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Musicians of the Titanic

The musicians of the Titanic were an octet orchestra who performed chamber music in the first class section aboard the ship.

Overview
Eight musicians – members of a three-piece ensemble and a five-piece ensemble – were booked through C. W. & F. N. Black, in Liverpool. They boarded at Southampton and traveled in second-class. They were not on the White Star Line's payroll but were contracted to White Star by the Liverpool firm of C. W. & F. N. Black, which placed musicians on almost all British liners. Until the night of the sinking, the players performed as two separate groups: a quintet led by violinist and official bandleader Wallace Hartley, that played at teatime, after-dinner concerts, and Sunday services, among other occasions; and the violin, cello, and piano trio of Georges Krins, , and William Brailey, that played at the À La Carte Restaurant and the Café Parisien. After the Titanic hit an iceberg and began to sink, Hartley and his fellow band members started playing music to help keep the passengers calm as the crew loaded the lifeboats. Many of the survivors said that Hartley and the band continued to play until the very end. Reportedly, their final tune was the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee", although other sources suggest it was (also known simply as "Autumn"). One second-class passenger said: All eight musicians died in the sinking. == Musicians ==
Musicians
William Brailey William Theodore Brailey (25 October 1887 – 15 April 1912) was an English pianist. Brailey boarded the Titanic on Wednesday 10 April 1912 in Southampton. His ticket number was 250654, the ticket for all the members of Hartley's orchestra. His cabin was in the second class quarters. Brailey was 24 years old when he died; his body was never recovered. Roger Bricoux Roger Marie Leon Joseph Bricoux (1 June 1891 – 15 April 1912) was a French cellist. Born on 1 June 1891 in Rue de Donzy, Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, was the son of a musician. The family moved to Monaco when he was a young boy, and he was educated in various Catholic institutions in Italy. It was during his studies that he joined his first orchestra and won first prize at the Conservatory of Bologna for musical ability. After studying at the Paris Conservatory, he moved to England in 1910 to join the orchestra in the Grand Central Hotel in Leeds. At the end of 1911, he moved to Lille, France, lived at 5 Place du Lion d'Or, and played in various locations throughout the city. Before joining the Titanic, Bricoux had served with Brailey on the Cunard steamer Carpathia before joining the White Star Line. Bricoux was 20 years old when he died; On 2 November 2000, the same association unveiled a memorial plaque to Bricoux in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire. Wallace Hartley Jock Hume John Law "Jock" Hume (9 August 1890 – 15 April 1912) was a Scottish violinist. Hume was born on 9 August 1890 in Dumfries, Scotland and lived with his parents at 42 George Street, Dumfries. Hume spent the winter of 1910/1911 in Kingston, Jamaica, where he performed in the Orchestra for the Constant Spring Hotel, a grand resort of the time. Future Titanic cellist John Woodward was also a member of the Constant Spring Orchestra. During his four months in Jamaica, Hume entered a relationship with barmaid Ethel McDonald. Hume left Jamaica in April 1911, and Ethel gave birth to their child, Keith Neville McDonald Hume, in November 1911. He boarded the Titanic on Wednesday, 10 April 1912 in Southampton. His ticket number was 250654, the ticket for all the members of Hartley's orchestra. His cabin was in the second class quarters. Hume was 21 years old when he died and his fiancée, Mary Costin, was pregnant with his child, a daughter named Johnann Hume Costin. A memorial was erected for Hume and Thomas Mullin (third class steward) in Dock Park, Dumfries. On 30 April 1912, Hume's father, Andrew, received the following note from the agency: The letter caused controversy at the time when it was reprinted in the Amalgamated Musicians Union's monthly newsletter. Georges Krins Georges Alexandre Krins (18 March 1889 – 15 April 1912) was a Belgian violinist. his family was from Belgium, and soon after his birth they moved back there to the town of Spa. He first studied at Academie de Musique de Spa. He then moved to the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Liège, Belgium, where he studied from 30 October 1902 until 1908, when he won first prize for violin, with the highest distinction. It is unclear when Taylor began his career as a musician but there are records of a pianist named "Percy C. Taylor" as early as 1894. Titanic was likely his first ship that he ever performed on. In the early stages of the sinking, there is some evidence which suggests that the band played near the top of the forward grand staircase were there was a piano, before moving outside; even in this scenario, only one