Notes from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration: Gerald S ......the so-called ‘Heroic Age of...

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NotesfromtheHeroicAgeofAntarcticExploration:GeraldS.Doorly’sSongs of the ‘Morning’ *

Carolyn Philpott

2012©CarolynPhilpott,Context�7(2012):�–�5.

Antarcticahasinspiredartisticresponsesfromhumanbeingsformanycenturies;theearliestextantvisualrepresentationsof thecontinentdatefromthesecondcenturyad,morethansixteen-hundred years before it was first viewed with human eyes.1Sincethebeginningoftheso-called‘HeroicAgeofAntarcticExploration’(c.1897–1922),increasedhumanpresencein the region has enabled first-hand experiences, as well as second-hand impressions, of the uniquelandscapeandnaturalenvironmenttoinformthecreativeworkofalargenumberofexplorers,aswellasprofessionalartists,writers,photographersandcomposers.Inturn,artisticinterpretations and representations of Antarctica have played a significant role in enhancing general knowledge and influencing public perceptions of the continent, which for most people todayremainssomethingofanunknown,imaginedplacethattheyareunlikelytoexperiencedirectly.ThisarticleexplorestheearliestknownpiecesofmusiccomposeddirectlyinresponsetoAntarctica:aseriesofsongswrittenbyGeraldS.DoorlyandJohnD.Morrisonaboardthe

*ThisarticleisbasedonmaterialpresentedbytheauthorinanannuallecturegivenattheInstituteofMarineandAntarcticStudies(IMAS)attheUniversityofTasmania,Hobart,andapaperpresentedatthe joint conferenceof theMusicologicalSocietyofAustraliaand InternationalConferenceonMusicandEmotion,inPerth,WesternAustralia,inDecember2011.IgratefullyacknowledgetheassistanceofmycolleaguesattheUniversityofTasmania,DrAnne-MarieForbesandDrElizabethLeane;Doorly’sgrandsons Roger Wilson and Stephen Freed; and two anonymous reviewers, in the preparation andrefinement of this article. 1 Some of the first known images of Antarctica were created in Egypt c. AD150bytheastronomerandcartographer Ptolemy of Alexandria (Claudius Ptolemaeus), while the first confirmed sightings of Antarctica didnotoccuruntilaround1820;seeLynneAndrews,Antarctic Eye: The Visual Journey (MountRumney,Tas.:StudioOne,2007),�6.

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reliefvesselMorning,whichwas sent fromEngland toAntarctica to locateand re-supplyCaptainRobertFalconScottandcompanyaboardtheiceboundDiscoveryinJuly1902aspartoftheBritishNationalAntarcticExpedition1901–190�.2Thesesongsnotonlydocumentthejourneysouthandtheexplorers’Antarcticexperiences;importantly,theyalsooffervaluableinsightintoalittle-consideredaspectofthehistoryofAntarcticexploration—thatis,whattheexplorersdidtoentertainthemselvesandkeepspiritshighduringlongvoyagesatseaandfreezingcold,lonelynightsinAntarctica.

TheDiscovery expedition was the first large-scale British exploration of the Antarctic region tofollowthe18�9–18��voyageofJamesClarkRossandwasoneoftheearliestandmostsignificant expeditions of the ‘Heroic Age’ of Antarctic exploration. Commanded by Robert FalconScottaboard theS.S. Discovery, the1901–190�expeditionwasBritain’s response tothegreatsurgeofinternationalinterestinAntarcticathatoccurredtowardstheendofthenineteenth century, spurred by the growing realisation that this continent was the last intheworldyettobefullychartedandexplored.�TheDiscoveryexpeditionaimedtocarryoutscientific research in addition to geographical exploration and its results covered extensive ground in the fields of biology, zoology, geology, magnetism and meteorology.�Newspeciesof Antarctic wildlife were identified and studied; the first Emperor Penguin breeding colony was discovered; the South Magnetic Pole was re-located; and geological research confirmed Antarctica’scontinentalnatureandrevealedthatithadoncehadawarmclimate.Inaddition,this expedition saw the first ascent onto the Polar Plateau; the discoveries of King Edward VII Land and the ‘dry valleys’ of Victoria Land; and the achievement of a new ‘Farthest South’ recordof82°17’SbyScott,DrEdwardWilsonandLieutenantErnestShackleton.5Thecareersof these three individuals,aswellas thoseof theircomradesTomCrean,FrankWildandWilliamLashly,werelaunchedbythisexpedition;allsix,amongothers,werelaterheraldedas leading figures of the ‘Heroic Age’ of Antarctic exploration.

The‘Heroic’label,whichwascoinedsometimeduringthemid-twentiethcentury,6paidtributetothephysicalandmentalstrengthandendurancedemonstratedbythesepioneers,whooftenworkedunderextremeconditionsandwithlimitedresources,priortothetimewhen advances in transport and communication technologies revolutionised the field of polar exploration.Intheearlytwentiethcentury,itwascommonlyunderstoodthattravellingtoandexploringtheAntarcticregionswereextremelydangerousandpotentiallydeadlyactivities;

2GeraldS.Doorly,The Songs of the ‘Morning,’transcr.EdithHarrhy(Melbourne:BreadandCheeseClub,19��).TheBritishNationalAntarcticExpedition1901–190� is commonly referred toas the ‘Discovery expedition.’� Stephen J. Pyne, The Ice (London: Pheonix, 200�), 85. Pyne records that at the Sixth InternationalGeographicalCongress,heldinLondonin1895andpresidedoverbyClementsMarkham,itwasconcludedthat‘theexplorationoftheAntarcticregionsisthegreatestpieceofgeographicalexplorationstilltobeundertaken.’�SirClementsMarkham,thePresidentoftheRoyalGeographicalSociety,wroteoftheDiscoveryexpedition:‘Neverhasanypolarexpeditionreturnedwithsogreataharvestofresults’(The Lands of Silence: A History of Arctic and Antarctic Exploration[Cambridge:CUP,1921],�77).5DavidM.Wilson,linernotesforThe Songs of the ‘Morning’: A Musical Sketch (Reardon,1-87�877-52-8,2002),2.6Theearliestknownprintedreferenceto thephrase ‘heroicageofAntarcticaexploration’appears inDuncanCarse’sarticle‘InShackleton’sTracks,’The Times, 16Mar.1956,quotedinM.andJ.Fisher,Shackleton(London:JamesBarrieBooks,1957),�89.

Songs of the ‘Morning’ 5

thedeathsofseveralindividualsand,indeed,entirepartiesofmenworkingundersimilarconditionsintheArctichadbeenwellpublicisedinthemediaandhadbecomeembeddedinthepublicconsciousness.7ThelossoftheFranklinExpedition(18�5–18�7)resonatedparticularlydeeplywithinBritishsocietyandremainedfreshinthememoryofSirClementsMarkham,whohadparticipatedinthesearcheffortandwho,attheturnofthetwentiethcentury,heldthepositionofPresidentoftheRoyalGeographicalSociety(R.G.S.).8InhisroleasPresident,MarkhamwasdirectlyresponsiblefororganisingtheDiscoveryexpeditionandensuringthesafereturnofitsmen.Givenhispastexperiences,itishardlysurprisingtonotethathewenttogreatlengthstoacquireareliefvesseltore-supplytheDiscoveryandtoaffordameansforthereturnofhermen,justincasedisastershouldstrike.9

TheS.Y. Morning wasanex-Norwegianwhalingvessel,asmallbarque-riggedsteamyacht(seeFigure1)thatwas purchasedbytheR.G.S.andtheRoyalSociety,alearnedsocietyforsciencebasedinLondon,inOctober1901,justovertwomonthsafterthe DiscoverysetsailfortheAntarctic.10 The ship was promptly transferred to London, where it was re-fitted, re-painted andstockedwithprovisionsandinJuly1902,underthecommandofCaptainWilliamColbeck,it departed for Lyttelton, New Zealand, carrying twenty-nine men (nine officers and twenty seamen).11BetweenDecember1902andApril190�,theMorning madetwoseparatevoyagesfromNewZealandtoAntarcticatore-supplytheDiscoverywithfoodandotherprovisions,todelivermailandtorelievethemainexpeditionvesselofanymenwhohadbeendeclared‘invalid.’Ultimately,theMorningplayedavitalpartinensuringtheoverallsuccessofthe Discovery expedition, not only by acting as a relief vessel, but also through its significant role

7DavidWilson,linernotes,2.Onaverage,Antarcticaisthecoldest,driest,andwindiestcontinent,withthehighestaverageelevation.8Markham,Lands of Silence, �66.9Markham,Lands of Silence,�66.10Markham,Lands of Silence,�67;GeraldS.Doorly,In The Wake (Melbourne:Robertson&Mullens,19�7),9�.TheMorning’snamewastranslatedfromtheNorwegian‘Morgenen.’11Markham,Lands of Silence,�66–69;DavidWilson,linernotes,2.

Figure 1.TheMorning,Scott, The Voyage of the ‘Discovery,’vol.2,facingpage156

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infreeingtheDiscoveryfromitsicyprisonintheMcMurdoSoundinFebruary190�.12ThecrewoftheMorning also made a considerable contribution to the geographical and scientific researcheffortsofthe1901–190�Britishexpeditionthroughtheirdiscoveryandnamingoftwopreviouslyunchartedislands,ScottIslandandHaggitsPillar(seeFigure2),andbycollectingand recording important scientific specimens, including samples of rocks and various species ofbirdsfoundwithintheRossSea,southoftheAntarcticCircle.1� As valuable as these scientific and geographical findings were, various officers aboard the Morningalsomadeasubstantial,albeitlesser-acknowledged,impactupontheoverallsuccessoftheDiscoveryexpeditionthroughtheirprovisionofentertainmentforthecrewsofbothvesselsintheformofperformancesofnewly-composedandpre-existingsongswithpianoaccompaniment.

