Western influence on Australian Mucis

The earliest Western musical influence in Australia can be traced back to two distinct sources. In the first settlements: the large body of convicts, soldiers who brought the cultural folk music of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and the first free settlers, some of whom had been exposed to the European classical music tradition in their background. Very small music has survived from this early time, although there are a sample of music from Hobart and Sydney that date back to the early 19^th century.

The creation of choral societies and symphony orchestras led to increase compositional activity and most Australian classical composers of that time worked entirely within European models and many undertook their training in the United Kingdom. One of the earliest known composers was George Tolhurst, whose oratorio Ruth was the first composed in the then colony of Victoria in 1864.

In the period of Australian Federation in 1901, a growing sense of national identity began to dominate in arts, although a patriotic attachment with the mother country, which is the Britain and the British Empire, continued to emerge musical taste. During the post war period; as the Australian national identity continued to build, composer looked to their surroundings for motivation.

In the beginning of the1960’s other strong influences dominated Australian classical music, with composers incorporating different element into their works, ranging from Aboriginal and South East Asian music and instruments, American jazz and blues to the late invention of European disharmony and the avante garde. Composer such as Don Banks, Don Kay, Malcolm Williamson and Colin Brumby were the most famous during this period. In the recent era composers include Julian Cochran, Gordon Hamilton, Liza Lim, Nigel Westlake, David Worrall, Graeme Koehne, Elena Kats-Chernin, Carl Vine, Brett Dean, Martin Wesley-Smith have personified the pinnacle of creating Australian composer.