Albert Bokhare Saunders (1880–1946) was a successful and prolific composer of romantic and light classical music. He worked as an arranger for Sydney music publisher W.H. Palings.[1] He worked under various pseudonyms including Albert Earl and Albert Trelba but is most widely known as Clement Scott.[2][3]
Saunders was born in Brewarrina, rural New South Wales. He has been credited as composer of "Swiss Cradle Song",[4] possibly collected from the Māori folk song "Po Ata Rau" and given English language lyrics as "Now is the Hour", sung by departing troops in The Great War and recalled by patriotic New Zealanders.[5] During his life, he successfully sued a Sydney entertainment producer for breach of copyright, but his widow was unsuccessful making the same claim on Palings for the famous cradle song.[6] The song was an international hit.[7]
On at least one occasion, Saunders acted as bandmaster for a group playing brass. [8]
Several solo piano editions of Saunder's popular "Comet March" are preserved in Australian libraries. The original 1910 edition for trio of piano, cornet and violin[9] seems to have been lost, yet the piece was still being orchestrated by amateurs twenty years later.[10]
Saunders composed about three hundred pieces during his lifetime, of which over two hundred are preserved in Australian libraries. His later works show a capacity for originality and counterpoint. These pieces of ensemble music are orchestrated for trio of violin, cornet and piano and sometimes for quartette including double bass.
^"SUNDAY BAND MUSIC". The Sun. No. 725. New South Wales, Australia. 18 February 1917. p. 10. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"New Music". Sydney Morning Herald. Trove. 26 November 1910. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
^"Musical Extravaganza". Dungog Chronicle : Durham and Gloucester Advertiser. Trove. 4 August 1933. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
