This is the tale of a bird that lost its song. It was on 23 October 1855 when English actress and singer, Emma Waller, stood on the stage of Sydney’s Royal Theatre and performed ‘The Bird Song’. This new Australian composition was the
work of bassoonist, composer and entrepreneur John Winterbottom (1817-1897), and copies of the song were advertised for sale in the local press to coincide with Mrs Waller’s performance. It was probably around this time that a copy of the song was given to teenager Mary Throsby (1838-1914) of Throsby Park, Moss Vale. The sheet music was later bound into a songbook belonging to Mary’s sister, Isabel (1844-1901), in the early 1860s and then forgotten. This copy of one of Australia’s early compositions was recently rediscovered at Throsby Park and is the only known copy of ‘The Bird Song’ to have survived. - MS and CF
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