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A Short History of Music and Music Education in Hamilton
In 1888 the Hamilton Musical Institute was formed by D.J. O'Brien. Prior to this, musical instruction was carried out in private educational institutions such as the Wesleyan Ladies College or Loretto College. Public schools also offered some musical instruction as part of their curriculum. The institute was renamed the Hamilton College of Music in 1889 and remained in operation until 1899 when the property at Main and Charles streets became the new home of the Hamilton Conservatory of Music. This music school had been founded in 1897 by C.L.M. Harris while acting as organist-choirmaster at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Hamilton. In 1904 the Conservatory was incorporated and moved to James St. S. Musical instruction has taken place almost continuously at this address ever since. In 1906, affiliation with the University of Toronto allowed the conservatory to prepare its students for the Batchelor of Music degree granted by that institution with 'disaffiliation' occurring in 1918 when the conservatory set up its own system of examinations.
Over the next six decades the conservatory thrived. Student enrollment expanded into the thousands and several branches of the school were opened throughout the city and within other communities in Southern Ontario. The conservatory received a royal charter in 1965 and was renamed the Royal Hamilton College of Music. Sadly the College closed in 1980 due to financial problems.
In 1997 after 17 long years, the beautiful old structure on James St. S. was reopened as the Hamilton Conservatory of the Arts and once again offers music instruction along with art, performance and dance.
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Hamilton has a rich history of musical performance from its' earliest days with many concerts, festivals and pantomimes featuring local talent as well as guest musicians and singers. In the early 19th century, Hamilton had an abundance of good music and good musicians but as the city was "almost entirely populated by people from the British Isles, where a singing tradition always has been strong" , a lot of the music presented was of a vocal and choral nature.
However, Hamilton possessed a wealth of military bands and talented church organists where the seeds of rich instrumental musical tradition were sown.Often musically inclined individuals and families dominated the music scene as both performers and teachers. Names like Littlehale, Stares, Nelligan, Carey, Robinson, Aldous, Ambrose and Hewlett are frequently mentioned in any discussion of Hamilton's musical past.
G. Roy Fenwick, Some Musical Memories, 1964 Wentworth Bygones, No. 6
Musical Organizations
13th (Royal Regiment Bugle Band) Battalion Band (1866)
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (1903), formed by Harry Stares
Bach Choir (1932), formed by Graham Godfrey
Bach Elgar Choir (1946)
Canadian Orpheus Male Choir (1977), formed by Lyn Harry
Chamber Music Hamilton (2000)
ChamberWORKS (1993)
Czech Quartet
Dofasco Male Chorus (1945)
Elgar Choir (1905) , founded by Bruce Carey
East Hamilton Conservative Club Brass Band
East Hamilton Progressive Association Band
Fred Purser and the Washingtons
Hamilton All-Star Jazz Band (1984)
Hamilton Chamber Music Society (1951-1977)
Hamilton Choral Society (1883) , later known as the Hamilton Philharmonic Society
Hamilton Duet Club (1889 - ) founded by Ellen Ambrose
Hamilton Firefighters Drum Corps (1961)
Hamilton Male Quartet
Hamilton Musical Union
Hamilton Orchestral Society (1884)
Hamilton Orchestral Club (1885), founded by J.E.P. Aldous
Hamilton Opera Company (1898)
Hamilton Operatic Society (1926)
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (1949 - 1996), (2000-)
Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (1965)
Hamilton Symphony Orchestra (1900)
Hamilton Conservatory of Music (1897-1965)
Handel Society
Harlequin Singers (1967), founded by Marilyn Alex
Harris Orchestral Club (1887), founded by C.M. Harris
Harry Waller and his Orchestra
John Laing Singers (1981)
Ladies String Orchestra (1908-)
McMaster Chamber Orchestra
Mendelssohn Society
Opera Hamilton (1980)
Ron Wicken Band
Royal Hamilton College of Music (1965-1980)
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Band (1866)
Sacred Harmonic Society
Sons of Temperance (1851)
Stelco Male Chorus (1941), formed by Cyril Hampshire
Te Deum Orchestra & Singers
Third Canadian Machine Gun Brigade Band
Vox Nouveau Singers (1990)
Waddington Venetian Orchestra
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Early Venues
In the nineteenth century most musical performances took place in the larger churches of the city or in the concert hall located on the top floor of the Mechanics Hall on James St. N. In 1880, the Grand Opera House with a capacity to seat 1100 people was opened also on James St. N. and provided the city with a "proper auditorium for theatrical and musical presentations". Other early venues were the auditorium of the YMCA, the Masonic hall and larger school halls.
In1973 a new concert hall, Hamilton Place was officially opened, part of the city Hamilton's massive urban renewal project, the hall seats 2193 and has been a popular venue in Southern Ontario ever since.
During the era of the big band, Hamilton was a destination for many of the top North American bands as well as local talent, like the Wally Mack Orchestra. Many of these later venues are also found here.