Figure 2.ScottIslandwithHaggitsPillartotheleft,photographedbyJ.Mitchell,Census of Antarctic Marine Life,MinistryofFisheries,accessed6Mar.2012,<www.caml.aq/>

The Victorian era (1837–1901) was an age of amateur music making in Britain and the increasedavailabilityandaffordabilityofpianosandsheetmusicduringthisperiodhadgonehand-in-handwiththeriseinpopularityofdrawing-roomballadsamongthemiddleclassesand,insomeinstances,amongtheworkingclassesaswell.1�GiventhewidespreadBritish

12TheMorningandanothervessel,theTerra Nova,arrivedattheAntarcticiceedgeon5January190�andspentthenextfewweeksattemptingtobreakupthepackiceinordertofreetheDiscovery.ThereliefshipscarriedstrictinstructionsfromtheAdmiraltythatiftheDiscoverycouldnotbefreedfromtheice,thenitmustbeabandonedandthecrewre-distributedaboardtheMorningandTerra NovaforthereturntoNewZealand.ThemainreasonforthiswasthatfundingwasnotavailabletosupporttheemploymentoftheDiscovery’screwforanotheryearinAntarctica.CaptainScottwasdeterminedtodoeverythinginhispowertofreetheshipandeventually,aftermuchblastingwithguncotton,skilfulrammingofthevesselsagainsttheiceandthecomplianceofnature,theDiscoverywasextricatedfromtheiceon16February190�.SeeMarkham,Lands of Silence,�76;RolandHuntford,The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole (NewYork:ModernLibrary,1999),17�,177;EdwardWilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition to the Antarctic Regions 1901–1904,ed.AnnSavours(London:BlandfordPress,1966),��.1�ThetwoislandsweresightedonChristmasDay1902andalandingwasmadeonthelargerofthetwo,‘ScottIsland,’whererockspecimenswerecollected.Whenattemptingtoleavetheisland,theMorningstruckarockandbecamestuckmomentarily,causingthecrewtothinkthey‘weredoomed’;seeDoorly,In The Wake,100;Markham,The Lands of Silence,�69.Thesmallerisland,or‘stack,’sightedthesamedaywas named after Captain Colbeck’s mother’s family name, Haggit; see ‘The Colbecks and the Voyages of theMorning:Exploring,OverwinteringandChartinginAntarctica,’UniversityofHull, accessed2�Feb.2012,<www.hull.ac.uk/mhsc/FarHorizons/Documents/TheColbecks.pdf>.1�DerekB.Scott,The Singing Bourgeois: Songs of the Victorian Drawing Room and Parlour, 2nded.(Aldershot:Ashgate,2001),�5; JamesObelkevich,reviewofScott,Singing Bourgeois,Music and Letters 72.2(1991):�05.Formoreinformationonamateurself-entertainmentduringthenineteenthandtwentiethcenturies,seeJohnLowerson,Amateur Operatics: A Social and Cultural History (Manchester:ManchesterUniversityPress,2005).


tastefordomesticmusic-makingduringthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,itis not surprising to note that several officers on board the Morningwerekeensingers,verse-writersand/ormusicians,whoconsideredtheacquisitionofapianofor the long journeysouthtobeoftheutmostimportance.15 In fact, in the final days before sailing and after several failed attempts to obtain a piano by means of private donation, the officers of the MorningbecamesodesperatethattheydecidedtoapproachSirClementsMarkhamaboutthematter.Markhamkindlyofferedtodonatehisownsparepiano;however,owingtosomebreakdownincommunicationwiththecourier,theinstrumentdidnotarriveintimeandatthelastminute,aservantwasdispatched‘withallhaste’topurchaseoneatthenearest,albeit‘verysecondrate,’pianostore.16Thislast,butarguablymostvalued,itemontheMorning’slistof‘equipment’wasdraggedaboardjustastheship’slineswerebeingcastoff,amidstcheersandwhistlesfromthelargecrowdassembledatLondon’sEastIndiaDocks.17

Itwaswellafterthe MorninghadsailedclearofthetreacherousBayofBiscaythatitwasdiscoveredthatthepiano,whichwasdestinedforthevessel’sward-room,wasseveralinchestoo wide to fit through either doorway leading down to the mess-deck.18Theship’sChiefEngineer,JohnD.Morrison,wascalledupontoexaminethe‘innerconstructionandmechanismoftheinstrument’andconcludedthatitwouldnot‘sufferanymaterialdetrimentinbeingcutintwo!’19Thiswasan‘astonishingsuggestion,’butasthereappearedtobenoreasonablealternative, it was agreed that the piano should be ‘dissected’ (see Figure 3), as Third Officer GeraldS.Doorlylaterrecounted:

Thekeyswereeasilyunshipped,andeachsideofthekeyboardwascarefullysawnthrough—thecook’smeat-sawprovingthemostuseful implementbyreasonof itsserviceableshapeandgeneralgreasiness.Thekeyboardwasnowdetachedfromthemainbodyofthepiano,thepartspasseddowntotheward-room,andwiththeaidofsomeglueandafewwoodendowls[sic],thekeyboardwasonceagainneatlysecured,thekeysre-shipped,and,tocelebratethegreatachievement,aconcertwiththefullcrewwasheldthatevening.20

The officers’ unwavering dedication to the task of obtaining a piano and determination to seethatitbehousedinthemostappropriatelocationonboardareindicativeofthehighvaluethattheyplaceduponpossessingsuchaninstrumentforthelong,andpotentiallyhazardous,journeysouth.Doorly,whohadundertakeninstructioninpianotuningjustincasetheMorning

15 Generally, the officers on board naval ships during the early twentieth century were from the middle classesofsociety,whiletheseamenwereconsidered‘workingclass.’ThestrikinglackofcontemporarysyncopationevidentinDoorly’ssongssuggeststhatthecakewalkhadnotyetpenetratedtheconsciousnessof the officers of the Morningandisperhapsindicativeoftheirtasteandclass.MostoftheliterarysourcespublishedinconnectionwiththeMorning are memoirs written by the officers and published well after the voyagesdescribedandthereforedonotincludemanyreferencestothemusicaltastesoftheseamenthatmadeupthebulkoftheMorning’screw.Thereare,however,severalreferencesintheliteraturetoconcertsheldforthe‘fullcrew,’implyingthatsimilartypesofmusicwereexperienced,atleastoccasionally,bythe officers and seamen in spite of the class distinction; see Gerald S. Doorly, The Voyages of the Morning (London:Smith,Elder&Co.,1916)�0–�1.16Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�2;Doorly,In The Wake,95.17Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�2–��;Doorly,In The Wake,95–96.18Doorly,The Songs of the ‘Morning,’7;Doorly,In The Wake,96;Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�5.19Doorly,In The Wake,96;Doorly,The Songs of the ‘Morning,’7.20Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�7.


managedtoacquireapiano,21detailedtheimportanceoftheinstrumenttolifeonboardthevesselinhis1916publication,The Voyages of the Morning:

Therearesomewhowouldperhapsregardthisitemasanunnecessaryluxury,butIcanassurethemthatitisquiteanimportantadjunct,inthatitundoubtedlytendstoimprovethefeelingofcamaraderie,soessentialinanundertakingofthisnature….Thatpianowasablessingnottobeoverestimated,andweoftenwonderedhowweshould ever have done without it. On Saturday nights in fine weather concerts were heldforthecrew,hymnsweresungonSundayevenings,andmanyasweetmemoryofhomeandlovedoneswasawakenedbyahundredfamiliarmelodies.22

Itwasnotparticularlyunusualforpianos,ormusicingeneral,tobeheardonBritishshipsduring the late Victorian era; the singing of drawing-room ballads and the staging of various music-hallstyleactsinaninformalsettingwerenotuncommononocean-goingvesselsduringlongvoyages,aswellasonpleasuresteamersduringdaytrips,withthestyleandqualityofperformancesdependingonthemusicalabilitiesandpreferencesofthoseonboard.Stringedinstruments and flutes were also regularly heard on vessels, owing in part to their transportability, whilehymnsweresungatSundaychurchservicesonshipsofallsizes.2�TheBritishAntarcticexpeditionvesselsoftheearlytwentiethcenturywerenoexceptionandtheircrewsseemtohave

21 Freed, ‘Polar Profile’: Doorly, Polar Record�2(1996):�58.22Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�0–�1.2�Inhispublishedjournal,DrEdwardWilsonreportedthataregularchurchservice,atwhichhymnsweresung,washeldat11ameverySundaymorningonthemessdeckoftheDiscovery(Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition, 2�6–�7);seealsoDoorly,In the Wake,90.

Figure 3.SketchbyNewZealandartistWalterArmigerBowring(187�–19�1)depictingthe‘dissection’oftheMorning’spiano;Doorly,The Songs of the ‘Morning,’8


usedmusicnotonlyforenjoymentandentertainment,butalsotorelievefeelingsoflonelinessandisolation,andtostrengthenthesenseofcamaraderieamongmembersofthecrew.

RobertFalconScott,inhis1905publicationThe Voyage of the Discovery,reportedthatattimesofcelebration,suchasChristmas,thecrewofDiscoverywouldgatherbelowdeck,aroundtheship’sprizedplayerpiano,tojoinina‘sing-song’inwhich‘everyone,regardlessoftalent,hadtocontributesomethingforthecommonentertainment,’includingsongswithchorusesthatweresungwithenoughfervour to ‘drown’out thesoundof thevesselmanoeuvringthroughthepackice.2�TheDiscovery’screwalsoheldconcertsonthemainlandofAntarcticain the large hut that had been erected on the ice during their first summer there in 1902.25AfterthedecisionhadbeenmadefortheDiscoveryto‘winterover’intheMcMurdoSound,itoccurred to the crew to requisition the hut as a venue for entertainment. The first concert was organisedbyFirstLieutenantCharlesW.R.Royds,whowasinchargeofmeteorologyandtheonlymusicianonboardtheDiscovery, and took place during the first week of May 1902.26Itincludeda‘longprogramme’thathadbeendesigned,accordingtoScott,to‘bringforthalltheavailabletalent…although…onewasfaintoconfessthatourcompanyhadnotbeenchosenfortheirmusicalattainments.’27WhilethereisnosurvivingrecordoftheitemsperformedduringthismusicaleveningandtheonlyevidenceofthequalityoftheperformancesisScott’srecollectionthattherewere‘exceptionstothemediocrity,’28theconcertobviouslyentertainedthe crew sufficiently, as other similar events were scheduled to follow. For example, on 25 June1902,shortlyafterthecrew’smid-wintercelebrations,anothereveningofentertainment,thistimeinthestyleandformatofamusic-hallvarietyshow,washeldinthehut,whichwasbythenknownas‘TheRoyalTerrorTheatre.’29Thiseventcomprisedtwoparts:PartOneincludedtheperformanceofduets,severalsolosongsandtheoccasional‘rousingchorus,’allaccompaniedbyRoydsonpiano,whilePartTwofeaturedaplayentitled ‘TicketofLeave,’whichwasbilledas‘ascreamingcomedyinoneact’(Figure�showsthecast).�0

