THE RINGING STRINGS OF THE BURNETT: Lost German Zither Traditions of the Queensland Bush

THE RINGING STRINGS OF THE BURNETT: Lost German Zither Traditions of the Queensland Bush

Mark Schuster (St Ives, NSW)

Early photographs (1919 on the left and 1933 on the right) of Baffle Creek ‘zitherverein’ or zither band.

For nearly three decades from the early 1980s until after the new millennium I had the wonderful opportunity to search out and record the ‘tail-end’ of the unique German-Queensland musical traditions of the farming communities in southern Queensland.  These traditions had been kept alive, in both dance music and song, by the descendants of the many German immigrants who pioneered the southern Queensland bush districts from about 1850 until the First World War.  Each farming area had its own players, and a unique largely regional button accordion-based dance repertoire – which I avidly recorded while the older players could still remember and perform these many musical gems. Although fiddle or violin musical traditions were sometimes unearthed in this region, they were uncommon compared with rural areas of New South Wales and Victoria. However, throughout the long quest there had only been fleeting mentions of a long-lost ‘zither tradition’ amongst the ‘German’ farmers.

The zither, a 32-stringed board-based instrument can be considered as the iconic instrument of German and Austrian musical traditions and today this instrument is still considered at the pinnacle of European musical culture and sophistication.

I had seen mention to an elusive zither band tradition in the book ‘Who Wrote the Ballads’ by the noted Australian folklorist John Manifold, with a fleeting reference to this lost tradition in the Burnett district of southern Queensland.

One steamy hot and humid December Saturday afternoon in 1988 I drove into the coastal town of Bundaberg, hoping to find more unique ‘German’ tunes and songs.  By midnight, that very evening,  I had immersed myself and had actually heard  remnants of that very ‘lost’ tradition – the Apostolic Church of Queensland zither bands of the Burnett region.  I was lucky to find a gentleman by the name of Don Leisemann who hastily organised a ‘scratch’ Bundaberg String band for my listening pleasure that very evening!  Mandolins, violins, guitars, double bass and at the centrepiece – the wonderful zither.  The zither master was an old gentleman by the name of Robert Pukallus and over forthcoming years a number of visits to his house let the lost tradition be again unearthed.

Just two years later, whilst staying in the town of Munduberra, I made the acquaintance of Vera Wolff whose mother-in-law had played the instrument. Vera kindly gave me a copy of a tape recording made by in the late 1950s by her Dad, Willi Kuhn, of local German musical sessions and concerts. This tape had only recently been obtained from a university archive in northern Germany.  I was fascinated by the material I heard, but when I heard a number of local zither duet pieces, with rhythmic guitar accompaniment, I was stunned by their musical beauty and the mastery of the complex instruments.  These were fantastic tune arrangements made by a pair of ‘meister zither kunstlers’ (master zither artists) from the Burnett district, the father and son-in-law duet of Paul Ohlson and Robert Pukallus – who I had interviewed and recorded previously in Bundaberg.  Now the jigsaw was being pieced back together!

Just like the unique living fossil, the Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri), which is confined to southern Queensland’s Burnett catchment, the zither bands and tunes are vestiges – of the past and large German-Queensland rural culture.

For the next ten years work on completing that puzzle was undertaken.  Many miles were travelled, tunes were unearthed, recorded material collected, sheet music and instruments were acquired, people were interviewed and the zither tradition story was now partially in the frame.  In particular, Priest Ray Greinke, from the Apostolic Church of Queensland, based at Oxley, was very forthcoming with recorded material, contacts and zither history and techniques.  In many ways Ray was the last of the older players and he had observed much of the Queensland tradition in both city and country.

Unlike the accordion-based musical traditions of the Lutheran Church folk in southern Queensland, the zither and zither-band tradition was based around the Apostolic Church of Queensland and its settlements.  Founded by the German apostle Heinrich Niemeyer at Hattonvale in the Lockyer Valley, the Apostolic Church of Queensland sponsored many German immigrants to southern Queensland between 1909 and 1912.  Three major shipping journeys were made from Germany, carrying many urban folk, largely from the Ruhr districts of central Germany, who were to undertake the pioneering and ‘opening up’ the verdant scrublands of rural Queensland.

