ITALIANS OF WOLLONGONG: THE MENEGAZZO FAMILY PART THREE

Singer extraordinaire!

Pietro discovered that he had quite a good voice and by his teens he was singing all the time. It would sometimes annoy his parents so they would send him outside on their farm to sing to the cows! He never had any formal training but he was certainly gifted with the most beautiful voice. Pietro collected records of his favourite artists, particularly Mario Lanza and other opera singers. He would also fall in love with Irish and Scottish folk music. His wife Nellie, was Irish and played the piano accordion. Nellie’s mother, was quite the musician herself. She also played the accordion along with many other instruments. As young man Pietro also played guitar.

When Pietro first met Nellie Harriott in 1949, it was at a picnic day at Lake Illawarra. She was playing the accordion and so he decided to approach her and sing along. He informed her that she was playing it incorrectly. This wasn’t well received from Nellie and in fact she didn’t like him at all and she felt he was a bit of a show off. But over time their friendship grew and so did Pietro`s love of Irish music. He loved music and he loved to sing. He often sang solo, or with other theatre performers. You would always find him singing in the church choir regularly. Pietro also sang at the weddings of family and friends. Pietro was made an honorary Alpini choir member. The Alpini were a specialised military corps and their choirs were taken very seriously. They developed a friendship with Pietro and he sang with them on many occasions.

By 1943 Pietro was well into singing and regularly performed when he could. He had performed with various groups and even recorded himself on vinyl disc. Peter also had a varied music collection. Music inspired him and he loved to sing different styles. Opera was a big love for him but he also loved classic ballads and Irish folk music.

1943 Australian Comforts Fund for returned soldiers

Friday June 11, 1943 a show was held at the Crown Theatre, Keira Street, Wollongong. The show was to raise funds for the Australian soldiers during the war, in particular the men of the 34th Battalion (Illawarra Regiment).

Australian Comforts Fund was an organisation that through fundraising purchased care items for soldiers during the war, items that were not normally supplied to the servicemen. The lineup of artists for the June show was quite impressive for the time. Wilfred Thomas and Bebe Scott, radio stars from 2FC (that would later become ABC Radio), Impersonator Dave Arthur, Sydney soprano Phyllis Rogers, artists from the Capital Theatre in Sydney and local artists including Peter (Pietro) Menegazzo.

Harmony Recordings - Direct to Disc

Harmony Recording was the record label from Harmony House. Harmony House was a music store that was operated by John Cohen. In 1940 John`s son Ron set up a commercial recording studio behind the store . It was a recording studio made available for anyone who wished to record their voice, `Direct to Disc` under the `Harmony Recording` label. The artist would record their voice onto the disc and it was given to them once the recording was done. This was the master copy. It was also very cheap, making it affordable for the masses. Some famous artists who recorded their voices there were Dame Joan Sutherland and Frank Ifield. Between 1943 - 1948 Pietro did a series of recordings at Harmony House. He sang anything from Opera to Irish Ballads.

Pietro`s Zia Maria on his maternal side also had a beautiful singing voice, as did his daughter Delora and his grandson Matthew, though none of them pursued it further. Pietro`s wonderful record collection is safe in the hands of his granddaughter Amy. Unfortunately there is no footage of Pietro singing, but those direct to disc recordings from Harmony House are just priceless. Pietro Menegazzo was so humble about his creativity and was happy to share his talents. We were ever so blessed by his work and contribution in the community. He is still talked about with such praise.

Speaking with Pietro`s son Paul and his daughter Amy, they recollect how Pietro would always play music in the house on his record player. Sundays he would invite neighbors and friends over to the house to listen to the many records from his collection. It was a time for gathering with friends and enjoying the music. I asked them both some questions about what that time was like. Amy spoke candidly about her grandfather. Following are her words.

“Yes he did sing when he worked and had his friends and neighbours over to listen to music. Growing up I would spend most of my weekends with my grandparents (the joys of living on the same street). Particularly on a Sunday I would make Sunday lunch risotto and grandad would have music playing when I got there and as soon as I walked through the door he would ask me to guess the singer. He and I would sing along and we would sometimes sing in the workshop when I would watch him make a lot of the woodwork. Our love of Music and of everything Italian was part of our special bond.”