Marvelous (Musical) Melbourne (1835 to 1980s)

Abstract

Drawing on government policies, economic reports, historians and musicologists and journalists, coupled with new qualitative data, this chapter argues that Melbourne is renowned for its music innovation and incubation. It highlights that the colonial beginnings in 1835, the global impact of the 1850s gold rush and Marvelous Melbourne during the 1880s enriched its urban sociability. This led to the nurturing of Australia’s first music superstars, such as opera diva, Nellie Melba and composer, Percy Grainger. With US troops stationed in Melbourne during the 1940s, it describes how their musical tastes enhanced the city to become the jazz center of the southern hemisphere. From the pop and folk scene of the 1950s and 1960s, to the punk and post-punk circuit of the 1970s and 1980s and television programs like Countdown, the chapter concludes by noting that Melbourne is home to famous music exports, such as The Seekers, Cave and Minogue.