2�RobertFalconScott, The Voyage of the ‘Discovery’; With 260 Full-page and Smaller Illustrations by Dr. E. A. Wilson and Other Members of the Expedition, Photogravure Frontispieces, 12 Coloured Plates in Facsimile from Dr. Wilson’s Sketches, Panoramas and Maps(London:Smith,Elder&Co.,1905),vol.1,125,��5. 25Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,216,�75.26Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�75.27Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�75.28Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�75.29TheTheatre’snamewasundoubtedlyinspiredbythenearbyvolcanicMountTerror,itselfnamedaftertheshipHMS Terror,whichvisitedtheAntarcticintheearly18�0saspartoftheRossexpedition.�0Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�76–78.AlthoughitisnotknownforcertainthatsuppliesofsheetmusicweretakenonboardtheDiscovery andtheMorning,itismorethanlikelythattheyweregiventhatrecordsfromlaterAntarcticexpeditionsindicatethatnumerousvolumesofsheetmusicand/ormusicrollsweretakensouthwardonvariousshipsthathousedpianos.Itwasalsocommonpracticeatthetimeformiddle-classmentoownportable,boundvolumesorrollsofsheetmusicthatincludedtheirfavouritepieces, and therefore it is entirely plausible that the officers of the Discovery andtheMorningtooksheetmusictoAntarcticaintheirpersonalbelongings.Additionally,theDiscovery expedition’s newspaper,The South Polar Times,whichwasproducedduringthedarkestandcoldestmonths(ApriltoAugust)of1902and190�,includesseveralnewly-composedversesoftextthatweredesignedtobesungtopre-existingtunes.Theseinclude‘SongsStolenfromOthers’(July1902issue),whichwassettothetuneof‘It’saLittleBitofSugarfortheBird’fromFrederickBowyerandW.E.Sprange’smusicalvaudevilleshowThe New Barmaid(c.1895);‘AnsweringNation’sCall’(August190�issue),designedtobesungtothetuneof‘TheFlying Dutchman’; and ‘Summer Sledging in Sledgometer Verse’ (August 1903 issue), set to the tune of ‘WiddecombeFair.’SeeThe South Polar Times,vols1–2(London:Smith,Elder&Co.,1907),extractskindlysuppliedbyDrElizabethLeane,UniversityofTasmania.


Figure 4. TheDiscovery’s‘TheatricalParty’inAntarctica,25June1902;Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,facingpage�76

Scottwassomovedbytheoccasionthathewroteinhisdiarythathehad‘rarelybeensogorgeouslyentertained.’�1

Thefactthattheseentertainmentswererehearsed,performedandattendedinsub-zerotemperatureswithnoheatingprovisionsinthehutotherthantheoil lampsforlighting,�2istestamenttothefactthattheymusthavebeenhighlyvaluedbyallinvolved.Ablackfaceminstrelshow,organisedbyRoydsandstagedbytheDiscovery’s‘DishcoverMinstrelTroupe’(seeFigure5),tookplaceon6August1902,inspiteofthefactthatthetemperaturehadfallenbelow-�0°Candastrongwindhadalmostpreventedthemenfromreachingthehutatall.��Inhisjournal,Scottnotedthatintheseconditions‘oneconquersthenaturalinstincttotakeoffone’sovercoatandheadcovering…Iwonderhowtheordinarytheatre-goerwouldappreciatesittinginstallsundersuchconditions.’��Scottalsoprovideddetailsrelatingtosomeofthemusicalitemsontheprogramme:

Onewasnotsorrywhenthecurtainrolledupanddisclosedourtwelveminstrelswithblackenedfacessittinginarowwith‘MassaJohnson’inthecentre…To-nightthechorusesandplantationsongsledbyRoydswerereallywellsung…ofcourseinthechorusesof‘MarchingthroughGeorgia,’‘GoldenSlippers,’‘SuwaneeRiver,’andsuchsongs,theaudiencefeltthattheymustalso‘lendahand,’anddidsowithsuchawillthattheraftersshook…inspiteofthecoldwehadspentanextremelypleasantevening.�5

�1Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�78.�2Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�76.��Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�79.��Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�76,�79.�5Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�79–81.BlackfaceminstrelsyenjoyedimmensepopularityintheUnitedStatesofAmericaandBritainduringthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies.Performersblackenedtheirfaces,usuallywithburntcork,andworecostumesthatrepresented,tothewhiteaudience,the‘typical’AfricanAmericanperson,beforepresentingthe‘ostensibleelementsofblacklifeinsong,dance and speech. See Clayton W. Henderson, ‘Minstrelsy,American,’ Grove Music Online, <www.oxfordmusiconline.com/article/grove/music/187�9>.


Figure 5.TheDiscovery’s‘DishcoverMinstrelTroupe’inAntarctica,6Aug.1902;Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,facingpage�80

Music was also enjoyed on a more regular, daily basis on board the Discovery; Roydsplayedthepiano,sometimeswiththeassistanceofitsself-playingmechanism,inthehourbeforedinnermostevenings.�6AlthoughtherearenoreferencesintheliteraturetothetypeofrepertoireRoydsplayed,orwhetherthemajorityofthemusicwasfamiliartothecrewornewly-composed, Scott acknowledged in his journal the significant role that this daily ritual playedinraisingthespiritsof themenonboardtheDiscovery andinfosteringasenseofcamaraderie:

Inourvariouscabins[we]havethepleasureoflisteningtoexcellentmusicandfeelthatthedebtofgratitudeweowetoouronlymusicianisnolightone.Thishourofmusichasbecomeaninstitutionwhichnoneofuswouldwillinglyforego…Icanwellbelieve … that our music smooths over many a ruffle and brings us to dinner each nightinthatexcellenthumour,whenallseemgood-tempered…�7

At the same time that the Discovery’s men were using musical and theatricalentertainmentstodistractthemselvesfromtheharshconditionsencounteredduringtheAntarcticwinterof1902,unbeknownsttothemtheircounterpartsaboardavesselonitswaytorelievethem,theMorning,werebusycreatingsimilardiversionsoftheirown.Whilepopular British ballads, hymns and music-hall and minstrel-style acts also constitutedalargeportionofthetypesofentertainmentenjoyedonboardthe Morning,�8severalofthe ship’s officers also made an altogether unexpected contribution to the expedition throughtheircompositionandperformanceoforiginalsongsandsong-versesduringthevoyage. Chief Engineer Morrison, in particular, proved to be a prolific lyricist, while Third

�6Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�11.�7Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.1,�11.�8Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�7–�8,�9;Doorly,In The Wake,98.


Officer Doorly (see Figure 6) wasbyallaccountsaverycompetentandcreativepianist,accompanist,singerandcomposerof‘light’music.�9

Figure 6.GeraldS.Doorly(1880–1956),kindlysuppliedbyRogerWilson;withpermission

Soon after the Morning departed London in July 1902, Morrison and Doorly begancollaborating on original, expedition-inspired songs in the style of the Victorian drawing-room ballads thathadbeenpopularwiththeBritishbourgeoisiesincetheearlynineteenthcentury.This choice of style was highly appropriate in these circumstances given that most of the officers onboardwouldhavealreadybeenfamiliarwiththegenreandmostdrawing-roomballads,asproductsdesignedorappropriatedfordomesticconsumption,allowedforparticipationthroughtheincorporationofarefrain.Uponcompletingasetoflyrics,MorrisonwouldtakethemtoDoorly,whowouldpromptlycomposeasuitablepianoaccompaniment.Morrisonusuallyalsoofferedsomeideasrelatingtohowhethoughttheaccompanyingvocalmelodyshouldbeshaped,asDoorlynotedatthetime:

Weworkinthefollowingmanner:[Morrison]makesthewords,whichhesuppliesmewithaswellasaplainpieceofpaper.Onthisplainpiecehedrawsalineacrossitand

�9DavidWilson,linernotes,�,5. JamesGeraldStokelyDoorly(1880–1956)wasborninPortofSpain,Trinidad,thesonofReverendWiltshireStokelyDoorly,whowaslaterarchdeaconofTrinidad,andhiswife,JaneCumming,whohadstudiedpianoandsinginginLondonandwasreputedtohavebeena‘brilliantsinger’(numerouslaudatoryreviewsprintedinthePort of Spain Gazetteduringthe1890sindicatetheextentofherprowessandpopularityinthatplaceandtime).DoorlycompletedhiscadetshiponboardthetrainingvesselHMS Worcester,wherehemethislifelongfriendEdwardR.G.R.Evans,whohelpedhim gain the position of Third Officer on board the Morning.Doorlypublishedseveralbooksrelatingtohisadventures,includingThe Voyages of the Morning(1916),The Handmaiden of the Navy(1919)andIn the Wake(19�7),andalsocontributedshortstoriesandarticlestoBlackwood’s Magazine,theSydneyBulletinandtheMelbourneArgusandHerald. See Freed, ‘Polar Profile,’ 357–360; Jill Eastwood, ‘Doorly, James GeraldStokely(1880–1956),’Australian Dictionary of Biography,accessed2Jan.2012,<adb.anu.edu.au/biography/doorly-james-gerald-stokely-6002/text10251>.

