Dolphy Blackert
Rudolph (Dolphy) Blackert (1892-1986), Bathurst, NSW provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive.
Portrait: [1]
The National Library of Australia holds aural recordings of interviews conducted with Dolphy Blackert. He was interviewed by:
- Chris Sullivan in April 1981, [2], Rudolph Dolphy Blackert interviewed.
- Chris Sullivan and Jacko Kevans in May 1982, [3], Rudolph Dolphy Blackert interviewed.
- Chris Sullivan in 1982, [4], Rudolph Dolphy Blackert interviewed.
- Chris Sullivan in 1983, [5], Rudolph Dolphy Blackert interviewed.
- Chris Sullivan and John Meredith in 1983, [6], Rudolph Dolphy Blackert and Jim MacArthur interviewed.
- John Meredith in May 1983, [7], Dolphy Blackert plays viola and sings.
"Dolphy was born in 1892 and was passionately fond of his music ... his family migrated to the Mudgee district where there was a small German enclave ... During the 1914-18 war the German families were cruelly persecuted by patriotic Australians ... It was impossible for Dolphy, now aged 22 to get work. He had been taught to play the violin by his father and used to entertain the family by performing gymnastic feats while playing. Finally by changing his name to 'Reg Black' he was able to get a job with a travelling vaudeville show as a trick fiddler ... After the war he taught violin in Mudgee for some time; he told me he taught over 50 of the town's children to play. Later he played in the Sydney Conservatorium Orchestra. Although he was a trained musician, Dolphy never lost his love for the simple dance tunes of the country folk amongst whom he grew to manhood." -- (adapted from) J Meredith, R Covell, P Brown, Folk Songs of Australia Vol 2, UNSW Press, 1987, p235.