pianist would have been needed. It is likely that Taylor and the other pianist, Brailey, participated on other instruments. Taylor died in the sinking. His body, if recovered at all, was never identified. John Woodward John Wesley Woodward (11 September 1879 – 15 April 1912) was an English cellist. Born in West Bromwich on 11 September 1879, he was the youngest of ten children born to Joseph and Martha Woodward. He became a professional musician, playing in Oxford, and Eastbourne. In Eastbourne, he played the cello both at the Grand Hotel and in the local orchestra. While in Eastbourne he joined the White Star Line musicians, playing on transatlantic ships. On 10 April 1912, he boarded the Titanic at Southampton for her maiden Transatlantic voyage. Five days later, on 15 April 1912, the ship hit an iceberg and he and the other musicians famously continued to play as the Titanic sank. Woodward died in the sinking and his body likely was never recovered. A memorial plaque was erected to Woodward on the promenade in Eastbourne depicting the Titanic as it sank. == Memorial concert ==
Memorial concert
A memorial concert for the Bandsmen of the Titanic was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 24 May 1912, a month after the sinking, to raise funds to support the families of the musicians lost at sea. Musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Queen's Hall Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra, the Beecham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera Orchestra, and the London Opera House Orchestra made up an orchestra of around 500 players. Ada Crossley opened the concert with Felix Mendelssohn's Oh Rest in the Lord from Elijah, with the rest of the programme consisting of solemn orchestral items including works by Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Wagner, with Chopin's Funeral March and Arthur Sullivan's "In Memoriam". Seven conductors led the orchestra, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Henry Wood, Landon Ronald, Percy Pitt, Thomas Beecham, Fritz Ernaldy and Willem Mengelberg. The audience joined in singing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" as orchestrated by Sir Henry Wood to close the concert. A photograph of the event hangs in the Royal Albert Hall outside the loggia boxes. == Memorials ==
Memorials
File:RMS Titanic Musician's Memorial, Southampton.jpg|RMS Titanic Musician's Memorial, Southampton File:Titanic Bandsmen Memorial monument in Broken Hill, NSW (1913).jpg|Titanic Bandsmen Memorial monument in Broken Hill, Australia (1913) File:Ballarat titanic memorial.jpg|SS Titanic Memorial Bandstand in Ballarat, Australia (1915) ==In media==
In media
Film Two documentary films have been made about the ''Titanic's'' band. • The British film, Titanic: The Band Played On (completed in 2012), was shown on Yesterday television. • The American Film, Titanic–Band of Courage (2014), was shown on Public Broadcasting System stations. Literature Books written specifically about the Titanic's musicians include: • Steve Turner's nonfiction book, The Band that Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic (2011) • Christopher Ward's non-fiction book, And the Band Played On: The Titanic Violinist and the Glovemaker: A True Story of Love, Loss and Betrayal (2011), which became a Sunday Times bestseller and was made into a documentary for the Discovery Channel titled, Titanic: The Aftermath (2012). The book details the story of Ward's grandfather, Jock Hume. Music • Chamber music ensemble I Salonisti performs Titanic repertoire on the album And the Band Played On (Music Played on the Titanic) (1997), including the Intermezzo from . The White Star orchestra played this famous piece from Mascagni's opera after dinner in Titanic's lounge on 10 April 1912, according to passenger Father Browne. • Minimalist work The Sinking of the Titanic (1969–1972) by composer Gavin Bryars is meant to recreate how the music performed by the band would reverberate through the water some time after they ceased performing. • Harry Chapin's album Dance Band on the Titanic (1977) is dedicated to the ''Titanic's'' ensembles and contains a song titled "Dance Band on the Titanic" • The album Titanic: Music As Heard On The Fateful Voyage (1997), by Ian Whitcomb and the White Star Orchestra, recreates songs played aboard the Titanic the night the ship foundered, and includes detailed liner notes about the music and excursion. Theatre • The 1997 musical Titanic, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone that opened on Broadway, is set on the ocean liner. It swept the 1997 musical Tony Awards winning all five it was nominated for including the award for Best Musical and Best Score (Yeston's second for both). It ran for 804 performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Hartley is the only named character in the musical, while the rest of the band itself only makes an appearance in one music number. ==See also==
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