A rare and fragile piece of early pianoforte music by the vibrant and mercurial musician Isaac Nathan, who had arrived in Australia just four years before this publication. One-time friend and collaborator of Lord Byron, and tutor of Princess Charlotte, Nathan was born in Canterbury, England in 1792. His father, a singer in the local synagogue, had instructed his son in the lore of traditional Jewish music and throughout his life Nathan forged links between Jewish music and mainstream European culture. In this respect he is best remembered for his collaboration with Lord Byron on the Hebrew Melodies of 1815. Nathan composed the scores for Byron's verse including the enduring She Walks in Beauty. Following Byron's self-imposed exile and early death, Nathan continued to work as a singing instructor and composer. He struggled with gambling debts throughout the late 1830s and finally sought a fresh start in Australia in 1841.

A rare and fragile piece of early pianoforte music by the vibrant and mercurial musician Isaac Nathan, who had arrived in Australia just four years before this publication. One-time friend and collaborator of Lord Byron, and tutor of Princess Charlotte, Nathan was born in Canterbury, England in 1792. His father, a singer in the local synagogue, had instructed his son in the lore of traditional Jewish music and throughout his life Nathan forged links between Jewish music and mainstream European culture. In this respect he is best remembered for his collaboration with Lord Byron on the Hebrew Melodies of 1815. Nathan composed the scores for Byron's verse including the enduring She Walks in Beauty. Following Byron's self-imposed exile and early death, Nathan continued to work as a singing instructor and composer. He struggled with gambling debts throughout the late 1830s and finally sought a fresh start in Australia in 1841.

He burst upon the parochial Sydney scene and quickly established a reputation as a singing teacher, composer and conversationalist, becoming a prominent figure in Sydney social circles. Nathan played an important role in the advancement of Australian music as Sydney became increasingly cosmopolitan following the end of convict transportation. Possessing tremendous curiosity and famous for his wit, he was a successful ambassador for Jewish culture and also did much to foster public appreciation of Aboriginal music and culture. He composed Australia's first opera, Don Juan of Austria (1847), and was active as a musician at both St Mary's Catholic Cathedral and St James' Anglican Church Sydney.