Dear Peter, Thank you very much for this information. I am embarrassed that it was Nottingham where Shand was attacked. I live in Nottingham, aware that the city now has one of the worst reputations for violence in the whole of Great Britain.
One of the two books I have of guitar music by Shand is _Ernest Shand's Guitar Solos_ (London; Barnes & Mullins, n.d.). On the back cover he is given a vote of confidence by the publisher: "Mr. Shand has long been known as one of the foremost Guitarists in this country, and at the present time the leading writer for his instrument." The compliment is returned by Shand on page 16, where "Gaily the Troubadour" is dedicated "To Messrs Barnes & Mullins". Other dedications are for a "Tsigane", dedicated "To my friend ARTHUR FROANE Esq.", and a "Funeral Martch" dedicated "To the memory of the late Mdme. Sidney Pratten". There is also a "Mazurka Russe". Maybe that's what he should have played in Nottingham, instead of singing that patriotic song. Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:05 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: [LUTE]Madame Robert Sidney Pratten, Victorian guitar virtuosa > Details pertaining to the lives of both Madame Pratten and Ernest Shand > appear in Stewart Button's 1984 dissertation "The Guitar in England 1800-1924" > (University of Surrey) published by Garland in 1989. > > Shand was the pen name of Ernest William Watson, born in Hull in 1868. He > studied guitar with Madame Patten from roughly 1888 until her death in 1895. > Unfortunately, Button says nothing about Shand's stage career other than to say he > was "an immediate success, and was invited to appear at all the leading > London theatres." Botton implies that Shand's stage career was made necessary by a > lack of interest by the British in guitar music. Shand may have been inspired > to the stage by his brother Sidney, who moved to Australia and "made his name > as an actor." > > Shand was clearly a singer. Botton relates how, during World War I, he had > sung a patriotic song in Nottingham "to which a Russian in the audience took > offence. The following Monday morning the Russian attacked Shand in his > dressing-room... and never recovered fully from the attack." (Shand died in 1924.) > > The Shand concerto was played by a very young Julian Bream as early as 1947. > > Pieces by Shand were republished in the summer 1993 and winter 1998 issues of > Soundboard (Guitar Foundation of America). A reproduction of the title page > of Madame Pratten's "Last Compositions of Leonard Schulz" (mentioned earlier in > this thread) appears on page 42 of the fall 1997 issue. > > Peter Danner To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
