ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the focus is on three successful choral societies of the 1860s and 1870s, based in Newcastle and the townships at Wallsend and Lambton. Of these choirs, formed in the mid-1860s, the two township choirs were predominantly working-class, while the choir based in Newcastle had aspirations to gentility. The mining township choirs demonstrated more resilience than the Newcastle Choir. Lambton Choir, in particular, acquired renown in the broader colonial field and the metropolis of Sydney, where some of its members were invited to perform in the 1870s. Repertoire in the townships was generally varied, ranging from glees and popular songs, through to operatic choruses and oratorios, in an effort to cater for the diverse tastes of their audiences. During the nineteenth century there was a growing separation of such repertoire into popular and art genres. In this process, as discussed by Pierre Bourdieu and William Weber, a hegemony emerged in which the practice and consumption of art music became associated with high status. Choirs had access to art music, notably the oratorio repertoire, and thus had the opportunity to leverage this music with its associated status to improve the standing of their communities. Discussion of these opportunities and struggles within the cultural field forms a large part of this chapter.
