Beard was organist in Birmingham, England, and director of the city's Choral Society.
Australia After an invitation was extended by organiser
W. D. Hill, Beard adjudicated at the 1906
South Street Competitions, the annual eisteddfod in Ballarat, Beard decided to settle in Melbourne, and following an invitation by the (Roman Catholic)
Archbishop of Melbourne,
Thomas Carr, he was appointed organist and choirmaster of
St Patrick's Cathedral, with the remit to carry out Pope
Pius X's reforms in ecclesiastical music. He succeeded Fred Clutsam, brother of
George Clutsam, as conductor of Melbourne's
Orpheus Society, which became the
Victorian Festival Choir during his tenure. A performance by the choir of
Beethoven's Choral Symphony on 26 November 1910 with the Victorian Professional Orchestra, led by George Watson, was praised.
Death In November 1911 Beard returned to Britain for a holiday and, following a tour of Europe, boarded the RMS
Orsova intending to return to Melbourne. Concerns were raised when he failed to reply to telegrams left for him at
Fremantle and further enquiries revealed that he had died of
appendicitis en route at
Colombo. His loss was felt deeply by members of the Festival Choir, the National Operatic Society and the Students' Choir. Dean Phelan movingly referred to his death during a service at St Patrick's Cathedral.
Paul Beard (1901–1989), a nephew, was also a musician, a fine violinist. == References ==