|
|
|
Victoria Carnival march Benedict Bantly |
||||||||||||||||
To view a larger version of the image, click on the image
|
||||||||||||||||
Benedict Bantley was one of Victoria's first musical pioneers. As a boy, on April 14, 1883, he arrived with his mother and father, Marcus and Anna Bantly in Esquimalt from San Francisco on the steamer George W. Elder. Bantly was a musician and composer of some reknown and wide experience. From 1896 to 1902, the Bantly Family Orchestra was well-known in the city. His father Marcus Bantly played the clarinet. His brother Tony played violin and sister Rosina played piano. Benedict himself played violin and piano. They played in dancing clubs which were in vogue at the time and became very popular. In 1892, Bantly's School of Music was formed where he taught many persons who became prominent citizens of Victoria. His studio was first located on Yates St. and expanded to a larger location on Fort St. Benny, as he was known, studied at St. Louis College in Victoria. From 1902 to 1906, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig. While there he obtained the equivalent to a masters degree in music and met his wife Johanna. In 1920, the composer-musician was a member of the Rotary Club and formed the Rotary Club Orchestra which existed for many years. In 1948, Bantly was surprised to see that many original members were still part of the orchestra. He was also organist at St. Andrew's Cathedral. He was known as the perfect accompanist for singers. In 1922, Bantly moved his wife and family to California. In his first year there, he played atmosphere music for silent film stars as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Mae Murray. He also appeared onscreen himself as the leader of an orchestra in a waltzing scene of a silent film on the life of Abraham Lincoln. He also acted as interpreter for the well-known film producer Ernest Lubitsch. Bantly served as head of the musical department of Puente Union High School for 21 years where he was referred to as "Mr. Music". At the time he was also concert master of the San Gabriel Valley at Monrovia. Upon retirement he continued to teach 9 to 13 elementary students of the California town. He continued to visit Victoria every summer for 70 years until his eyesight became bad. Up to his death in 1961 at the age of 83, Bantly continued to teach a dozen pupils at the rate of three or four hours a day.
|
