite to play. All use chromatic, late romantic harmony and are technically and musically demanding. They are delightful sketches which create visual images of the titles and can be used to develop sensitivity and tonal awareness.

This volume  contains biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each piano composition, the scores and recordings.
Included is a recording by Jeanell Carrigan of all works in the hard copy volume.

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 3 - Kitty Parker

• Sample pages of each work

• Four Musical Sketches for Piano (1928):
•     A Patchwork of Shadows                       
  
•     Down Longford Way                 
  
•     One Summer Day   
  
•     The Red Admiral               
• A Water Colour (1925)                      
• Nocturne (1925)                    
• Arc-en-ciel (1936)     

ISMN 9790720226491
$30.00 for instant PDF download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' all of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080); Reverie (Wirr 106)

Una Bourne (1882-1974)

23 piano solos from 1897 (aged 5 years) to 1927 are represented in this collection and includes biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each piano composition, the scores and a recording by Jeanell Carrigan of all works in the hard copy.

“The distinction of Miss Una Bourne’s playing seems to lie in the fact that the imagination and thought by which she has formed her musical conceptions is perfectly expressed in her technique.”

“As a pianist Una Bourne plays with her mind and her brain and her heart, as well as her fingers and is the most perfect concert artist to ever grace a concert platform”

The above quotes describing the wonderful musicianship and deft technique of Una Bourne are echoed in every account, suggesting that she certainly must have been an exceptional musician and pianist.

Unpublished piano solos also found in the archives include three more difficult works:
Valse Lente (unpublished)
Menuet (unpublished)
Papillons (unpublished)

Researched and edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 4: Una Bourne

• Sample pages of each work

• In my Mother’s Garden
•    The Hollyhock
•    Purple Pansies
•    The Red Rose
•    The Violet
•    Waterlilies
•    Trees
• Valse Lente
• Menuet
  https://youtu.be/BBKhlxZiEtA
• Papillons
• March Grotesque (originally published 1922)
• Nocturne (originally published 1926)
• Humoresque (originally published 1927)
• By Sunny Streamlet (originally published 1927)
• Two Impressions No. 1 (originally published 1927)
• Two Impressions No. 2 (originally published 1927)
• Gavotte
• Wiegenlied (Cradle Song)
  https://youtu.be/L40Jce-l8Nc
  
• Petite Valse-Caprice

ISMN 979072022705
$35.00 for instant PDF download 

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080) and  Reverie (Wirr 106)

Esther Kahn (1877-1962)

23 piano solos from 1894 to 1949 are represented in this collection and includes  biographical notes about the composer, editorial and performance notes about each work, the scores and a recording by Jeanell Carrigan of all works in the hard copy.

As one of the first music therapists in Australia, Esther Kahn’s music was very successful in the treatment of her patients and as music therapy was fundamentally important to her as a composer it is possible to understand why her compositions have been written in the style in which they exist. The piano works are very formally structured – mostly in a basic ternary form with some of the waltzes in rondo form. They stay within a tonal structure of tonic and dominant keys with the contrasting sections almost always in a dominant or relative major/minor key. The phrases are always of a symmetrical length – either two, four or eight bar structures. As Esther’s pieces were written to be played by a pianist of her, or her students’ technical standard, they are of a medium to challenging level of difficulty without pandering to pedagogical compromises.

Level of difficulty - intermediate to advanced

Researched, edited and recorded by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 5: Esther Kahn

• Sample pages of each work

Audio sakmples and YouTube links:

• Improvisata (originally published 1894)  https://youtu.be/lMtWmxybL_Q
  
• Birthday Thoughts (originally published 1894)   https://youtu.be/qtrSgsoZPMg
• Intermezzo no. 1 (Morceau de ballet) op. 25 (1906)  https://youtu.be/JCSLx6sqaRA
  
• Xmastide (1910)  https://youtu.be/JeVp2woNxVA
  
• Coronation Waltz (1911) https://youtu.be/oXlq2EhT4Tw
  
• Day Dreams - a Waltz (1911) https://youtu.be/-VyCmxU8cSw
  
• Valse de fées (Morceau de salon)   https://youtu.be/wwrpuXU2jFg
• Intermezzo no. 2 (Echo) op. 30  https://youtu.be/HRyjSGCZy8A
• Sweet Idleness entr’acte (1913)  https://youtu.be/FbD5qLCbSWQ 
  
• Hush Song (1914)  https://youtu.be/JQEGr3FQsRE
  
• Barcarolle (1914)  https://youtu.be/Tys_ek8SRH0
  
• En avant. Marche Militaire   https://youtu.be/7hhP7IW4_fU
• Powder and Patches Gavotte (1919)  https://youtu.be/ObVLY1Y8oNQ
  
• Valse Brillantè in E Major (1921)  https://youtu.be/MYCr85hxUWg
  
• The Watermill (1922)
• Spring Song (1924)  https://youtu.be/Et4Rj-jmQsI
  
• ‘Midst Heather and Wattle (1949)
• Slumberland – Josef Kretschmann (arr. Esther Kahn)  https://youtu.be/bFQ5f797Pl8
• Memories of Youth: Five graded piano solos (1936)
•    Minnows
•    A Half Holiday
•    Hide and Seek
•    Columbine
•    A Mozart Impression
• 
  

ISMN 9790720227405
$35.00 for instant PDF download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080);  Forest Magic (Wirr109)

Esther Rofe (1904 - 2000)

14 piano solos composed between 1927-1938

By all accounts Esther Rofe was a “character,” a “battler”. A prodigiously talented child she showed determination and resolve in all that she undertook. Rofe considered herself a narrative composer. She was inspired by the fact that her father had about two thousand books and she always was an avid reader.