Songs of the ‘Morning’ 1�

says,‘Nowthat’sthesonginitsnormalstate,thisishowIwantittogo,’andhethendrawsacurveupanddownoverthislinetoshowtherelativeheightsthatheconsidersthe notes should go, to be fitting for the words. This may sound a very quaint idea—but thankstohisingenuity,Ihavefounditagreathelpinmydepartmentofthecontract.�0

Followingthecompletionofanewsong,itwouldbegivena‘steamtrial,’bytheMorning’sSecondOfficer, Lieutenant Edward R.G.R. Evans, who was an amateur singer. If the trial was successful, thenthesongwouldbe‘allowedthefreedomoftheship’andwouldbeperformedduringmusicalevenings in theward-room.�1Recordsreveal that thesemusicaleveningswereoftenriotousoccasions,withcymbals,gongsandmuch‘tunelessshouting’adorningthemusicalcontent.�2

WhilemostofthesongscomposedaboardtheMorningincorporatelyricsbyMorrison,other officers also contributed verses of text, including Chief Officer Rupert G. England (‘YouMayTalkAboutYourEngines’),�� Fourth Officer Sub-Lieutenant G.F.A. Mulock (‘Life’s Handicap’) and, on the first return journey from Antarctica to New Zealand, Lieutenant E.H. Shackleton(‘ScotlandForever!’),whohadbeen‘invalided’northbyScottonaccountofthesevereexhaustionandsymptomsofscurvyhehadsufferedasaresultofthepioneeringninety-three-daysledgejourneythathehadundertakenwithScottandWilsontowardstheSouthPole.�� In fact, with Shackleton included, at least six of the ten officers involved in the Morning’sfirst return Antarctic voyage contributed to the writing and/or performance of Doorly’s original songs in some way, while at least two of the remaining officers, Captain Colbeck and Davidson,areknowntohavejoinedinthesingingofthesongs’‘rousing’chorusesduringmusicaleveningsbelowdeck.�5Doorlyalsowroteseveralsetsoforiginalsonglyricshimself,includingthosehetitled‘ANautical,NauticalSong,YoHo!,’‘DearestFlorrie,’‘BobsisDead,’‘ZoologicalNotes’and‘RollingHome;’althoughonlytwo—’ScotlandForever!,’onwhichhecollaboratedwithShackleton,and‘BirrdBirrdie,’whichheco-authoredwithMorrison—havebeenpublishedinmusicalsettings.�6

�0DoorlyquotedinlinernotesforThe Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 12.�1Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,�8.�2DavidWilson,linernotes,�.�� According to Doorly, this verse was ‘parodied to the old tune of “Killaloo” [sic].’Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’17. Englandalsowroteasetoflyricsunderthetitle‘SongoftheStores,’whichwasintendedto be sung to the tune of King Neptune’s ‘Fish Song’ from Edward German’s Merrie England.SeeRogerWilson,linernotesforThe Songs of the ‘Morning,’6.��This960-milejourney,whichtookplacebetween2November1902and�February190�,wasthesouthern-mosttrekachievedbyanyexploreratthetime(thepartyreachedthelatitudeof82°17’S).ThereismuchspeculationintheliteraturerelatingtoScott’sreasonsfororderingShackletontoreturntoNewZealandatthistime,suchasinRolandHuntford’spolemicalbookThe Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole (NewYork:ModernLibrary,1999).�5 Davidson also provided inspiration for some of the songs, including ‘Birrd Birrdie’ and ‘ScotlandForever,’discussedlaterinthisarticle.�6‘BobsisDead’waswritteninresponsetothedeathofMorrison’scat,Bobs,whofelloverboardwithinthe first few weeks of the voyage. Another song with lyrics by Doorly, ‘Eight Bells,’ is included in the Songs of the ‘Morning’: A Musical Sketchrecording,butdoesnotdatefromthisvoyage.Rather,thetextrelatestoDoorly’strainingdaysonboardtheWorcesterandfeaturesmusiccomposedbyhisfather,CanonWiltshireDoorly,basedonthesea-shanty‘BlowtheManDown.’Anotheroriginalexpedition-inspiredsongperformedonboardtheMorningwaswrittenbySirClementsMarkhampriortotheAntarcticvoyageandis titled ‘Intrepid Souls.’ Doorly recorded in his diary that he was learning this song during the first few weeksatsea;however,hisfellowcrewmembersconsideredit‘ratheradirge’(RogerWilson,linernotes,6).Themusicusedtoaccompany‘IntrepidSouls’wasbasedonatunebyHerbertSchartau(1858–1915).RogerWilson,emailtotheauthor,22Jan.2012.

1� Context�7(2012):Philpott

OwingtothefactthatDoorlyneverlearnedtoreadornotatemusic,thesongshecomposedaboardtheMorningwerenotactuallycommittedtoscoreandpublishedasacollectionuntilsomefortyyearsaftertheywereconceived.�7In19��,sevenofthesongsweretranscribedbyMelbourne-based composer Edith Harrhy (189�–1969),�8 and published by the MelbourneBreadandCheeseClub,anall-maleartandliterarysocietyofwhichDoorlywasamember,underthetitleThe Songs of the ‘Morning.’�9Theywerenotrecordedinsound,however,until2002,whenbaritoneRogerWilson,agrandsonofDoorly,andhiswife,pianistGillianBibby,collaboratedwithvariousDoorlydescendentsandothermusiciansandactorsinNewZealandtoproducethediscThe Songs of the ‘Morning’: A Musical Sketch.50Thisrecording,whichwasreleasedtocoincidewiththecentenaryoftheexpedition,includesfullmusicalrenditionsofthesevenpublishedsongsinterspersedwithspokenverseandnarrativederivedfromDoorly’snotebooks.MostofthematerialdatesfromtheMorning’sinitialvoyagefromLondontoNewZealand and its first return visit to the Antarctic (commonly referred to in the literature as ‘The Voyage of the Morning’).Boththepublishedandrecordedversionsofthesongsarethoughtby Roger Wilson to be rather simplified and prosaic renditions of the originals.51Evenintheirexistingforms,however,thesongsprovidearareandvaluableglimpseofthephysicalandemotionaljourneysandexperiencesoftheAntarcticexplorersofthe‘HeroicAge’andrevealmuchaboutwhattheydidtoentertainthemselvesandboostteammoraleduringlongperiodsspent in close confines under unique, and altogether extreme, conditions.

�7OneortwoofthesongswerereportedlywrittendownbyGladysWilding,thesisteroftennischampionAnthonyWilding,duringthevisitoftheMorningtoNewZealandin190�andseveralyearslater,thesongs ‘Southward’ and ‘The Ice King’ were re-set by another New Zealand resident, Maundrell Hobbs; however,inhisintroductiontoDoorly’sSongs of the ‘Morning,’ RobertHendersonCrollclaimsthatbothmanuscriptshavesincebeenlost.WhilethisdoesseemtobethecasefortheWildingmanuscript,Doorly’s1916bookThe Voyages of the Morning includes complete scores of ‘Southward’ and ‘The Ice King,’ which arethoughtbythecurrentauthortobecopiesoftheaforementionedHobbstranscriptions.Althoughthesongswerenotpublishedasacollectionofsheetmusicuntilmuchlater,itislikelythatatthetimeoftheircomposition,DoorlyandMorrisonhopedtoturnthemintosomethingofacommodityupontheirreturntoEngland.Indeed,inDoorly’snotebook,herecountedMorrisonexcitedlypresentinghimwithasetofwordsforasonganddeclaring,‘Doorly,Doorly,quicklylukeattheseworrds—nowhere’sasongforye—ifyecangetatuneforthatnowourname’smade!’(GeraldDoorly,‘ASketch:TheSongsof the “Morning,”’ handwritten notebook kindly supplied by Roger Wilson.) It was common practice for expedition leaders to encourage their crewmen, particularly the officers, to engage in activities such as writing for entertainment and for the purpose of raising money from publications to finance future seasons inAntarctica.Formoreinformation,seeElizabethLeane’sarticles‘TheAdelieBlizzard:TheAustralasianAntarcticExpedition’sNeglectedNewspaper,’Polar Record�1(2005):12,and‘Introduction:TheCulturalTurninAntarcticStudies,’Polar Journal 1.2(2011):151.�8London-borncomposer,pianistandsingerEdithHarrhymovedtoAustraliain1919tolivewithherhusband’s family inMelbourneand is rememberedprimarily forhersimpleandcharmingsongs,ofwhichsheclaimedshewroteapproximatelyonethousand.AtthetimeoftranscribingDoorly’ssongsintheearly19�0s,shewasmusicaldirectorofGertrudeJohnson’sAustralianNationalTheatreMovementand the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Victoria. It may be this latter association that led to her being considered qualified for the task of transcribing Doorly’s Gilbert-and-Sullivan-style songs. Unfortunately, thenotesthataccompanythepublishedSongs of the ‘Morning’donotrevealanyfurtherdetailsrelatingtothe circumstances of the transcription. For more information on Edith Harrhy, see Kay Dreyfus, ‘Harrhy, EdithMary (189�–1969),’Australian Dictionary of Biography, accessed21Nov.2012,<adb.anu.edu.au/biography/harrhy-edith-mary-10�29>.�9AnoriginalcopyofthispublicationisheldattheNationalLibraryofAustralia.ThelinernotesfortherecordingThe Songs of the ‘Morning’: A Musical Sketch incorrectlylistthepublisherofthesongsasthe‘MelbourneWineandCheeseClub.’50GeraldS.Doorly,The Songs of the ‘Morning’: A Musical Sketch (Reardon,1-87�877-52-8,2002). 51RogerWilson,linernotes,5.


The first song composed aboard the Morning during itsAntarctic voyage is titled‘Southward.’52WithlyricsbyMorrisonandmusicbyDoorly,itdescribesthevoyagesouth,thechangesinclimateandseaconditions,andexpressesasenseofnostalgiaanddeeplongingfor ‘a girl in the far Northland,’ as the following excerpt from the second and final verse demonstrates:

Onthewave-washeddeck,‘neaththemurkyskyWhenonlythegodscanhear,IthinkofagirlinthefarNorthland,AndIwishthatmylovewerenear;Andwishthatmylovewerenearmenow,WhentheWesterlybreezesblow—Drivingalongo’ertheSouthernsea,Throughtheblindingsleetandsnow.5�

Narrativesongtextstellingofadventuresonthehighseasandimpassionedversesbornoutofenforcedseparationfromone’sloverwerenotuncommoninBritishdrawing-roomballadsofthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies.5�Whatmakesthistextunique,however,isitsdirectreferencetothenameofthevesselonwhichtheauthorwassailing,theMorning,and its passage from ‘sunny tropic seas’ in the opening lines of the first verse, to ‘cold, dark, iceboundseas’intheopeningofthesecond:

As I fly on the wings of the MorningO’erthesunnytropicseas…As I fly with the wings of the MorningO’erthecold,dark,iceboundseas…55

Infact,theopeninglinesofbothversesappeartohavebeeninspiredbyaninscriptionwrittenbytheBishopofStepney(latertheArchbishopofCanterbury)insidethefrontcoverofcopiesoftheBiblegiventoeachcrewmemberpriortotheMorning’sdeparture,itselfbasedonapassagefromPsalm1�9:‘IfItakethewingsofthemorninganddwellintheuttermostpartsofthesea,eventhereshallthyhandleadme,andthyrighthandupholdme.’56

Doorly’s musical settingof Morrison’s text follows manyof the standard conventionsemployedbycomposersofdrawing-roomballadsduring theperiod, includingastrophicform(AA),acommon-timemetreandarangeofnotmuchmorethananoctave,inthiscasewithintheintervalofaninth(D�toE5).Theharmonyispredominantlydiatonic(inthekeyofFmajor),withprominentuseofcircularprogressionsandsomechromaticchords(suchassecondaryfunctions,altereddominantsandchordswithninthandeleventhextensions)addedtolendcolourandmelodicinterest.Thepianoaccompanimentprovidesrhythmicimpetus

52Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’7.5�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 20–21.5�Forexample,thetextof‘Southward’bearssomestrikingresemblancestoStephenAdams’spopularballad‘Thora,’withwordsbyFred.E.Weatherly,whichalsoincludesreferencestothe‘Northland,’starryskiesandalandofsnow,andisaboutenforcedseparationfromalover(throughdeath).SeeScott,The Singing Bourgeois,1��.55Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 20.56Doorly,In the Wake,95.


throughitsrepetitiveblock-chordquaversanddoubleoctavesinthebassandalsogivesstrongsupporttothevocallinethroughitsdoublingofthemelodyinthetreble.Thesefeaturesareevident in the setting of the final lines of the verses, as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7.Doorly,‘Southward,’bb.22–��;Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 21

According to Doorly’s daughter, Dorothy Freed, the composer ‘loved playing tunefulmelodiesfromGilbertandSullivanoperettasandothershows,whichhewouldharmonisewith subtlety and finesse, improvising all the way,’57andthismayaccountforthestrikingresemblancebetweentheopeningeightbarsofthevocalpartof‘Southward,’asshowninFigure8,andaneight-barvocalmelodyheardintheopeningchorusofGilbertandSullivan’sThe Gondoliers(seeFigure9,bars2�1–�9).58

Thesevocalmelodiesnotonlyappearinthesamekey(Fmajor)andbeginonthesamenote(themediant,‘A’),buttheyalsoshareaverysimilarmelodicshapeandrhythmicpattern.Despitetheobvioussimilaritiesbetweenthetwomelodies,DoorlydeniedhavingheardthemusicofThe GondolierspriortoembarkingontheAntarcticexpeditionandmaintainedthathehadbeenunawareoftheparallel,whichhedescribedasan‘oddco-incidence,’untilfriends

57 Freed, ‘Polar Profile,’ 358.58The Gondoliers (or The King of Barataria,)thetwelfthofthefourteencomicoperasbyGilbertandSullivan,premieredattheSavoyTheatreon7December1889.Theoriginalproductionclosedon�0June1891,at which time it was the fifth longest-running piece of musical theatre in history, with more than 550 performances.SeeDavidRussellHulme,‘Gondoliers,The,’ New Grove Dictionary of Opera,ed.StanleySadie, Grove Music Online, accessed 18Apr. 2012, <www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O0086�1>.


Figure 8.Doorly,‘Southward,’bb.5–12

Figure 9.W.S.GilbertandArthurSullivan,The Gondoliers,vocalscore,bb.2�0–�9;W.S.GilbertandArthurSullivan,The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria, vocalscore(London:Chappell,c.19�2),2�


pointeditoutsometimelater.59Whenheeventuallysawtheproduction,hetoowasstruckbythelikenessofthetwomelodies,conceding,‘withsuchlimitationasanoctaveofnotesfromwhichtojuggleatune,itisamazing,surely,howfewmelodiesarealike.’60

GiventheimmensepopularityThe GondoliersenjoyedinLondonduringthelatenineteenthcentury and Doorly’s affinity for playing pieces linked to the musical theatre, it seems likely that thehighdegreeofconcordancebetweenthetwomelodiesismorethancoincidental.AlthoughDoorly spent most of his first fourteen years in Trinidad, his family visited London when he wasnineyearsofage(ataboutthesametimeofthepremiereofThe Gondoliers)andfromhisfifteenth year until the time he joined the crew of the Morning attwenty-two,hewasbasedinLondon.61Itismorethanplausible,therefore,thattheyoungDoorlywasinfactexposedtothismusicinthestreetsofLondon,atperformancesbyanoutdoorbandororchestra,orevenataprivatemusicalsoiree,andthenyearslater,whenconfrontedwiththetaskofcreatingamelodytomatchatextaboutloveandsailing,themesthatarealsoprevalentinthelibrettoofThe Gondoliers,hesubconsciouslydrewonthismaterialforcreativeinspiration.

Doorly and Morrison’s next collaborative effort was completed about a month later.62‘TheNorthland’waswrittenasa‘ToastingSong’forperformanceon‘birthdayanniversaries,Christmas,NewYear’sDay,andanyspecialoccasion.’6�Thetextcomprisesthreeverses,eachfollowedbyarefrainofferingatoasttotheplaceorpeoplethatarethesubjectoftheprecedingverse; the first verse and refrain offer a toast ‘to the Northland,’ the second ‘to the Homeland’ andthethird‘toourowngirls.’PastoralimageryofBritain,evokedthroughreferencestothe‘Landofglenandmoorandhill…mightybenswherethemistshanglow…[and]castlesstand,’ is complemented by imperialistic sentiments relating to the Empire’s ‘heroes,’ ‘Kings’ andgeneral‘folk,’whoare‘sobraveorboldorfree…Borntobeleadersofalltheearth.’Therearealsosentimental,nostalgicpassagesabouttheexplorers’‘owngirls,’describedas‘thefairestwomentheworldhasseen…[with]eyeswithloveaglow,’andthehomestheyhaveleftbehind:‘thehomeswhereeverourheartsreturn…[and]wheretheyloveusso!’6�Suchthemesofpatriotism,imperialismandnostalgiaforone’shomelandappearedfrequentlyinsongs designed for middle-class domestic use during the late-Victorian and early-Edwardian eras,suchas‘England,theHomeoftheWorld’(1872),‘TheGloryofBritain’(1876),‘England’sHeroes’(1880),‘Britain’sFlag’(1888),‘Britannia’sSons’(189�),‘MenofBritain’(189�)and‘LandofHopeandGlory’(1902),whilesomepre-existingnationalsongs,suchas‘Rule,Britannia’(17�0),experiencedaresurgenceintheirpopularityduringthistime.65

Althoughthetextof‘TheNorthland’doesnotincludedirectreferencestotheAntarcticvoyageortheexperiencesoftheexplorers,themusicalsettingprovidesopportunitiesforcommunalsingingthatwouldhavesuitedtheuniqueperformanceenvironmentonboardthe Morning.

59RogerWilson,linernotes,5;Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’9.60Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 9.Thetwopassagesdiffersomewhatintermsofmetre(theexcerptfromThe Gondoliers isinatriplemetre)andharmony,althoughinterestingly,bothemployatonicchord(Fmajor)with an added B flat on the downbeat at the opening of each of the two four-bar phrases in each excerpt, underpinninganAinthemelodyoneachappearance(seeFigure8bb.5,9;Figure9bb.2�2,2�6).61 Freed, ‘Polar Profile,’ 357.62DoorlyquotedinWilson,linernotes,12.6�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 9.6�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 22–2�.65Scott,The Singing Bourgeois,1�7,170–71,17�,255,260.


In fact, Doorly noted that the ‘choruses [of “The Northland”] … were sung with great gusto … [and]aseachtoastrequiredaseparatedrink,encores,foreconomicalandotherreasons,werenotencouraged.’66 ‘The Northland’s’ musical setting reflects the verse-and-refrain structure of its text,withtherefrainsettodifferentmusictothatemployedintheverses(producingthepatternABABAB),aformthatwasfavouredbyprominentcomposersofdrawing-roomballadssuchasArthurSullivanandFredericCowen.67Theharmonyisagainlargelytonal,openingandclosinginthekeyofDmajorandwithrelativelybriefexcursionstothedominant(Amajor);however,itsversesalsoincorporatenumerouschromaticchords;linear,aswellascircular,progressions(suchasinbb.8–9ofFigure10);andabriefpassageinFmajor(seebb.1�–1�ofFigure10),whichsharesachromatic-mediantrelationshipwiththetonic.

Figure 10.Doorly,‘TheNorthland,’bb.5–1568

Therefrainalsoemployschromaticchords,mainlyintheformofsecondarydominants(some with ninth extensions) to briefly tonicise other keys; however, it remains more firmly centredinthekeyofDmajor.Themelodiclineagainspanstheintervalofaninthandisvery

66Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 9–10.ThisimpliesthatencoreperformancesofsongsmayotherwisehavebeenfairlycommononboardtheMorning.67Scott,The Singing Bourgeois,1�2,151.68Oddly,thepublishedscoredoesnotallowfortheanacrusisshownatthebeginningofthisexampleinthe rhythm of the final bar preceding the return to the sign, which contains all four beats of the song’s common-timemetre(seeFigure11.)


shapely,withseverallargeintervallicleapsthatamateursingersamongthecrewmayhavefound difficult to pitch correctly without the support of the piano accompaniment (see Figure 11).Nevertheless,‘TheNorthland’demonstratesDoorly’smelodicandharmonicinventiveness,hiseagernesstowritemusicthatencouragesmaximumparticipation,andhisknowledgeofthestandardballad-writingconventionsofthetime.

Figure 11.Doorly,‘TheNorthland,’bb.16–28

Incontrasttotherelativelyseriousandsentimentaltopoiexploredin‘Southward’and‘TheNorthland,’thenexttwosongsthatMorrisonandDoorlyproduced,‘TheMaid’sLament’andBirrdBirrdie,’arerather‘lighter’andmorecomicalinsubjectmatter.‘TheMaid’sLament’waswrittenaftertheMorning’sbriefsojourninLyttelton,NewZealand(16November1902to 6 December 1902). During the stopover, the ‘nice looking’ junior officer Lieutenant G.F.A. Mulockhadattractedtheromanticattentionofayounglocalgirl,whomadea‘handsomely


embroidered’ sledge flag for him to take on his adventures in Antarctica.69According toDoorly,thisgesturegaverisetomuch‘legpulling,andalsoprovidedMorrisonwiththegermofanideaforasong.’70Thethreeversesoftextdescribethesimple,carefreelifeofamaiden,‘dainty,sweetandtrue,’whohadnotyetexperienceda‘carenorsorrow’whenshemetandfell in lovewithanEnglishsailor.71Themusicalsettingsupportsthesentimentalmoodofthetextthroughitsemploymentofanattractivemelodiclinethatischaracterisedbyliltingdotted-rhythmsandcarriestheexpressivemarking‘Daintily’(seeFigure12).Theharmonyisagainpredominantlydiatonic,inthekeyofFmajor,withsomechromaticchordsandmelody

69Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 11.70Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 11.71Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ �2.Thetextofthissongbearssomeclearparallelstothesong‘Whenmaidenloves,shesitsandsighs,’fromtheopeningofActIofGilbertandSullivan’sThe Yeomen of the Guard (1888), which also includes references to a maiden who ‘sits and sighs,’ as ‘tear-drops fill her eyes.’

