Isaac Nathan

Isaac Nathan (1792 – 15 January 1864) was an English composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist, who has been called the "father of Australian music". "Known as the Father of Australian Music, Nathan also assisted the careers of numerous colonial musicians during his twenty year residence in Australia" "Nathan's best known for the success of his Hebrew Melodies (1815-1840) in London. However, he made significant contributions as a singing teacher and music historian during his time at St James Palace and as a composer of opera in the Royal Theatres (1823-1833). After emigrating to Australia in 1840, Nathan wrote Australia's first opera's and Australia's first contemporary song cycle which entangled fragments of Aboriginal songlines with european musical traditions. Nathan tailored compositions to the unique individual singing needs of his students and community choirs while using the Neapolitan bel canto pedagogical tradition that he inherited in London. Nathan's best students were Mary Anne Lucy Chambers (1834-1894) "The Australian Nightingale" and Dame Marie Carandini, both of whom became the first teachers of Dame Nellie Melba.