10 Facts About Titanic Musicians You Might Not Know

The story of the Titanic wants no introduction. We all have seen the well-known film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo de Caprio, and whereas a lot has been mentioned and written concerning the completely different individuals on board, a selected group of individuals—the Titanic musicians, haven’t obtained due appreciation for his or her braveness and heroism.

While everybody panicked to save lots of their lives, these Bravehearts continued to play calming tunes for the friends till the ship sank within the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

They didn’t attempt to run away or panic and went down with the ship. They weren’t troopers skilled for dealing with conditions like these; nonetheless, they made an amazing sacrifice.

In this text, we are going to talk about 10 info concerning the Titanic Musicians.

1. The Titanic Orchestra had 8 individuals

The orchestra onboard the RMS Titanic included eight individuals who carried out in two teams for a lot of the journey.

They have been Wallace Hartley, the violinist and bandleader; Cellists John Wesley Woodward, Percy Cornelius Taylor and Roger Marie Bricoux; pianist Theodore Ronald Brailey, Bassist Jon Frederick Preston Clarke; and Violinists John Law Hume and Georges Alexandre Krins.

The Titanic was carrying a few of the wealthiest passengers, and so the musicians have been to entertain them within the evenings and after dinners. They needed to know 352 songs, because the friends might request any music from the checklist supplied to the First Class Passengers.

2. Wallace Hartley led the Titanic Band

Wallace Hartley was a violinist and the music band chief onboard the Titanic. He was a well-known musician who had carried out on ships like RMS Lusitania and Mauretania. He had been part of many bands after leaving house in 1903 and was exceptionally proficient.

After being assigned to be the Titanic bandmaster, Hartley was hesitant to depart his girlfriend, Maria Robinson. He had proposed to her just lately and needed to marry her. However, he selected to go on the Titanic’s maiden voyage as he thought it could give him the specified publicity and convey in additional contracts.

His lifeless physique was recovered 14 days after the Titanic sank. Per stories, he was discovered correctly dressed together with his violin case strapped to him. His funeral procession included 30,000 to 40,000 individuals.

3. Boarded the Titanic as Second-Class Passengers

The White Star Line employed him and the opposite band members by way of the company C.W. & F.N., Black, based mostly in Liverpool, which additionally provided musicians for different cruise strains, akin to Cunard.

Earlier, the musicians have been thought of part of the crew, however after hiring by way of companies started, they have been handled as second-class passengers who boarded the ocean liner at Southampton.

The onboard bills of the 8 Titanic Musicians have been paid by the company. After the Titanic sank, it was revealed that neither the company nor the transport firm had insured them. Both events shifted the blame on the opposite.

4. Titanic Musicians carried out in two teams: a Quintet and a Trio

The band members performed in two teams till the night time the Titanic sank. Wallace Hartley led the Quinet. They often performed at tea time, after dinner, and on Sundays.

The Cello, Violin and Piano trio included Roger Bricoux, Brailey and Krins. They entertained the friends on the ship’s cafe Parisien and A La Carte Restaurant.

5. The month-to-month wage of every Titanic musician was 1 shilling

Till 1912, a number of cruise strains dealt with their musicians straight, signing them as crew members. Their pay was £6 10s. a month and a month-to-month allowance of 10s.

However, the musicians suffered after the recruiting company based mostly in Liverpool supplied cheaper contracts to steamship firms. After a while, the company provided Musicians to all ships, and the musicians needed to comply as they wanted employment.

The company paid them lower than their earlier pay. Their pay was lower to only £4, and no month-to-month allowance was given. Also, if the corporate had any points with a musician, the company eliminated them with none investigation.

The musicians suffered significantly but labored for his or her households, as these have been tough instances. The development continued till the Titanic sank. The 8 musicians onboard the Titanic have been positioned beneath the captain’s authority and stayed in cramped areas close to the potato washer on the E-Deck.

Though they have been passengers, they obtained no perks for being the identical. When the band members performed their final tunes, they behaved as members of the crew and never as passengers who ran to save lots of themselves from the inevitable.

6. Hume performed on 5 well-known ships earlier than becoming a member of the Titanic

Hume, who was born in 1890, was Scottish. Before becoming a member of Titanic’s maiden voyage, he had performed on 5 vessels, the place he earned the reward and appreciation of famend friends. This is why he was chosen to be a band member of the ship, which was thought of unsinkable.

