EXCERPT
Song of Australia
by Stephen
Crabbe
The historical fiction novel, Song of Australia, is comprised of three inter-related stories: "Magpies and
Mendelssohn", "Song of Australia", and "The Parade".
Author and fellow Australian, Stephen Crabbe, joins me today to share an
excerpt from the book.
Description
Song of Australia puts the reader in the shoes of remarkable characters confronting the
difficult life of the home-front during the First World War.
German-Australians are the largest minority group in the nation as it
joins the rest of the British Empire to fight against Germany. How are they to
deal with the sudden hostility of their neighbours and the Government? Amid
immense suffering caused by conflicting adults, how can gifted child-musicians
help the world? An adolescent boy in Adelaide, "City of Churches" ,
believes Christianity is a way of peace. How can he worship with people who
believe God wants him to fight - and perhaps die - in war, for the sake of the
British Empire? And what will be the fate of his love for one of these people?
Exploring timeless themes, Stephen Crabbe’s three connected stories bring
to life the state of South Australia in the first years of Federation.
Excerpt from "Magpies and
Mendelssohn"
[The story is set in South Australia during the First World
War.]
It
was only twenty minutes after leaving Miss Hale that Elsie walked into the
school with Neddy’s hand quite happily in hers. They approached Miss Black and
Neddy promised he would come to school next day. Elsie led him homeward.
A few people standing outside the post office ceased their chatter
to glare at them as they passed. ‘Germans shouldn’t be wandering around the
town at will,’ one said to another loud enough for Elsie to hear. ‘Especially
in the company of a cabbage-head!’
A woman took the cue. ‘Torrens Island’s the place for them!’
Elsie held Neddy’s hand tighter and quickened her pace until
his mother, with a grateful smile at her, ushered him into her house.
How the boy had agreed to go to school next day and sing
some songs with her, and how she would be his tutor, and how she would then use these songs to help him learn to
read, and how very important this was
according to Miss Hale—all of this she wanted her mother to understand. But the
fury that descended on her as she entered the house would not let her begin to
speak of these things. To her mother, the fact she had come home an hour after
school dismissal was all that mattered.
The grip on her arm was savage. ‘You wander off to satisfy
your own selfish whims while I sit here watching the clock, not knowing where
you are or what you’re doing … The older you get the more irresponsible you
become!’
‘I was talking to Neddy Hawkins! He ran off from school again and I … ’
Her mother gasped, horror all over her face for several
seconds. She slammed her hand on the
table. Plates and cutlery rattled. ‘You were with that Hawkins woman’s little
brat? You have no shame, girl! Get into your room and stay there!’
No point persevering with an explanation. She pursed her
lips and strode away. It had been like this all her life.
Mother’s fierce resentment now had an excuse to explode.
Elsie winced as the voice struck from behind.
‘The way you’re going, girl, you’ll fall as low as that woman!’
Later that night Elsie’s father, face sad and shoulders
drooping, came to tell her she was to be confined to her room except to go to
school. ‘I’m very sorry. I’ll persuade your mother to relent eventually, but
while she’s this angry it’s best not to make her worse. I don’t want to put too
much of a strain on her heart …’ His voice petered out and, with a shrug, he
left the room.
The restriction on her movement was bad enough, but not
being able to play the piano was utter exile. Elsie endured the next three
days, downcast one moment and angry the next. In the bleakest moments it was as
though a huge dark mouth was trying to gulp her down. It was not a new
experience, and she knew her escape was through music. She sat with hands
arched on the dressing table and heard Schumann’s Traumerei emerge from her fingers as they played an invisible
keyboard. Like a ladder of sound it allowed her to claw her way back to the
light.
Elsie remembered the day seven years earlier when her hands
first touched a piano. That moment followed a fierce storm of argument in the
house. Mother’s hands squeezed her tiny arms.
Father told her to let go. ‘She must be allowed to develop the talent
she was born with! I’m taking her, Elisabeth.’ Somehow he managed to get Elsie
out of the house and take her down the street to Mrs Pascoe.
She could not recall a time when Mother encouraged her to
leave the house. Sweeping, dusting, washing, helping in the kitchen—the
household jobs never ended. Her two brothers, on the other hand, were given a
free rein to play sport, visit their mates and roam the town whenever they were
not in school. Elsie’s school friends gave up inviting her to their birthday
parties. Her mother’s eyes even watched from the gate as she walked to Mrs
Pascoe’s house once a week, to see that she went nowhere else. And at the time
the lesson was due to finish those same eyes would be watching again to ensure
she came straight home.
Again and again over the years that big dark mouth
threatened. Her chest would tighten. It was hard to breathe. Yet that piano, as
unmoving and dependable as a boulder amid the swirl of hopelessness, was always
there waiting for her fingers to grab hold. Her music was her lifeline.
Praise for the Book
"A Song Without Words, music unmarred by propaganda, soars higher.
This was just one of the fascinating themes that touched me as I read Song of Australia by Stephen Crabbe. For
me, the setting of this story is unique. I've not read before a WWI story set
entirely at the home-front, depicting an impending storm of conflict within a
community. The story is relevant in its capturing the suddenness of change, the
surge of intolerance. In this case we feel conflict born from prejudice against
German-Australians and lovers of peace. It is told through a number of
characters. I thought the author did a brilliant job when taking us within the
point of view of a young special needs boy who excelled musically, let alone
through Elsie, Will Krause and Edwin - all interesting characters. Threats of
mob action, bullies, budding human relationships, religious hypocrisy and local
color all make for a compelling and rich read." ~ John B. Campbell
"Stephen Crabbe's book is a delight to read with character
development and depth. The historical aspect is real and the characters come
alive and in so doing bring to life the sub-text. These South Australian
stories are set against a background of the First World War and reactions to
war, relationship, race, fear, hope and the future. And it is through the
telling of these stories that the reader can also connect personally as well as
relating to the contemporary Australian experience. Well crafted and well worth
a read." ~ Paul Vincent Cannon
"I kinda got involved in the story and the characters. Happened to
like the third part of the book that has got a heartfelt emotional bond
relating to the characters. Of all, music essence as the medium of story surely
makes its mark. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and worth adding to your
collection." ~ Euphonos
"Using the language of music to convey some of his most lyrical
passages, Crabbe guides readers through a story that matures, much like its
characters, who themselves act almost as part of an opera, engaging us in the
history of a young nation seeking its identity." ~ Lisl Zlitni
"Song of Australia is a
book which pulls forth memories and gives a fascinating view into the past. The
story takes the reader through a range of emotions with hope blooming in the
background. The characters are very real, the settings quite vivid, and the
atmosphere nostalgic for the good within people in spite of the bad. I highly
recommend this story for anyone looking for a truly enjoyable trip into the
last century." ~ Mary R. Fairchild
About the Author
Stephen Crabbe was born in Adelaide, South Australia. His ancestors were
among the earliest colonists.
Stephen's twin passions from the earliest years were music and language
in all its forms. He studied classical pianoforte from the age of five and read
widely in English literature. He also loved to explore all other languages.
Stephen took up education as a profession, which took him into both
public and private schools in several different roles. Eventually he chose to
be a music educator, a vocation he followed for several decades.
Writing was always a compulsion for Stephen, but in later years it drew
more attention. Screen productions used his scripts and many of his articles
were published online and in print. The main focus of his writing now is fiction,
especially of the historical kind.
He lives in the rural south-west of Australia.
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