Figure 12.Doorly,‘TheMaid’sLament’


notesaddedforcolouristicpurposes.Thestrophicsettingdoesnotincludearefrain;however,everysecondlineoftextisenclosedinparenthesesandappearstoprovidecommentaryontheoneimmediatelyprecedingit,suggestingthatacall-and-responseapproachmayhavebeenexpected,andimplemented,duringperformancesofthissongaboardtheMorning.

‘Birrd,Birrdie’waspennedinasimilarspiritofjest,thistimedirectedattheship’sdoctor,Davidson,andhisexperiencescollectingandstudyingdifferentspeciesofbirdsaspartofhisroleasZoologistoftheexpedition.72Thepublishedversionofthischaractersongindicatesthatthemusicalmaterialisbaseduponan‘OldIrishAir,’ withwords‘parodied’byMorrisonandDoorly.7�Davidson,whowasScottish,wasoftenheard‘singingthesongsofhiscountry’ashewentabouthisworkand,accordingtoDoorly,another‘frequentfancywasanIrishdittywithitschorus“Mush,mush,mushtural-i-addy,andthread[sic] on the tail o’ me coat.”’7�WhenaconcertwasscheduledtocelebrateDavidson’sbirthday,MorrisonandDoorly‘concoctedaparodyonthis[tune],twittingourworthymedicoonhissupposedsingingabouthisinevitable“birdies,”’ and Doorly performed it (complete with an affected Scottish accent) to mark the occasion.75Doorly’smusicalsettingpreservestheoriginalmajor-modetune(showninFigure1�)almostentirelyandcoloursitwithavarietyofchromaticchordsandratherclichédharmonicprogressions(seeFigure1�).

Figure 13.‘Mush,Mush,Mush,Too-Ri-Li-Ady,’bb.1–�7;FolkTuneFinder,accessed1�Mar.2012, <www.folktunefinder.com/tune/177774/>

72Doorly,quotedinDavidWilson,linernotes,1�.7�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 2�.7�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 11.75Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 11–12.Doorly’swritingssuggestthat‘TheNorthland’mayalsohavebeengiven its first performance at this birthday concert. See Doorly, quoted in David Wilson,linernotes,1�.

Songs of the ‘Morning’ 2�

Figure 14.Doorly,‘BirrdBirrdie,’bb.1–�6

‘Mush,Mush,Mush,Too-Ri-Li-Ady’isanexampleofaboastingsong(‘Therewasne’eragarsoninthevillage/Daredtreadonthetailofmecoat’)thatisalsoadrinkingsong(‘Ifafellowcan’tdrinkwhenhe’slivin’/Howthehellcanhedrinkwhenhe’sdead?’),completewithachorusthatcallsforaudienceparticipation.Alloftheseelements,aswellasDavidson’sassociationwiththetune,madeitanidealchoiceforincorporationintoanewsongproducedinhonourofhisbirthday.

Thesecondandthirdofthefourversesof‘BirrdBirrdie’areparticularlyhumorous,detailingDavidson’sattemptsattaxidermyandtheinterferenceofoneoftheship’scuriouscats:

SoIleftmyoldhameintheMorning—(‘Twastheafternoontrulytospeak),AnddownSouthwithmylinesandmyhookies,

2� Context�7(2012):Philpott

Icaughtmanybirrdsbythebeak:ThenI’dtak’oneandI’dcutoothisinside,AndI’dmak’himanobjectabsurrd,AndI’dstuffhimwi’cottonwoolandsawdust,Tillhecouldna’bekenfra’a—Birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrdie,At first he looked awfu’ absurrd,ButnoonecouldlookatthecreatureAndsaythathewasna’abirrd!

A day as I finished one birrdie,Ilaidhimdoononmasettee,AndIwentintheneighbouringward-room,Justtogetmeacupo’sometea;Mybackwasna’turnedforaminnit,Whenarummageandscratchin’Ihearrd—IturnedroundandsawtaemyhorrorTheweecatdevouringthe—Birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrd,birrdie,‘Twasascurrilousshameonmaworrd,Ididna’kencatshadalikingForacottonwoolsawdustybirrd!76

DoorlyandMorrison’ssong-writingeffortsseemtohavebeenputonholdtemporarilyoncetheMorningreachedtheAntarcticCircle,probablyowingtothefactthattherewasnowmoreworktobecompletedbothonandofftheship,leavinglesstimeforthepursuitofleisureactivities.TheMorning spent several weeks traversing the coastline of South Victoria Land insearchoftheDiscoveryand,eventually,anumberofstrategically-placedcluesleftbyScottandhiscompanionsledtothelattervessel’smastsbeingsightedjustpriortomidnighton 2�January190�.77TheDiscoveryhadbeentrappedintheMcMurdoSound—anice-cloggedexpanseofwaterthatopensintotheRossSea—foralmostayear,andwhenthecrewsofbothvessels united for the first time, they reportedly enjoyed ‘a good evening, dinner followed by singing.’78 It was the first of several such occasions during the Morning’s five-and-a-half-week stayintheMcMurdoSound,asthereweremanyexchangesofmenbetweenthetwovessels,in spite of the six or so miles of floe ice that separated them.79Itwasnotlong,therefore,beforethesongsthathadbeencomposedaboardtheMorningalsocametobeknownandenjoyedbythecrewoftheDiscovery.80

Oneofthelargestcombinedcelebrationswasa‘banquet’heldon�February190�tohonourtheachievementsandmarkthesafereturnofScott,WilsonandShackletonfromtheirgruelling

76Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 2�–25.77Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 1�.Forexample,apre-determinedmessagepointwasestablishedatCapeCrozier,whereapartyfromtheDiscoveryleftinformationpertainingtothevessel’swinterquarters,sothatreliefvesselswouldbeabletolocateandre-supplytheship. SeeMarkham,The Lands of Silence,�70.78DavidWilson,linernotes,�.79EdwardWilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition,2�5.80DavidWilson,linernotes,�–�.


sledge journeyover theGreat IceBarrier towards theSouthPole.81According toDoorly’srecords,afteralargedinner,theeveningwas‘devotedtomusicandsong.’82AlthoughWilsonandShackletonweretooweakandexhaustedtofullyparticipateinthefestivities,Wilsonlaterdescribedtheorderofproceedingsinhisjournal:

[Wereceived]amostdelightfulwelcome…thencametimeforabath,andclothescameoffthathadbeenonsinceNovemberthesecondoftheyearbefore,andthenahugedinner.CaptainColbeck,EngineerMorrison,Lieuts.DoorlyandMulockwereallthere,andalongandtiringeveningfollowed…[consistingof]drinkandnoiseandsongs…8�

Bymid-February190�, ithadbecomeapparenttothecaptainsofbothvesselsthattherewasnoprospectoftheicebreakingupenoughthatsummertoallowtheDiscoverytoleaveAntarctica;shewouldbeimprisonedforatleastanotherwinter.ScottorderedtheMorningtoreturntoNewZealandposthaste,beforeshetoobecametrappedinthefrozensea.8�Somefourteentonsofstoresweretransportedonsledgesacrossthesixmilesoficethatstillseparatedthevesselsandontheafternoonof2March190�,theMorning,withseveralextrapassengersonboard,commencedthereturnvoyagetoLyttelton.85InthedaysimmediatelyprecedingtheMorning’sdeparture,therewerefarewelldinnershostedonboardbothvessels,atwhichmusicagainformedanimportantfunction.Inhisdetaileddiary,Wilsonnotedthaton28February190�,theDiscoveryhosteda‘specialdinner’tosayfarewelltoShackletonandafterwards,‘asing-songatwhichweallsang.’86Thefollowingday,theentirecrewoftheDiscovery,withtheexceptionofWilsonandtwoothermen,crossedovertotheMorning toenjoyonelastdinner,followedbythenow-customarysing-alongaroundtheward-roompiano.AccordingtoScott,‘allgatheredaboutthepiano,theairbecamethickwithtobaccosmoke,andforthelasttimeweraisedourvoicesinthenowfamiliarchoruses…wellintothesmallhours.’87The occasion provided one final opportunity for the crews to unite in a social setting, to share theMorning’ssongsandtobidoneanotherfarewell,beforepartingcompanyforaperiodofatleastanothertenmonths.

ThecrewoftheMorning enjoyedtheirtimewiththeDiscovery immenselyand,accordingtoDoorly,theyfound‘partingfromthatgallantband…[tobe]asadandtryingordeal…themosttouchingscene…[afterwhichtheDiscovery was]cutoffoncemorefromtheworld.’88Evans’sdescriptionofthepartingsceneisalsotingedwithsadnessandasenseofregretat

81WhenScottwastoldofthearrivalofthereliefvessel,hereportedlyexclaimed,‘Truly,joycomethintheMorning.’(RobertFalconScottquotedinCroll,introductiontoDoorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’�–�.)Doorlynotedthatthetriohad‘struggledbacktoheadquartersmoredeadthanalive…theyhadsufferedterribleprivationsandanxiety[andyet]Scott,weather-wornandlip-plastered,managedtotakehisplaceattheheadoftheward-roomtable’(Doorly,In the Wake,10�–0�.)82Doorly,Voyages of the Morning,109.8�Wilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition,2��.8�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 1�.85Someinvalids, includingShackleton,andothervolunteersfromtheDiscoveryweresenthomewiththeMorning,whileG.F.A.MulocktransferredtotheDiscovery.TheMorningarrivedinLytteltonon25March190�andremainedthereuntilitwastimetoreturntoAntarcticatore-supplytheDiscovery againthefollowingsummer.SeeMarkham,The Lands of Silence, �69.86Wilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition,2�6.87Scott,Voyage of the Discovery,vol.2,17�.88Doorly,quotedinDavidWilson,linernotes,18.


havingtoleavethemenalonetoendureyetanotherAntarcticwinter:

We…gazedasternatthelittlegroupofmen,huddledinpatheticlonelinessontheedgeofthefrozensea…WewatchedtillScott’smenvanishedoutofsight,whenpoorShackleton…brokedownaltogetherandwept…89

This‘sadandimpressiveparting’inspiredDoorlyandMorrisontocollaborateonanothersong: ‘The Ice King,’ also known as the ‘Morninghymn.’90ThetextofthissongaptlypraisesthecourageandcommitmentdemonstratedbythecrewoftheDiscovery,withheroicstatementssuchas‘Doingtheirduty—notcountingthecost…[with]honourandglory…showingthepath,’ interspersed with patriotic references like ‘Bearing the flag of England/Far ov’er the frozensea.’91Themusicalsettingisagainprimarilydiatonic,inthekeyofGmajor,withtheoccasionalchromaticchordemployedtolendemphasistothemeaningofparticularwords.In the opening bar of the first verse, for example, a tonic G-major chord is unexpectedly followedbyaG-minortriad,borrowedfromthetonicminor,whichservestohighlightthesignificance of the word ‘deadly’ (see Figure 15). The lowering of the third of the triad from B to B flat through this progression also has the added effect of conveying the literal meaning oftheopeningwordoftext,‘down,’throughthemusicalaccompaniment.