He stepped on the Titanic on 10 April 1912 in Southampton, United Kingdom, when he was simply 21. He was a younger man who hoped to get higher alternatives after accepting the contract to play on the Titanic.

He died with out understanding that his Fiancee was pregnant. His physique was discovered by a cable restore vessel which was registered in London. The city coroner, John H Barnstead, took care of his burial within the Cemetry in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in May 1912. A memorial was additionally positioned there to honour him.

7. Assembled in First Class Lounge to play ragtime

The 8 band members arrived on the first-class lounge and performed a musical type, ragtime, to stop friends from panicking. It drastically affected individuals, and a few didn’t even rush to board the lifeboats, which have been inadequate to accommodate everybody on the Titanic.

While the ship was getting into the waters, they modified locations, and in response to 4th Officer Boxhall, they performed Alexander’s Ragtime Band round midnight within the Lounge.

There are differing opinions on whether or not they continued to play till the final or put down their devices moments earlier than the sinking.

Wireless operator Bride and Steward Brown said that they performed till the top, whereas Colonel Grace talked about they saved their musical devices down half-hour earlier than the sinking. He additionally mentioned that he noticed the devices on the deck however not the musicians.

8. The households of the Titanic musicians didn’t get any compensation

After the loss of life of those 8 courageous males, their households turned to the White Star line for monetary advantages per the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

However, the corporate mentioned the musicians have been second-class passengers and weren’t lined. They urged the households to strategy the company by way of which they recruited them, saying they have been the employers.

The company advised them to go to the insurance coverage firm, which mentioned nothing could possibly be achieved for the reason that musicians have been freelance artists who sought work by way of an company.

After months had handed, the households took the company to court docket, which declared that the musicians weren’t anybody’s workers.

The Union of the musicians appealed to the morality of the transport line, nevertheless it was ineffective.

Ultimately, the households of the younger musicians have been helped by the Titanic Relief Fund, which was established to handle the donations coming from internationally. The fund handled the musicians as crew members and gave their households financial compensation.

Meanwhile, the company stooped as little as sending the invoice for one of many musicians’ uniforms to his household.

9. 473 Musicians performed of their honour at Royal Albert Hall

An occasion was held in honour of the 8 Titanic musicians on May 24, 1912, a month after the Titanic sank within the icy waters of the Atlantic, taking with it 1514 lives, together with the band members.

Many individuals attended the memorial live performance at Albert Hall. 473 musicians from 7 completely different orchestras in London performed on the event. They got here from the Royal Opera Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and so forth.

It was known as the ‘greatest professional orchestra ever assembled’. The occasion was organised to recollect them and their braveness and heroism.

The temper was emotional, and everybody within the corridor stood as much as sing Nearer My God to Thee, which, in response to many sources, was the final tune performed by the band because the Titanic went into the chilly waters.

10. The final music they performed was ‘Nearer, My God to Thee.’

All band members died, and the our bodies of solely 3, Hartley, Hume and Clarke, have been discovered. There have been many debates relating to their final music. Just a few survivors mentioned it was the hymn, Nearer, My God to Thee, however there are three completely different variations of this hymn.

There is a excessive probability that its British model was chosen. It was additionally heard that the band chief Hartley advised one in all his pals that he would play this hymn if he have been ever on a sinking vessel.

However, in response to Walter Lord’s guide, the Night Lives On, a well-known waltz tune was the final music performed by the Titanic Orchestra.

The tune, Dream of Autumn, had a melancholy really feel to it.

This declare was made based mostly on the testimony by wi-fi operator Bride, who mentioned he was sure that Autumn was the final tune performed by the Titanic Band Members.

However, others claimed to have heard Nearer my God to Thee. It is perhaps potential that Autumn was seemingly performed at a sluggish tempo, so individuals confused it with the hymn.

It can by no means be identified which tune was performed as the ultimate quantity by the musicians on the Titanic, however each Autumn and Nearer, My God to Thee are lovely in their very own approach.

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About Author

Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid author, possessing immaculate analysis and modifying expertise. Author of a number of educational papers, she has additionally labored as a contract author, producing many technical, artistic and advertising items. A real aesthete at coronary heart, she loves books a little bit greater than the rest.

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