German farming settlements were being formed throughout rural southern Queensland. The major Apostolic communities were at Hattonvale, Ropely, Pimpama, Mt Beppo, Tansey (near Goomeri), Binjour Plateau, Riverleigh (O’Bil Bil), Maryborough, Baffle Creek (north of Bundaberg) and Bundaberg.  Musical band traditions, for both church and pleasure, were important for the Apostolic Church of Queensland communities.  Both Hattonvale and Mt Beppo have boasted excellent, long-standing brass bands, members often travelling large distances to entertain the general community.  On the other hand, the string band tradition, based around the focal instrument of the zither, was developed and fostered in the Mt Beppo, Binjour Plateau and Baffle Creek/Bundaberg communities.  Some well-known and respected zither ‘masters’ in Queensland included August Gaedtke (Mt Beppo), Florian Ziegelscheck (Binjour Plateau), Philipp Netz (Mulgildie), Gus and Otto Kamradt (Maryborough), Albert Kaesar (Brisbane) and a host of good players from the Baffle Creek community. The older zither master Florian Ziegelscheck later retired to Maryborough and became the ‘local’ zither repair technician and mentor to Burnett zither players.

Early Baffle Creek string band, zither master Paul Ohlson seated at right front of picture holding a violin (photograph taken about 1919)

Settling in the area in 1909, the Baffle Creek string band was formed in 1919.  Zither players in the original ensemble were Erich Pfennigh, Otto Richter, August Scherer, Ernst Pohle, Erich and Hermin Otto, Herr Plotzski, Herr Schifke and Paul Ohlson.  At a later stage Enoch Josephski joined the band.  Most of the players had learnt their instruments in Germany, prior to migrating.  Accompanying instruments have always been violins, mandolins, guitars and cello or double bass.  The band was formed soon after the group arrived in 1909 and they played for local church and community functions.  Both instruments and musical scores would arrive by ship cargo from Germany.  After a number of years there were four expert zither players and the young player Paul Ohlson was to become a dedicated zither master over many decades.  He later led the string band which shifted from Baffle Creek to nearby Bundaberg with the shifting of the local community over time.  During the bands heyday, Robert Pukallus married Paul Ohlson’s daughter and he became a major zither player in the long tradition.  Paul Ohlson was a very talented zither master and over his lengthy playing life composed a number of zither masterpieces.  These tunes eventually made it back to Germany and I have been told, on a number of occasions, that his compositions were considered as master works in a long standing European cultural tradition.  I was told that Paul and his son-in-law would come in from their mornings work on the canefarm, have lunch, then practice zither for a few hours before heading back out to the paddocks.  In the evening, again after the meal, another few hours with the zither.  His son Otto mentioned that his dad Paul even played at the hospital just before he passed away.

Baffle Creek string band, 1930s

Baffle Creek string band, 1930s

Bundaberg string band, late 1950s.  Paul Ohlson,
right of centre (seated) and son-in-law Robert Pukallus,
seated 2^nd left.

In addition the growing city of Brisbane was not without its players.  In 1989 I was scavenging through the antique shop ‘Discovery Corner’ in suburban Brisbane and purchased an antique zither and accompanying hand-written sheet music.  The zither belonged to Robert Muller of Kangaroo Point, who in the late 1890s and early 1900s was a well-known member of Brisbane’s Teutonia Verein (German Club).  Further research revealed that Albert Kaesar, who owned the music shop Kaeser and Hettrich in George Street Brisbane, was a reknowned zither master, who taught a number of pupils, including Ray Greinke.  In addition Albert Kaiser was a long standing member of the Brisbane Municipal Band.  Herr Hettrich’s daughter, Mrs Wood, lived at Sherwood, Brisbane, and in the 1960s hosted small gatherings and musical sessions of local zither enthusiasts, including Ray Greinke and his mentor, the old master Albert Kaesar.