Figure 15. Doorly, ‘The Ice King,’ bb. 5–8

The refrain of ‘The Ice King’ is unique among those composed on board the MorninginthatitmakesexplicitreferencetotheChristianfaith,offeringhopethat‘Godwillkeep[thecrewofDiscovery] fromharmandscathe/TilltheMorningcomeswiththespring.’92Similarexpressionsoffaithandpromisesofdivineinterventioncanbefoundinnumerousdrawing-room ballads dating from the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, reflecting the growth inpopularityofsacredsongsdesignedforperformanceinthehomethatoccurredduringthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcentury.9� In the refrain of ‘The Ice King,’ the reference to divine

89Evans,quotedinHuntford,The Last Place on Earth, 17�.90Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 1�–1�.91Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 26–27.92Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 1�.9�ThepopularityofsuchsongswasspurredonbypublishingcompaniessuchasChappellandBoosey&Co.thatproducedmultiplevolumesforthedomesticmiddle-classmarketduringthemid-tolate-nineteenthcentury.Forexample,the1861Chappellpublication100 Sacred Songswasobviouslyintendedforuseinthe home, with arrangements made for clarinet, cornet, concertina, flute, sax-horn and violin. In 1875, Boosey&Co.beganpublicationoftheirtwenty-eightpartSacred Musical Cabinet and,laterinthe1870s,producedSacred Songs, Ancient and Modern,alldesignedforhomeuse. Formoreinformationonsacredsongs intended for performance in the home, see chapter five of Scott, The Singing Bourgeois.


interventionisappropriatelygivenasolemn,hymn-likesettinginabrief,four-barpassagemarked‘Religioso.’ThesimplicityofthediatonicG-majorvocalmelodyassignedtothistext,whichstandsincontrasttothechromatically-alteredmelodiclinethatimmediatelyprecedesit(comparebb.29–�2andbb.21–28ofFigure16),suggeststhatDoorlyintendedthispassagetobesungbyallpresent,irrespectiveofindividualmusicalaptitude.Consideredinthiscontext,the song also reflects the function of a hymn as a vehicle for collective expression.

Figure 16. Doorly, ‘The Ice King,’ bb. 18–36

The two final songs that Doorly composed during the Morning’s returnvoyagetoNewZealand,‘ScotlandForever!’and‘Yuss,’areboth‘lighter’intermsoftheirsubjectmatterandmusicalcharacter. ‘ScotlandForever!’ isaduetwithatextco-authoredbyDoorlyandtheMorning’snewestrecruit,LieutenantE.H.Shackleton.AlthoughShackletonhadbeendeeplyupsetandfrustratedathavingbeen‘invalided’northbyScott,heneverthelessprovedtobe,in


Doorly’s words, ‘a delightful “first-class” passenger … during the stormy month’s voyage back toNewZealand.’Shackleton‘enteredintothespiritandfun’oftheMorning’s‘littlemess’and,muchtoDoorly’sdelight,evenofferedtocollaborateonthewritingofsomeversesthatpokedfunattheMorning’sforemostlyricist,Morrison,whomShackletonhaddubbed‘MacHinery’(areferencetoMorrison’sScottishheritage,aswellashisoccupationasanengineerinchargeoftheship’s‘machinery’).9�

Thetextof‘ScotlandForever!’notonlytakesagibeatMorrison,butalsoathiscompatriot,DrDavidson,whomShackletonhadnicknamed‘MacMush’afterexperiencingDavidson’sincessantsingingofthetune‘Mush,Mush,Mush,Too-Ri-Li-Ady.’Doorly’sintroductiontothepublishedscoreThe Songs of the ‘Morning’explainsthegenesisof‘ScotlandForever!’:

MacHinery[Morrison]hadbeentryingtoimpressthemesswiththeimportanceoftherespectivecallingsofengineersanddoctors,nootherprofessionsbeingneeded,accordingtoH.G.Wells’sbookAnticipations.ForHalloween,therefore,anexcellentopportunitypresenteditselftoShackletonandmetobringoutasong,orratheraduet,tobesung, in imagination,byour twoScots.With the Jester-Jailor ‘Cock-and-Bull’duetfromThe Yeomen of the Guard,and‘MyselfandBrotherBen’fromMerrie Englandjingling in my head, the composition seemed to fit our words quite happily. How’s this,too,forastrathspey—inkilts?95

The influence of the all-male duets ‘Hereupon we’re both agreed’ (also known as the ‘Cock-and-Bullduet’)fromActTwoofGilbertandSullivan’sThe Yeomen of the Guard(1888)and‘Wearetwopropermen’(‘MyselfandBrotherBen’)fromActOneofEdwardGerman’sMerrie England(1902)isobviousinboththelyricalcontentandthemusicalmaterialsof‘ScotlandForever!’andbothborrowingsareentirelyappropriatetothestyleofcomiccharactersongthatDoorlyandShackletonwereattemptingtocreate.96

The comic operas The Yeomen of the Guard and Merrie England had enjoyed immensepopularityinLondonduringtheyearsprecedingDoorly’sAntarcticadventure.The Yeomen of the Guard had enjoyed a very successful first run of 423 performances at the Savoy Theatre after it opened in October 1888 and its first London revival, given between May and November 1897,ranforanadditional186performances.97Thepatriotically-themedMerrie EnglandopenedatthesametheatreinApril1902andranfor120performances,beforeclosinginlateJulythesameyear,somefourweeksaftertheMorning setsailforAntarctica.98AlthoughitisnotknownforcertainthatDoorlyattendedaliveperformanceofMerrie England,hewasevidentlyveryfamiliarwiththeduetwrittenforthecharactersLongTomandBigBen,the‘twoproper

9�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 15.Forexample,Shackleton,whowasofIrishdescent,createdaparodyonthepopularIrishballad‘FatherO’Flynn’ thatutiliseddistinctivelyScottishwordsandexpressionsinordertopokefunatMorrison.DoorlyandDavidsonalsopennedsomeindividualversesaboutMorrisonatthistime.95Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 15-16.96Merrie England featuresalibrettobyBasilHood.97SeeDavidRussellHulme, ‘YeomenoftheGuard,’New Grove Dictionary of Opera,ed.StanleySadie,Grove Music Online, accessed 18Apr. 2012, <www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O907005>.98Theproductiononlyclosedatthistimesothatanothershowcouldrunatthetheatre.Itre-openedon2�November1902foranother56performances,closingon17January190�.SeeDavidRussellHulme,‘MerrieEngland,’New Grove Dictionary of Opera,ed.StanleySadie,Grove Music Online,accessed18Apr.2012,<www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O90�22�>.


men’ofthesong’stitle,andmusthaveconveyedhisknowledgeofthissongtoShackleton,whowouldnothavehadtheopportunitytoattendaperformanceoftheproductionbeforetheDiscovery’sdeparturefromLondon.Thereferencetothisduetisclearfromtheoutsetof‘Scotland Forever!’; not only does the text of the first verse begin with similar words (‘We are two mighty men—MacHinery and MacMush’) to those heard at the opening of the first verseof‘Wearetwopropermen’(‘Wearetwopropermen,MyselfandBrotherBen’),butthemelodiclineandharmonicprogressionsemployedarealmostidentical,ascanbeseenwhencomparingFigures17and18below.

Figure 17.Doorly,‘ScotlandForever!,’bb.6–15

Figure 18.German,‘Wearetwopropermen,’fromMerrie England,bb.�–12;EdwardGerman,Merrie England, Vocal Score(London:Chappell,195�),2�

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The influence of Gilbert and Sullivan’s duet ‘Hereupon we’re both agreed’ is not as obvious asthatoftheduetbyGerman,largelybecauseitisnotquoteddirectly;however,thereareneverthelessclearparallelsthatexistbetweenthelyricalcontent—botharehumorous‘boasting’songsinwhichtwomalecharacterscelebratetheircleverness—andthelively,spiritedmusicalsettingofeachsong.99Itisnotsurprisingthatthemixofhumourwithpopular-songstylesfoundinThe Yeomen of the Guard andMerrie England,aswellasthepatrioticreferencesinthelatter,appealed toDoorlyandhis fellowexplorers,especially in lightof thephysicalandemotionalhardshipstheyhadbeenenduringinthenameoftheEmpire,inordertofacilitateitsexpansiontotheworld’slast‘unclaimed’continent,Antarctica.

Doorly’sreferencetotheScottishcountrydanceformknownasthe ‘strathspey’ inhisintroduction to the published score suggests that he may have intended performances of‘Scotland Forever!’ to be accompanied by dancing (probably in a style that parodied thetraditionalform).Thestrathspey,whichismusicallyrelatedtotheScottishreel,originatedinthemid-eighteenthcenturyandischaracterisedbyitsuseofdottedrhythms,includingtheso-called ‘Scotch snap,’ a rhythmic figuration in which a dotted note is preceded by one of shortervalue(usuallyasemiquaverfollowedbyadottedquaver).WhilethepublishedversionillustratedinFigure19includesveryfewdottedrhythmsinitsnotation,itislikelythatthemanyquaversfoundinthemelodylinewere,infact,realisedinlong-shortcombinations.Inaddition,twooccurrencesofthe‘Scotchsnap’(asemiquaverfollowedbyadottedquavertiedtoacrotchet)arefoundineachofthesong’sthreeverses(seebars18and22ofFigure19).

Thesolopianointroductionandcodaalsoincorporateshort-longrhythmicpatternsintheirmelodiclines,althoughthenotevaluesusedareelongatedtoquaver-crotchetdurations(seeFigure19,bb.2–�).

99Therefrainof‘ScotlandForever!’includesmuch‘boasting’:‘We’retheEngineerandtheDoctorman,We’lldoanddareasamightyclan,We’llmeltourscrap,we’llmixourpills,Constructmachines,inventnew ills, With pride we ask—”Who greater than the Engineer and the Doctorman?”’ (Doorly, Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 29).

