Lindley Evans facts for kids

Lindley Evans CMG (18 November 1895 – 2 December 1982) was a talented musician from South Africa who became famous in Australia. He was a composer, a pianist, and a teacher. He is best known for playing piano duets with Frank Hutchens for 41 years. He was also known as the ABC's "Mr Melody Man" for 30 years, teaching kids about music.

Biography

Harry Lindley Evans was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1895. His parents were English. He was already an organist and a chorister (a choir singer) before he moved to Sydney, Australia, when he was 17.

He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to improve his piano skills. His teacher there was Frank Hutchens. Lindley Evans also gave private piano lessons. Later, he studied music in London with Tobias Matthay.

Musical Journey

Playing with Famous Musicians

Lindley Evans became a great accompanist. This means he played music with other main performers. From 1922 to 1931, he played with the famous flautist John Lemmone and the opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. He toured England and Australia with them. He always played his music from memory.

Teaching and Radio

From 1920 to 1929, Lindley Evans taught at a private girls' school. He later turned his music talks into radio shows for the ABC. These shows were called Adventures in Music.

In 1928, he started teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He taught there for 40 years. One of his friends and colleagues there was the pianist and composer Isador Goodman, who was also from Cape Town. From 1930 to 1946, Lindley Evans also taught at MLC School in Burwood.

Piano Duets

In the 1920s, Lindley Evans teamed up with Frank Hutchens to form a two-piano partnership. They played together from 1924 until Hutchens passed away in 1965. They performed many well-known piano duet pieces. They also played some of their own music. All their performances were played from memory.

They even took a young singer named Joan Hammond on one of their tours. She later became very famous.

Composing Music

Lindley Evans wrote some music for solo piano. His most important piano piece is called Rhapsody. He also wrote lighter pieces like Vignette: Fragrance and Lavender Time. Some of his works, like Tally-Ho! and Merry Thought, were written for music competitions or exams. He also composed songs and music for choirs.

His song "Australia Happy Isle" won a prize in 1934. The words for this song were written by Jessie Street. One of his well-known works was Idyll for two pianos and orchestra. It was first performed in the Sydney Town Hall in 1943. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra played it.

Music for Movies

Lindley Evans also wrote music for movies as the film industry grew. He composed scores for films like Charles Chauvel's Uncivilised (1936) and Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940). He also wrote music for The Rats of Tobruk (1944) and Ken G. Hall's Tall Timbers (1937).

Mr Melody Man

For 30 years, starting in 1939, Lindley Evans was known as "Mr Melody Man" on the ABC Children's Hour and the Argonauts Club. He loved teaching children about music. He was involved with the National Music Camp Association, helping young musicians. From 1957, he also worked with the Australian Youth Orchestra. He often judged music competitions called eisteddfods and examined students for the Australian Music Examinations Board.

In 1958–1959, he had his own TV show on ATN-7 called Rendezvous with Lindley Evans.

Later Life

Lindley Evans was an important member of the Savage Club in Sydney, which was for people interested in the arts. He even served a term as its president.

He passed away on 2 December 1982, at the age of 87. It was the same day his long-time friend Isador Goodman also died. Lindley Evans was survived by his wife, Marie. They did not have any children.

His autobiography, Hello, Mr Melody Man: Lindley Evans Remembers, was published in 1983.

Legacy and Honours

• In 1963, Lindley Evans was given a special honour. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).