Zither master Albert Kaesar of Brisbane with Mrs Wood,
daughter of his musical partner, Herr Hettrich

Only recently did I ‘discover’ an amazing further Brisbane link to a long-standing zither tradition. I found that Albert Kaesar had an even more famous older brother, Julius Otto Kaesar. His ‘claim to fame’ is that in later years after migrating to the United States, Julius designed an innovative category-based library indexing system known as ‘systematic indexing’, which is the basis of worldwide library indexing systems.

Born in the southwestern German province of Wurttemberg in 1868, Julius and younger brother Albert emigrated with parents Johann and Karoline, arriving at Moreton Bay as young men in 1886.

On 28 August 1886, a little under two months after the Kaesars arrived in Queensland a report appeared in the Brisbane Courier, at that the time the city’s chief daily paper, ‘the novelty of the evening was a solo on the zither by Herr Kaser, who skillfully played Beethoven’s ‘Funeral March’. He was recalled, and substituted as an encore a pretty waltz, the Anglicised name of which is ‘A compliment to a friend’.

This performance of “Herr Kaser”, most certainly being young Julius, on a quintessentially south German instrument little known to many of his Australian listeners evidently aroused considerable interest, for, only three days after this concert, the following announcement appeared among the Courier’s classified advertisements under the ruvric of educational notices:

‘HERR JULIUS KASER, PROFESSOR OF THE ZITHER, Begs to announce to the Musical Public of Brisbane that he is prepared to give Lessons on the abovenamed Instrument, which has become of late so popular in Europe. Herr Kaser is also open to accept engagements for concerts, etc.’

This confident statement sets forth an agenda Julius would follow over the coming few years in a music-mad Brisbane.  As notices in the Courier, its weekly counterpart The Queenslander, and its rival, the Queensland Figaro and Punch reveal, between 1886 and 1889, Julius took part in a number of public recitals, concerts, and revues in Brisbane, becoming something of a fixture in the local musical scene. As could be expected, some, but not all, of his performances were under the aegis of the local German community. For instance, he contributed a zither solo to a revue organized by its leaders and held at the Brisbane Town Hall to celebrate Kaiser Wilhelm I’s 90^th birthday in 1887.

Slightly later advertisements in the Courier (1887 and 1888) indicate he was teaching zither, guitar and the German language in premises in Adelaide Street, central Brisbane.  How he fared we do not know but he had many successful engagements around Brisbane.  In 1891 and for just over a year Julius moved to Toowoomba and taught a number of subjects, possibly German, at the newly established Downs Grammar School.  However in 1892 he left Australia for Chile, South America and later shifted in 1896 to Philadelphia, USA, where he developed his innovative indexing works. Over the years Julius changed his official surname from an oscillating Kaser/Kaesar in Australia to Kaiser.

Younger brother, Albert Emil Oscar Kaesar, also adept on a number of instruments, shifted from Sandgate to Brisbane and in 1906 opened Kaesar’s Music Store which was still existing in the 1950s. He was  also instrumental as a conductor for several civic and amateur bands in the Brisbane area over the next few decades and achieved considerable musical repute. Albert, like older brother Julius, never married, and lived to the ripe old age of ninety-five, dying in 1968.

Another noted zither master of early Brisbane was Adolf Liedl. Also a noted member of the German community in Brisbane.  For example the newspaper “The Week” recorded that ‘Herr Adolf Liedl played two solos on the zither’ in December 1891.  In later years Adolf became a leading member of the local German community, for instance giving a speech celebrating past German war veterans in 1896 and welcoming visiting sailors on the German cruiser Condor in 1909.

Over the years I heard stories, and collected transcribed zither music from other Burnett region masters. Like the European zither tradition, the Queensland tradition has added local musical compositions to the already vast European-based repertoire from a number of our master players.  Florian Ziegelscheck composed the ‘Flora Walzer’,  Robert Pukallus the tune ‘Walz Inspiration’, the zither master Albert Kaesar ‘Karina Walz’ and Paul Ohlson composed the tunes ‘Pamela Waltz’, ‘Harmony Walz’ and the medley ‘A Sunday in Bundaberg’.  The Mt Beppo zither player August (Hermann) Gaedtke even recorded a number of his favourite tunes onto a 78rpm gramophone record and it is amazing to hear his skill on the ringing strings when the turntable of the old record player revolves.