Association Hall (top of YMCA) 1889-1914
The Alexandra - James St. S. (1906 - 1964)
Duke's Lounge - Royal Connaught Hotel
Grand Opera House - James St. N. - opened in 1880
Mechanics Hall - James St.
Brant Inn, Beach Blvd., Burlington
Duke's Lounge - Royal Connaught Hotel
Oakwood Place
Winter Gardens
The Royal
The Downstairs Club- McNab St.
The Flamingo Lounge - McNab St. S.
The Grange Tavern - King St. W.
Golden Rail - Dundurn St. S.
The Junction
The Jockey Club - Barton St. E.
St. Nick's - Barton St. E.
The Silhouette Club - corner of Main St E. and Walnut St. S.
The Sportsman Lanes and Lounge
Wondergrove - Parkdale & Main
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Famous or Fascinating
Cool Fool: Blues Rockin' The Hammer - recollections from Hamilton musician, Doug Carter of playing with the blues, rock and soul bands of Hamilton, Ontario from the early 1960's and 70's ...
CHCH TV's Tiny Talent Time
This popular program ran from 1957 to 1992 with Bill Lawrence as moderator.
Conway Twitty in Hamilton
Harold Kudlets, one of Canada's most influential talent agents in the 50's and 60's and a Hamilton native, booked Conway Twitty (Harold Lloyd Jenkins) into the Flamingo Lounge on MacNab St. in the summer of 1957. Although he got off to a slow start, Twitty was packing them in by the end of the second week. Twitty stayed in Hamilton for the next few months and wrote "It's only Make Believe' in between sets at the lounge in 1958. By the end of the year the record had gone to No.1 in the U.S. and the U.K.
Richard Newell aka "King Biscuit Boy" 1944-2003
"Newell's harmonica prowess was legendary. He was widely considered one of the best in the world, and was certainly a pioneer in the Canadian blues scene. His admirers included Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Huey Lewis and countless others. He performed with many of the greats, including Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, Etta James, The Meters, and of course, Ronnie Hawkins."
Lily Sazz, Maple Blues Magazine February 2003
Teenage Head
Teenage Head came together in the early 70's when four young guys from Westdale High School in Hamilton, Ontario decided to form a band. Gord Lewis, Frank Kerr,
Steve Mahon, and Nick Stipanitz weren't buddies, but each had a strong interest in the same type of music. By May 1978 they released their first independant single Picture My Face and quickly became part of the scene exploding in Toronto. The legendary self-titled debut album followed a year later, but despite it's "muddy" production, it turned the heads of many because it perfectly captured the spirit of the era. What's more, it showcased the band's talent as writers, with the ability to craft songs that would continue to stand the test of time; even by today's standards. And unlike many others from that era, they could perform live; and they did throughout the "new music" circuit of clubs of Southern Ontario.
Robert Ambrose (1824 - 1908)
Lyrics by Phoebe Carey
George Washington Johnson 1839 - 1917
In February of 2005 George Washington Johnson was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame for his song "When you and I were young Maggie" originally published in 1864.
George Roy Fenwick
George Fenwick was born in Hamilton in 1889, the son of Scottish soprano, Maggie Barr. He taught music in Hamilton for 37 years and was the first provincial music supervisor, becoming director of music for the Ontario Department of Education in 1935. He stayed in this post for 34 years and "advanced the cause of music through his textbooks, radio broadcasts, inspectoral visits and promotion of competitions and festivals."
The provinces first school broadcasts had begun in the early 1940's on the CBC.
" Leslie Bell prepared the scripts and Fenwick was commentator for the series 'Music for Young Folk,' designed originally for grades 7 and 8 and later for all levels - primary, junior, and senior. Paul Scherman conducted the orchestra for the early series. 'Music for Young Folk' was presented in various formats until 1964. 'Junior School Music' for grades 3 and 4 was a series that stressed vocal music, with Fenwick as host and Leo Barkin as accompanist for the soloists. As with all school broadcasts supplementary notes were distributed prior to the series to assist classroom teachers. The CBC produced all the Ontario series and broadcast them on a network of stations -15 in 1944, increased to 27 by the 1960s."
Some of George Fenwick's writings include, "The Function of Music in Education incorporating a history of school music in Ontario", 1951 and his memoirs, "Singers Upon Earth".
Gordie Tapp
Canadian entertainer Gordie Tapp was the host of Main Street Jamboree broadcast from Hamilton in the 1950's and went on to be a writer and entertainer on CBS's Hee Haw. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990 and received the Order of Canada in 1998.
Jackie Washington (1919 - 2009)
Jackie Washington, legendary blues musician was born in Hamilton in 1919. He had been performing since the age of 5 when he began with 'The Four Washington Brothers'. Over the years he has worked and played with many of the greats of the jazz and blues worlds.
Works cited in this Article
Bailey, Thomas, Hamilton Chronicle of a City, 1983
Wentworth Bygones, No.6
Hamilton Spectator
Canadian Digital Collections
Canadian Encyclopedia of Music
Carter, Doug, Cool Fool Blues Rockin' In The Hammer, 2010
