Brahe, May H. (May Hannah) (1885-1956)

Also known as
Banks, Mervyn (1885-1956)
Brahe, M. H. (May Hannah) (1885-1956)
Brahe, Mary Hannah (1884-1956)
Brahe, Mary Hannah (1885-1956)
Brahe, May (1884-1956)
Brahe, May H.
Crichton, Donald (1885-1956)
Dickson, Mary HannahMorgan, Mary Hannah (1884-1956)
Dickson, Stanley (1885-1956)
Dodd, Alison (1885-1956)
Douglas, Stanton (1885-1956)
Faulkner, Eric (1885-1956)
Fox, Wilbur B. (1885-1956)
Lovell, Henry (1885-1956)
Morgan, Mary Hannah (1885-1956)
Morgan, May H. (May Hannah) (1885-1956)
Pointer, George (1885-1956)
Field of activity
composer; music teacher; pianist
Libraries Australia
http://nla.gov.au/anbd.aut-an36055499
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-783646

Biographies

BRAHE, MARY HANNAH (MAY) (1884-1956), composer, was born on 6 November 1884 at East Melbourne, daughter of Richard Dickson, Melbourne-born cordial manufacturer, and his wife Margaret, née Dickson, formerly of Glasgow, Scotland. May, as she was known, was taught piano by her mother, and continued her studies at Stratherne Girls' School, Hawthorn. When May was 12 her mother died, and three years later, when her father's business faltered, she left school to earn a living teaching piano. She took private lessons, first with Mona McBurney, who taught her accompanying, and then with the singer Alice Rebotarro, whose training in vocal technique later helped her to compose songs that were easy to sing.

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography

May Brahe was a highly prolific Australian songwriter. Of the five hundred or more songs she composed, two hundred and ninety were published, two hundred and forty eight under her own name. Brahe learnt to play the piano from her mother, and later continued her studies at Stratherne Girls' School, Hawthorn. After her mother died and her father's business failed, she left school at age fifteen to earn a living teaching piano. At the same time she took piano and composition lessons with Mona McBurney (1862-1932) and singing with Alice Rebotarro, and began writing songs. In 1912, at the suggestion of her publishers Allan and Co., Brahe moved to London to establish herself internationally as a composer. She left her two young sons in the care of her husband and their paternal grandmother, returning to take them to England in 1914. She remained there until 1939. During the years 1916-26, when she was contracted to Enoch and Sons, Brahe published under eight pseudonymns. She claimed that using these other names allowed her more frequent publication - publishers were reluctant to publish more than four of her songs in a year. Brahe's most famous composition, Bless This House, was popularised in the 1930s by Irish tenor John McCormack. Brahe was admired by singers such as Peter Dawson and Nellie Melba. However, she composed the majority of her work with amateur performers in mind, among whom there was a high demand for simple, familiar-sounding ballads. Her success is largely ascribed to the extent she catered to 'middle-brow' tastes in music. Her lyricists, which included Helen Taylor and Dorothea Mackellar, supported this by providing appealing, sentimental rhymes. After returning to Australia in 1939, Brahe lived in semi-retirement and continued to compose, and lecture on her career. She was able to live comfortably from the royalties that her many songs attracted in printing, reprinting, and recording.

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Resources for May H. Brahe

Resources by May H. Brahe (150)

  1. Newspaper clippings
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Unpublished : 1956 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 12.953)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 12.953)

  2. Six songs for children / words and music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1954 ]
    At 3 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 8.38)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 8.38)

  3. Bless this house : song / the words by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1927-1932 ]
    View online
    At 12 libraries
    Bless this house : song / the words by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.668)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.668)

  4. Meadowsweet : song from the song-cycle for four voices 'A Pageant of Summer' / the lyric by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1922-1930 ]
    View online
    At 7 libraries
    Meadowsweet : song from the song-cycle for four voices 'A Pageant of Summer' / the lyric by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.652)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.652)

