Malcolm McEachern
Encyclopedia
Walter Malcom Neil McEachern (1 April 1883 – 17 January 1945) was a noted Australia
n bass
singer
who enjoyed a successful career in the United Kingdom
, both as a concert soloist and as one half of the comic musical duo Flotsam and Jetsam
.
, the sixth of 13 children of Archibald Hector McEachern and his wife, Rebecca Mary.
On 2 February 1916, McEachern married pianist Hazel Hogarth Doyle, who later became his accompanist and provided the musical direction for his career.
, McEachern went on a tour of Australia with the great Australian soprano
Nellie Melba
. Also in the touring company were Ella Caspers, Ada Crossley
and Marie Narelle.
In 1921 McEachern went to England
with his wife, where he was hailed as one of the world's best bass vocalists. He was especially acclaimed as an oratorio
singer although his voice was equally well suited to the demands of opera
; but unlike his finest contemporary rival among English-language basses, Norman Allin
, he elected not to pursue a career in that particular art form. McEachern did appear, however, in an array of staged Gilbert and Sullivan
Savoy operettas under the batons of the famous conductors Sir Henry Wood and Sir John Barbirolli
.
In early 1926, McEachern forged a light-entertainment collaboration with Bentley Collingwood Hilliam, a pianist from Yorkshire
. Their act proved to be a great success with British audiences and they became famous as Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam
.
McEachern was diagnosed with cancer
of the oesophagus
and died after an operation in London
on 17 January 1945.
His name is commemorated in Australia by McEachern Crescent in the Canberra
suburb of Melba
.
, operetta
and oratorio
as well as a number of popular songs of the day. These records display the impressive depth, power and tonal richness of his voice and the excellence of his technique.
One of his English-language 78-rpm discs, made with his countryman Harold Williams
, of "The Gendarmes' Duet" from Jacques Offenbach
's Geneviève de Brabant
, is considered to be a classic recording. Produced in 1933, it has been re-issued many times since and is available on CD.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
who enjoyed a successful career in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, both as a concert soloist and as one half of the comic musical duo Flotsam and Jetsam
Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam
Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam were an Anglo-Australian musical comedy duo of the 1920s and 1930s. Mr. Flotsam's real name was Bentley Collingwood Hilliam and Mr. Jetsam's real name was Malcolm McEachern . Hilliam wrote most of their songs, played the piano and sang in a light, high tenor voice. By...
.
Birth, singing career and death
He was born in Albury, New South WalesAlbury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
, the sixth of 13 children of Archibald Hector McEachern and his wife, Rebecca Mary.
On 2 February 1916, McEachern married pianist Hazel Hogarth Doyle, who later became his accompanist and provided the musical direction for his career.
Career and death
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, McEachern went on a tour of Australia with the great Australian soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
. Also in the touring company were Ella Caspers, Ada Crossley
Ada Crossley
Ada Jemima Crossley was an Australian singer.Crossley was a daughter of E. Wallis Crossley, a farmer. She was born at Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria...
and Marie Narelle.
In 1921 McEachern went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his wife, where he was hailed as one of the world's best bass vocalists. He was especially acclaimed as an oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
singer although his voice was equally well suited to the demands of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
; but unlike his finest contemporary rival among English-language basses, Norman Allin
Norman Allin
Norman Allin was a British bass singer of the early and mid twentieth century, and later a teacher of voice...
, he elected not to pursue a career in that particular art form. McEachern did appear, however, in an array of staged Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
Savoy operettas under the batons of the famous conductors Sir Henry Wood and Sir John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
.
In early 1926, McEachern forged a light-entertainment collaboration with Bentley Collingwood Hilliam, a pianist from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Their act proved to be a great success with British audiences and they became famous as Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam
Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam
Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam were an Anglo-Australian musical comedy duo of the 1920s and 1930s. Mr. Flotsam's real name was Bentley Collingwood Hilliam and Mr. Jetsam's real name was Malcolm McEachern . Hilliam wrote most of their songs, played the piano and sang in a light, high tenor voice. By...
.
McEachern was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the oesophagus
Esophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
and died after an operation in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 17 January 1945.
His name is commemorated in Australia by McEachern Crescent in the Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
suburb of Melba
Melba, Australian Capital Territory
Melba is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Melba is in the district of Belconnen.The suburb of Melba is named after Dame Nellie Melba , the first internationally-recognised Australian opera soprano...
.
Recordings
McEachern made a total of 187 studio recordings, including pieces of music from operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
as well as a number of popular songs of the day. These records display the impressive depth, power and tonal richness of his voice and the excellence of his technique.
One of his English-language 78-rpm discs, made with his countryman Harold Williams
Harold Williams (baritone)
Harold John Williams MBE was a leading Australian baritone and music teacher. Born in Sydney, he enjoyed a long and successful career in England and his native country, performing in opera, oratorio and concerts and giving radio broadcasts.-Early years:Williams was born on 3 September 1893 at...
, of "The Gendarmes' Duet" from Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Geneviève de Brabant
Geneviève de Brabant
Geneviève de Brabant is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant....
, is considered to be a classic recording. Produced in 1933, it has been re-issued many times since and is available on CD.
Bibliographies
- B. and F. Mackenzie, Singers of Australia (Melb, 1967); 'Death of Mr. McEachern', Times (London), 18 Jan 1945, p 6; Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Jan 1945; 'Obituary', Times (London), 19 Jan 1945, p 8.
- Print Publication Details: Peter Burgis, 'McEachern, Walter Malcolm Neil (1883 - 1945)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 264-265.
External links
- Malcolm McEachern biography
- Flotsam - Jetsam
- Malcolm McEachern‘s video recording (Link broken.)
- Recording session outline with photos of the two
- National Library of Australia digital recording listing for "The Changing of the Guard"
- Sound recording of Flotsam & Jetsam presenting "Is 'e an Aussie, Lizzie, is 'e?"
- 1931 filmed recording of McEachern singing "In Cellar Cool"