This is the story of music played in NSW homes during the first 70 years of European settlement. 

​

The mainly English, Scottish and Irish immigrants who arrived in the colony from the 1790s to start a new life brought with them musical traditions, and sometimes musical instruments. At first, their songs were about what they had left behind, but by the 1820s new compositions began to reflect the place they had started to call home.

​

Aboriginal people listened to this new music with the ears of those whose own musical traditions were steeped in millennia of cultural practice. In five works commissioned for this exhibition, contemporary First Peoples composers reflect on home, music and dispossession in Australia.

​

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this exhibition contains names and images of people who have passed away.

​

We gratefully acknowledge the curatorial advice and research contributions of Dr Graeme Skinner, Honorary Associate, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney; and Professor Jeanice Brooks, Department of Music, University of Southampton; and the assistance of our many partners and supporters.
 

Learn more about the Songs of Home Exhibition, Museum of Sydney, 2019