  5. Listen, Mary : song / words by Constance Wilford ; music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1937 ]
    View online
    At 10 libraries
    Listen, Mary : song / words by Constance Wilford ; music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.607)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.607)

  6. To a miniature : song from the album "Song pictures" / the lyrics by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1917-1930 ]
    View online
    At 7 libraries
    To a miniature : song from the album "Song pictures" / the lyrics by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.6)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.6)

  7. The magic wood : a juvenile cantata for school entertainments / by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1920-1951 ]
    View online
    At 9 libraries
    The magic wood : a juvenile cantata for school entertainments / by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.578)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.578)

  8. Bless this house / words by Helen Taylor ; music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1927-1955 ]
    Languages: English, No linguistic content
    View online
    At 6 libraries
    Bless this house / words by Helen Taylor ; music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.81)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.81)

  9. That's all : song / the lyric by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1924 ]
    View online
    At 8 libraries
    That's all : song / the lyric by Helen Taylor ; the music by May H. Brahe
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.728)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.728)

  10. I passed by your window / words by Helen Taylor ; music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Printed music : 1921 ]
    At University of Sydney
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.688)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.688)

More...

Resources about May H. Brahe (4)

  1. [Biographical cuttings on May Brahe, composer, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals]
    [ Published : 1900-1990 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.12)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.12)

  2. [Biographical cuttings on Mary Hanna Brahe, songwriter, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals]
    [ Published : 1900-1990 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.073)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.073)

  3. Newspaper clippings
    Brahe, May H. (May Hannah), 1885-1956
    [ Unpublished : 1956 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 13.559)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 13.559)

  4. Interview with Alec Brahe, son of ballad composer May Brahe / Interviewer: Peter Burgis
    Brahe, Alec, 1903-
    [ Sound : 1975 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.07)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.07)

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    www.statelibrary.vic.gov.au
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    • ..., Hartwig, Linke and Walker/Walliker Weberschock See: Uebergang Webster See: Niemann Wecker See: Brahe...
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  1. Star maps : history, artistry, and cartography / Nick Kanas
    Kanas, Nick, 1945-
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  1. Songs for Australian children / words by Madge Dickson ; music by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H., d. 1956
    [ Printed music : 1936 ]
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  2. Love and life : five little songs with piano accompaniment / by May H. Brahe
    Brahe, May H. (Mary Hannah), 1884-1956
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  1. Family Notices
    The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Friday 2 January 1931 p 1 Family Notices
    ... Villa Cemetery. ARMITAGE AND ARMITAGE, Funeral Directors, IIB St. John Street, Launceston. BRAME.-On ... away. (Suddenly.) CLARK.-^Suddenly, on January 1, 1931, at his son-in-law's residence (Mr. H. G. ... son of Raymond H. and Phyllis M. Clarke, of 144 Bowen Road, Lutana, aged 3 years and ll j months. ... 812 words
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    The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wednesday 9 December 1857 p 4 Article
    ... Mr. O. King. Miles, Kington, and Co., agents. December 8 - Ebba Brahe, ship, 1,760 tons, Robert ... Captain, agent. Decombor 8.-Drover, brig, 174 toUB, J. H. Lovitt, for Adolaldo, with original cargo from ... and part of original cargo, Ordor. December 8.-Ebba Brahe, fran 'Livorpool : 876 bundles iron wire, ... 2654 words
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  3. SHIPPING. ARRIVALS.
    The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933) Wednesday 14 May 1873 p 4 Article
    ... for Gladstone JSOBMI\TO\ -Departure May l8 Hannah Broomfield, »chooner, for Townsville ... Dr \\ ilhnms pronom ces to bo only fover of u typhoid typo It may bo mentioned that Mr Brahe, tho ... SHIPPING. ARRIVALS. MAY 12.-Arakoon, s, 63 tons, Ferguson, master, from the Tweed River. AT CAPE ... 4536 words
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    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.003)

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  2. Alphabetical Catalogue, Including the Additions Made from Dec. 31, 1874 to May 31, 1877
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