 

‘Karina Waltz’, composed for zither by Albert Kaesar, Brisbane (manuscript in the NLA).

Although the zither band tradition had its heyday in the early and mid-twentieth century, it has now virtually disappeared into the bush from whence is sprung. It is very heartening to see that the Apostolic Church Bundaberg String Band is still today playing for both Church and community functions.  Young cane farmer Gavin Lerch is now the lead zither player in a continuing tradition and he has been mastering the instrument now for a number of years.  With such a strong heritage in this unique ensemble the future of the string band repertoire is assured.

Also in the nearby Maryborough region the large German community also did not lack talent in the zither tradition. 

Florian Ziegelscheck lived in a little cottage near the banks of the Mary River for a number of years.  Born in Germany he was one of the early pioneers of Binjour Plateau in the northern Burnett, but in older age retired to the coastal town of Maryborough where he repaired musical instruments, played the zither and even composed a number of zither pieces. 

Maryborough house where Florian Ziegelscheck once lived and played and repaired zithers

Two brothers, Gustav and Otto Kamradt, were canefarmers in the Walkers Point area nearby to Maryborough and also played the zither and were considered expert players.  In addition Gus Kamradt was a master woodcarver and made a number of carved clocks still revered by their owners today.

Zither once owned and played by Gus Kamradt of Maryborough

 August Gaedtke was a musician of note in the Binjour Plateau area in his younger days.  In later years he shifted to the Mt Beppo German farming community outside Toogoolawah and became a respected zither player as well as conducting the local brass band.  A number of zither recordings were commercially produced on 45rpm records in the 1950s when August was in his twilight years.  These recordings are invaluable, illustrating the last remnants of a once important cultural musical tradition. 

Perhaps the most amazing ‘find’ was a tape kindly gifted to me by the very talented late Vera Wolff of Mundubbera. Recorded at a Church concert at O’ Bil Bil (near Munduberra) in the late 1950s the recording featuring a number of masterful and inspiring zither duets and trios including the playing of Paul Olhson and Robert Pukallus at their musical best.  The playing was nothing short of ‘zither brilliance’ and the recorded performance ended up in the Volksmusik Archive in Freiburg (Germany).  For many years the recording was considered lost in the local area until a local rediscovered the recording on a trip to eastern Germany. In the late 1980s a copy was made and the past was restored with a reverse journey halfway around the world to where that wonderful music was originally made – in the sleepy little Burnett town of Mundubbera!

If you ever happen to pass the small rural township of Mulgildie, looking much like any other small village in the Monto area in the upper reaches of the Burnett district, it is unlikely you would ever realize the incredible feats of one family and its influence in the district.  For nearly two-thirds of a century the Netz dynasty has both toiled and played music for the people of the northern Burnett district.  German immigrant Philipp Netz settled in the Mulgildie district in the 1920s and played many instruments, including the zither.  Family legend has it that an insurance salesman once visited Philipp Netz, who lived in the Mulgildie district of the north Burnett region, and asked whether he wanted his house insured.  The reply came that he didn’t feel his old home warranted such an extravagance but he’d be pleased if his old German violin could be insured.  The salesman said he would not be able to insure ‘just an instrument’, resulting in the insurance man being promptly ejected from the property with the aid of a bullock whip! For many decades the extended family played for old time dances. Sons Philipp Jnr, Bill and daughter Lizzie played piano, violins and brass to accompany their dad.  Their repertoire was immense – many old German waltzes, polkas, gallops and many popular old time tunes and songs.

Until recently the modern musical Netz generation played music in the Netz’s Silver Comets Old Time Dance Orchestra – brothers Max and Henry are very proficient on many instruments and have played old time and new vogue dance music up and down the length of Queensland. Even today, Max and wife Thelma are still playing for old time dances and events in southeast Queensland – continuing a very long musical tradition. 

Philipp Netz Snr (with zither) and his musical family (photo taken in the Mulgildie area in the 1950s)

Descendant Henry Netz – mechanical genius and musician from Mulgildie – where music and metal come together!