Figure 19. Doorly,‘ScotlandForever!’

Songs of the ‘Morning’ �1

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The final song written on board the MorningpriortoitsarrivalinNewZealandistitled‘Yuss’andistheonlyonetohavebeencomposedinthestyleofthetraditionalBritishseashantyorsailors’worksong.100Thelyrics,writtenbyMorrison,arebasedonnauticalthemes,with humorous references to the condition of the ship (‘The engines they wos misfits from a prehistorictime’)andadventuresatsea(‘theseaswosmountains‘igh’)juxtaposedagainstdescriptions of the Morning’s men as ‘heroes’ and ‘an intrepid crew.’101 The song’s fourversesfeaturethecall-and-responsepatterntypicalofsongsintheseashantygenre,withsolopassagesdesigned,accordingtoDoorly,tobeperformedbyoneoftheship’ssailors(seeFigure20bb.6–10and1�–17).102Thesesololinesarepunctuatedwithbriefinterjectionsintendedforthecrew(seetextinparenthesesinbb.11–1�ofFigure21)andeachverseisfollowed by a ‘fine rollicking chorus’10� (see Figure 21), allowing ample opportunity forparticipationbythefullcompany.

Figure 20.Doorly,‘Yuss,’bb.6–17

100 The published score of ‘Yuss’ carries the expressive marking ‘Breezily.’ See Doorly, Songs of the ‘Morning,’ �0.101Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ �0–�1.102Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 18.10�Doorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’ 17.

Songs of the ‘Morning’ ��

Figure 21.Doorly,‘Yuss,’refrain,bb.18–2�

Therefrainof‘Yuss’isalsotypicalofatraditionalseashantyinitsemploymentofasmallnumber of accents at specific points in the melody line. In the mid-nineteenth century, when clipper ships were the most efficient mode of transport and a high degree of manpower in heavingandhaulingwasrequiredtooperatethem,therefrainsofseashantieswouldusuallycontainatleastoneortwoaccentedsyllables,atwhichpoint/scombinedforceswouldpulltogether.10�WhiletheMorningwasasteamyacht,andthesong‘Yuss’maywellhavebeensungabovedeckasaworkingsong,itismorethanlikelythatitwaswrittenpurelyforthepurposeofentertainingandunitingthecrewbelowdeck,aroundtheward-roompiano.105

DespitethefactthatthesongscomposedonboardtheMorningwerewrittenfortheexpresspurpose of entertaining the crew during the vessel’s first return voyage to Antarctica, there is evidenceinsomeoftheexplorers’journalsthatthesongscontinuedtobeenjoyedonboardboththeMorningandtheDiscovery,independently,longafterthistime.106Perhapsunsurprisingly,thesongswerealsorevivedwhenthecrewsreunitedduringtheAntarcticsummerof190�,whentheMorningreturnedtoAntarctica,thistimeaccompaniedbytheTerra Nova,toattempttofree

10�Differentsongswouldbeuseddependingonwhethertheworkrequiredatthecapstanwascontinuousorintermittent.Theseashantyfelloutofworkinguseonceclipper-shiptransportwassupplantedbysteaminabout1870.SeePeterGammondandPeterWilton,‘Shanty,’Oxford Companion to Music,ed.AlisonLatham,Oxford Music Online,accessed�Apr.2012,<www.oxfordmusiconline.com>.105Doorlywrotethatthesong‘wasaneccentricproduction—bothwordsandmusic…Toquotethepoet,“What’sthegoodofsongsthatrhymeandmetreoutsystematically?Anybodycanwritesuchtrash!Butthisonenowisthesortthatappealstome—notmuchsense—verylittlerhymingandonlyasuspicionofrhythm—this is my masterpiece!”’ (quoted in liner notes for The Songs of the ‘Morning,’19).106Forexample,on5July190�,duringtheDiscovery’ssecondwinterinAntarctica, Wilsonwroteinhisdiarythathehadspenttheafternoon‘drawingbergsandcopyingoutsomesongswhichwerecomposedontheMorning, one of which, to the tune of “Mush, Mush,” is excellent, the tale of a bird’(Edward Wilson, Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition, 269). Wilson no doubt felt an affinity with this particular song because ofhisroleasZoologistontheDiscovery.

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theDiscoveryfromtheice.SeveralentriesinWilson’sdiarydatingfromFebruary190�recordthatmusicaleveningswereheldatdifferenttimesaboardtheMorning andtheDiscovery,107andoneentry,inparticular,detailsthetypesofsongsenjoyedonsuchoccasions:

Doorlycameover[fromtheMorning]afterdinnerandentertainedusalltheevening.Davidson’sbestsongsare‘TheMarchoftheCameronMen,’‘I’segoin’backtoDixie’and ‘When the Swallows homeward fly’—M. V. White. Doorly has his own and ‘Be goodsweetmaid.’108

AlthoughDoorly’ssongshavenotenjoyedmuchofalifebeyondtheDiscovery expedition,other than in performances given by Doorly’s baritone grandson, Roger Wilson,109 theirsignificance as historical documents should not be underestimated. Not only do the songs provide,throughtheirlyrics,anotherrecordoftheexperiencesoftheexplorers,butthesongsalsooffer,byvirtueoftheirveryexistence,valuableinsightintowhattheexplorersactuallydidtoentertainthemselvesandkeepmoraleupthroughthedurationoftheexpedition.Theimportantrolethatthesongs(and,indeed,Doorly’sabilitytoperformthem)playedinfosteringasenseofcamaraderieandalleviatingboredomduringtheexpeditionwaslateracknowledgedbyAustralianauthorRobertHenderson(Bob)Croll(1869–19�7),inhisprefacetothepublishedscoreofThe Songs of the ‘Morning’:

Thereisprobablynosternertestoftheabilityofmentolivetogetherharmoniouslythan would be imposed by months of close confinement in such a small vessel … So, something may be sensed of what these songs, and the fine spirit behind them, must have meant to officers and crew crowded together for long periods without possibility ofcontactwithanyotherhumanbeings.Therewasnowireless…they[hadto]createtheirownentertainment…[thepiano]wasseeminglytheheartofsociallifeaboard.Topossessitwasagreatboon;allthatwasneededthenwasacompetentexecutant,and they gained him when Gerald Doorly signed on as third officer.110

Similarly, Edward R.G.R. Evans, who had been Second Officer on board the Morning,testified that without Doorly, the explorers would have been hard-pressed to survive the disappointments,tediumandlonelinessthatwerepart-and-parceloftheAntarcticexperienceduringtheearlyyearsofthe‘HeroicAge’:

[Doorly]hadandstillhasanenviabletalentformusic…avaluableassettothosewhogodowntotheseainships.…inthediscomfortandheavyrollingofthe‘roaringforties,’inthegrindandhissoftheAntarcticpack-ice,wheneverIcameoffmyafternoonwatchI used to sit and have my tea in Gerald Doorly’s cabin, and, that finished, he would moveroundtothepianoandplaycoonsongsandlightstuff,seasongsandchantytunes.Itallhelpedsomuchtobreakthemonotonyofmanydaysatsea…Idon’tknowwhatweshouldhavedonewithoutthistalentedbrightyoungbeing.111

107Forexample,Wilson’sdiaryentrydated6February190�reportsthat‘DoorlyandDavidsonsangintheevening’onboardtheMorningand,similarly,hisentryon9February190�records‘Wehadsingingandmusicalltheevening’onboardtheDiscovery.Bythistime,therewereonlyfourmilesoficeseparatingthetwovessels.SeeEdwardWilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition,��7–�8.108EdwardWilson,Diary of the ‘Discovery’ Expedition,��8.109RogerWilson,emailtotheauthor,22Jan.2012.110Croll,introductiontoDoorly,Songs of the ‘Morning,’�–�.111Evans,introductiontoDoorly,In the Wake(Melbourne:Robertson&Mullens,19�7),9–10.

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Doorly was awarded the Polar Service medal for his work on the Morning and washonouredbyCaptainColbeckbyhavinganAntarcticmountainnamedafterhim.112FollowinghisAntarcticadventure,Doorlyenjoyedalongandsuccessfulcareerasamastermariner,andcontinuedtoplayandcomposetheoccasionalpieceofmusicbothonandofftheshipsonwhichheserved.11�

Asacollectionofdrawing-roomstyleballadsdatingfromtheearlytwentiethcentury,Doorly’sSongs of the ‘Morning’isfairlyrepresentative.Musically,thesongsfollowmostofthestandardconventionsoftheday,withtheirstrophicforms,predominantlytonalharmoniesandtunefulrefrains,while,lyrically,theydrawonthemesthatwerepopularatthetimesuchaslove,talesofadventureonthehighseasandexpressionsofpatriotismandChristianfaith.Whatisuniqueaboutthesongsistheunusualconditionsinwhichtheywereconceivedandthestoriesthataretoldthroughthesongtexts,aswellasthroughtheothersurvivingrecordsthatrelatetohowtheywereusedandreceivedbytheexplorersduringtheexpedition.FormanyoftheexplorersassociatedwiththevoyagesoftheMorning andtheDiscovery,thismusicprovidedameansthroughwhichtheycouldexpressfeelings,recordexperiencesandpassthetime. In the twenty-first century, as the remote and inhospitable nature of Antarctica continues to limit the number of visitors to the region, Doorly’s songs, as some of the first of a growing numberofmusicalworkscomposedinresponsetoAntarctica,11�offervalidmeansthroughwhichweareabletolearnmoreaboutandappreciatethisuniquecontinentandthevariouschallengesthatitpresentstohumankind.

112 Mt Doorly is located at the eastern end of the Olympic Range, Victoria Land, between Victoria Valley and Wright Valley, at 77°23’S, 162°54’E. Freed, ‘Polar Profile,’ 360.11�Forexample,thereexistsapianowaltztitled‘Doraldina,’whichDoorlycomposedtwentyorsoyearsafterhisworkontheMorninginhonourofhisdaughters,DorothyandGeraldine,andwife,Ina.RogerWilson,emailtotheauthor,22Jan.2012.11� The most well-known Antarctica-inspired musical works include those by Ralph Vaughan Williams, PeterMaxwellDaviesandAustraliancomposerNigelWestlake;however,therearealsoincreasingnumbersof twenty-first-century composers and musicians taking new approaches to representing the Antarctic environmentinsound,suchastheAmericansDouglasQuinandCherylLeonardandtheAustraliansLarrySitsky,AliceGilesandScottMcIntyre.

Notes from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration: Gerald S ......the so-called ‘Heroic Age of...

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