Peter Dawson, an Australian baritone who became a prolific recording artist, mainly of popular ballads, also recorded serious music and it is to these we turn to for our downloads on this page. In 1909 he appeared at Covent Garden opera house as the Night Watchman in The Mastersingers of Nuremberg under Hans Richter. During one of these performances, after winning a large kitty at poker in the wings from Claude Fleming, he hurried on at his call and accidentally scattered his winnings over the stage. Once asked why he did not persue a career in the opera house he replied that he was not going to work long hours for little reward when he could make a fine living in the recording studio. His recording career spanned over 50 years from early acoustic records through to the stereo era. Between 1904 and 1920 Dawson is thought to have sold some 5 million discs but over the next five years to 1925 he sold another 8 million discs. Most of his recordings made in London between 1926 and 1939 (from the advent of electrical recording) stayed in the catalogue for many years. For the duration of the war he returned to Australia and there he retired, although he did enter the recording studio occasionally. His last session on 4 May 1955 was conducted by a young Charles Mackerras.

Click on image for full size printable inlay image The review in the Gramophone for April 1926 writes : Peter Dawson has given us what seems to be the first recording of Parrys setting of Blake's Jerusalem, which seems likely to become deservedly a national hymn. He sings it inspiringly.

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image

Click on image for full size printable inlay image "Dawson sings Edward German with confidence and stout, bluff manliness; just what's needed, in fact. His diction is excellent, as was the diction of so many of his contemporaries. His Elgar is superb, his Sullivan equally so. His Handelian divisions sparkle and this famous trio of recordings should make him new friends, one hopes. There is a late acoustic, a 1922 Verdi, sung in English of course that broadens the spectrum somewhat. His Erlking is sung in the vernacular, as was the fashion: Gerald Moore is the pianist. If downloads are your thing - they're not mine but they may be in future - Beulah's catalogue should offer some tasty items. " Jonathan Woolf at Music Web International

The items below are adverts that will take you away from this site