By Mark McNeil, the Hamilton Spectator
For pictures and the full article
For decades it sat in an old desk drawer with a bunch of yellowed newspaper clippings and a Ziploc plastic bag of military badges.
No one talked about the vaguely remembered sheet music inside a tattered envelope. It was just part of some papers left behind by a long-gone family member.
But a few weeks ago Brenda Robinson got to thinking about her great, great grandfather George R. Robinson, for whom the bandshell at Gage Park is named.
The bandshell had been in the news. Vandals had stolen sections of copper from its side leaving an unsightly scar. And, unrelated to the damage, the Festival of Friends announced it wasn’t going to be using the bandshell or Gage Park anymore because the event was moving to the Ancaster Fairgrounds.
So he opened the drawer, and gently pulled out the music. The paper was tattered around the edges but the print was still very legible. The piano arrangement was published in 1879 in Hamilton and called The Leander Waltz. It was written by “G. Robinson” and “respectfully dedicated to the Leander Rowing Club.”
A few phone calls later and it became apparent that Brenda had unearthed a bit of a musical treasure of Hamilton history.
Click here to hear the piece played
George Robinson was one of Hamilton’s most famous musicians. For nearly 50 years he was bandmaster of the 13th Battalion, Royal Canadian Militia, known today as Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. He was like a rock star in his day, and was one of the city’s most recognized citizens.
When Robinson took over the band in 1869, its finances were short, its instruments worn and its performances forgettable. But through his musical skill, disciplined practice and promotional prowess, Robinson built up a military band that became toasted across Canada and the United States.
Yet the one thing Robinson was not known for — was composition. At least not until now.
“There is nothing I’ve read about him that suggests that he was a composer,” says Mike Rehill, the current director of music for the RHLI band. Rehill is recognized as an authority on Robinson, and is in the process of writing a book about the band for the 150th anniversary of the regiment next year.
“But it doesn’t surprise me that he would write this. (Robinson) was probably asked by the Leander Boat Club to do this or he had some connection to the club.”
George Gage, the current president of the Leander Boat Club, says he was not aware of the piece of music. The Leander Boat Club (formed in 1927) is a descendant of the Leander Rowing Club which operated in Hamilton the late 1800s.
Margaret Houghton, archivist with Hamilton Public Library’s local history and archive section, was unable to find any reference to the music in library files.
Neither Rehill nor Houghton are aware of any other compositions by Robinson. There are George Robinson arrangements of works written by others, such as the hymn Nearer My God to Thee, which is still performed by the RHLI band.
Rehill says there was a major fire at the Armouries in the early 1900s that wiped out all kinds of musical scores. It’s likely that fire destroyed much of Robinson’s musical possessions, and perhaps some original works by him that he dabbled with on the side.
Rehill says he plans to record the Leander Waltz with the RHLI band for a commemorative CD. The Waltz is actually written as a piano arrangement. Rehill is arranging it into a full military band arrangement.
“This is really exciting for this to come to light a year before 150th anniversary of the regiment and the month before the band starts working on the commemorative recording.”
Also interesting about the sheet music is that it was published by “P. Grossman of 49 James St. North.” Grossman was a former bandmaster of the 13th Battalion before Robinson, Rehill said.
Brenda Robinson, 44, a mother of two who lives in east Hamilton, says, “I knew I had the sheet music but I never paid that much attention to it. It was kept in a desk I inherited from my grandparents.”
When she finally got to hear the song played by RHLI pianist Adam Malseed on Sunday – in an impromptu performance arranged by The Spectator and available for viewing on The Spec’s website – she said, “It gave me goose bumps.
“It’s wonderful to be able to finally hear it after all these years.”
mmcneil@thespec.com
Lieutenant George R. Robinson at a glance
Born 1840 in Weedon Northamptonshire, England.
Died 1917 in Hamilton. Buried at Hamilton Cemetery.
*Robinson was revered as a brilliant flautist and music teacher. He led the choir at Wesley Methodist Church and Christ’s Church Cathedral.
• In 1914 he retired from active service for health reasons but continued as honorary bandmaster. He was oldest bandmaster in the colonial service.
• He was succeeded as bandmaster by his son William Francis Robinson. He and his six sons served for a combined total of 185 years in the band — a Canadian and Empire record.
•Robinson was buried with full military honours in Hamilton Cemetery.
•In July 1947, 30 years after his death, a plaque was unveiled at the newly built Robinson Memorial Bandshell in Gage Park that read: “Dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant George R. Robinson … His life was devoted to the advancement of good music and in his many tours with the band through Canada and the United States he brought great honour and desirable publicity to the City of Hamilton.”