Like many of her contemporaries Rofe studied composition and orchestration with Fritz Hart and A. E. Floyd. She had started writing music at about age seven, her first composition was written about a storm, though there was not much opportunity to study composition in Melbourne at that time for a child. Her teacher, Harold Smith, helped her with harmony and counterpoint and her mentor Alberto Zelman gave invaluable advice about orchestration and arranging. From approximately aged nineteen Rofe took private theory lessons from Dr A. E. Floyd organist and choirmaster at St Paul's Cathedral. When she was fourteen Rofe joined the second violins of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under direction of Alberto Zelman. Rofe had the opportunity to play with some great artists of her time as a member of the violin section, including Una Bourne, Dame Nellie Melba and Mischa Elman.

Level of difficulty:  mostly intermediate grades

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume which also includes a CD of all the works.

Researched, edited and recorded by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 6: Esther Rofe

• Sample pages of each work

• Three Part Invention (1927)
      https://youtu.be/SHrxE4y97Co
  
• Fugue in Four Voices (1927)
      https://youtu.be/1DVN5yKDFCw
  
• Choral Prelude II (1927)
      https://youtu.be/q52EpUbC_hU
  
• Miniature Variations on a Theme in A minor (1927)
  
• Miniature Variations (1927)
     https://youtu.be/fwJ-PFmNeFc
  
• Echo di Vienne (no date)
• Pro-Tem Suite. Little Suite for the Left Hand
•    1.  Prelude
          https://youtu.be/AVqPEX7-0YM
•    2.  Dance
          https://youtu.be/ZuCjvWa8fgk
•    3.  Chorale (1937)
          https://youtu.be/QsDBb-fIrKg
  
• Pierrette at Court (1938)
• The Island (1938 rev. 1993)
• Jester (1962)
      https://youtu.be/fpWJ3WPCmWM
  
• Für Else (1989)
      https://youtu.be/5IkkF__Rr1o
  
• Londonderry Air (Traditional arranged by Esther Rofe)
      https://youtu.be/1W5G7CSA_0w
  

ISMN 9790720227672
$35.00 for instant PDF download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080); Reverie (Wirr 106); Sea Impressions (Wirr108)

 Linda Phillips (1899 - 2002)

19 piano solos composed, mostly previously unpublished.

The piano music of Linda Phillips reflects her character. It is energetic, encouraging for the performer and full of charisma, with clear and strong melodic lines. Many works reflect her cultural heritage and, though mostly composed diatonically, exploit Hebrew scales and Middle Eastern flavours.

Linda Phillips describes herself as moderately modern and similar to Samuel Barber in that it has a "between the wars lyricism".

More comprehensive biographical notes are within the volume which also includes a CD of all the works.

Researched, edited and recorded by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 7: Linda Phillips

• Sample pages of each work

Audio samples and and YouTube links

• The King’s Pageant
• https://youtu.be/vcugNiLVxtQ
• Cleopatra on the River Cydnus
• https://youtu.be/WmoZSI2ewl4
• Hushed is my Garden
• Kuma Echa: Rise, O Brethren!
• Palestinian Polka
• https://youtu.be/Rff9iIvI4DE
• Monotone
• https://youtu.be/mzmeT4EW3Qo
• Ballet Pictures: The Spanish Gypsy
• https://youtu.be/Y6ttIF8LT-Y
• Ballet Pictures: Old Gavotte 
•  https://youtu.be/Jku8KnkNfjo
• Russian Dance
• https://youtu.be/T8FAE0O5tYE
• Danse Orientale
• https://youtu.be/VqXJPFW1b38
• The Rainbow
• https://youtu.be/JZZyYyPzPjs
• Australian Bird Life: A tone poem in three parts
• Dawn
• Flight
• Return at Sunset
• Sea Impressions (in three movements):
• Waves
• Dancing Sunlight
• Mermaid and Harp
• Butterflies (originally published by Augener, 1958)
• Noon (originally published by Augener, 1958

ISMN 9790720227641
$35.00 for instant PDF download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs: Nostalgia (Wirr080); Reverie (Wirr 106); Sea Impressions (Wirr108); Forest Magic (Wirr109)

Frank Hutchens (1892-1965)

This previously unpublished solo piano piece for advance grade was only recently discovered and is supplementary to The Composers' Series of Frank Hutchen's Volume 8(a) for advanced students. c.2'15.

Edited by Jeanell Carrigan

Volume 8: Frank Hutchens

• Mirage
  

ISMN 9790673144477

 $10.00 PDF instant digital download

As part of 'The Composer's Series' many of these works have been recorded by Jeanell Carrigan on a CDs:  Sea Impressions (Wirr108); Forest Magic (Wirr109)