Talk:Peter Dodds McCormick

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Further to what I said about no image of McCormick being available - can anyone anyone locate one? Google's image search could not assist at all.

It must be said that it is amazing how hard it is to find out information about him. I haven't yet found any information on his family , I've gone through a couple of Australian encyclopedias and found that they do not mention him. His early years are very shadowy. Arno 04:42, 7 Dec 2003 (UTC)

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BetacommandBot (talk) 07:13, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Counter claim for John Macfarlane

The Australian Dictionary of Biography article on Peter Dodds McCormick says:

• Subsequently a descendant of John Macfarlane (d.1866) claimed that Macfarlane had originally composed the music and written the first verse. Some musicologists consider the tune to be based on a typical 'wandering melody', a theory given some credence by McCormick's ease and method of composition. It seems, however, that there is little doubt that McCormick was responsible for 'Advance Australia Fair'—certainly his contemporaries accepted his bona fides.

I also have a cutting from ABC Radio 24 Hours magazine (now known as Limelight) from May 2001, an article called "Advance Australia Where?", by Annie Patrick, which says:

• The attitudes inherent in the former lyrics are perhaps not surprising, given the song was first published in 1878 by John Macfarlane under the pseudonym Amicus. According to the National Library, Macfarlane could have written the words and music long before 1878, with the name Amicus being formed from the names of his daughters: Agnes, Mary Isabella and Catherine. This refutes the commonly held belief that Peter Cormick (a pupil and friend of Macfarlane) was the anthem’s author.

A couple of comments. Firstly, Macfarlane apparently died in 1866, so whoever published the song in 1878, it wasn't Macfarlane. Annie Patrick seems to believe he was still alive in 1878. I guess what she's getting at is that someone took Mcfarlane's song, published it pseudonymously, then later claimed ownership of the pseudonym. Secondly, this completely flies in the face of McCormick’s own words in 1913 describing how he wrote the song all by himself. But I'm curious as to why he used a pseudonym at all, and in particular, why one that just happened to be formed from Macfarlane's daughter's initials? Was this just a coincidence, or was he paying a compliment to his old friend and teacher, or was he cryptically acknowledging the true author? There’s nothing else I can find about Macfarlane on a google search. Does anyone know anything about the National Library’s opinion on this matter, and what documents they may hold that shed any light on the claim for Macfarlane? -- JackofOz (talk) 00:40, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Clearly, Annie Patrick didn't know what she was talking about. There was no secret in 1878 that Amicus was P.D. McCormick. Where she got the idea that it was Macfarlane, who had been dead for 12 years, is anyone's guess. Regarding the choice of Amicus, Amicus is latin for "friend". Obviously, the implication is that McCormick felt himself to be a friend and Amicus is a lot easier to write than P.D. McCormick. As for the silliness about Amicus and the names of Macfarlane's daughters, I shouldn't need to point out that the daughters' first initials spell AMIC, not Amicus. They also spell Mica, cami (as in camisole) etc. The relationship to "Amicus" is barely a coincidence, it's more a stretch of the imagination than anything else. I've spoken to the National Library and they have no doubt that McCormick was the author. --AussieLegend (talk) 03:11, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Yes, I aware that Amicus means friend, and I was hypothesising that McCormick was engaging in a double reference to Macfarlane - his friend - through a name that connects him not just with Macfarlane but also his with the daughters. Put that together with the claims Macfarlane's family have made that he was the true author and you might have something worth investigating. Anyway, it seems that Annie Patrick is barking up the wrong tree. But I'd still like to see something about whatever evidence the Macfarlanes have for their claim. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:56, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Birth Date

In the January 2012 edition of the QANTAS in-flight magazine, there is a story about Advance Australia Fair and it mentions that a descendant of McCormick is writing a biography of him. She mentions that his date of birth was January 21, 1834. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.215.176.150 (talk) 09:05, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I'd be interested in reading that biog.

The date conflicts with the edit I've just reverted that claimed, without any authority, he was born on 11 February 1833. Where do people come up with this crap? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 00:03, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

My grandfather was a strong supporter of Advance Australia Fair, so much so that Amicus sought him out on more than one occasion to explain the circumstances surrounding the creation of the song. The postcards that Amicus sent my grandfather, as well as the letter that is quoted from in this article, are in the manuscripts section of the National Library in Canberra. As far as I'm aware, from the reams of paperwork that my father left me, Amicus didn't know his actual birthdate, or at least kept it a closely guarded secret. Any specific birthdate should be regarded as especially dubious. -- AussieLegend (✉) 10:34, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

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