You’re probably familiar with the poignant story of the musicians on the Titanic, who spent their final hours playing music to calm the passengers as the lifeboats were loaded and the ship tilted into the icy Atlantic. Who were these musicians, and how did they end up there?
The Musicians
The eight musicians were hired by the White Star Line to provide two separate ensembles for the Titanic’s maiden voyage. There was a quintet consisting of two violins, two cellos, and a bass that played for tea, church services, and evening concerts. The other group was a trio (piano, cello, and violin) that provided music for the ship’s restaurant and café.
The musicians were required to play from a variety of genres. The White Star Line repertoire book had over 300 different pieces, and first-class passengers could make selections from the list for the musicians to play. The list included ragtime, waltzes, sacred music, classical works, and opera selections.
Wallace Hartley, age 33 – Violinist
Wallace Hartley, the bandleader, was from Lancashire, England. He had grown up in a home steeped in music and the church. He began his career as an orchestra member, then took a job with the Cunard Line, where he played on multiple ocean liners. When his employment was transferred to a different agency, Wallace was offered the job of bandmaster on the Titanic. Although he was hesitant to leave his fiancée, in the end it was decided the connections for career advancement were worth it.
William “Ted” Brailey, age 24 – Pianist
Ted Brailey also hailed from England. As a teenager, he worked as a pianist at a local hotel, then spent five years in an infantry regiment with the British Army. He had been working as a ship musician for about a year when he took the Titanic job.
Roger Bricoux, age 20 – Cellist
Roger Bricoux, the only French musician in the group, was well-educated and had attended two different prestigious music conservatories. He had worked in both France and England, playing in an orchestra and various other gigs, until he was hired by the White Star Line.
John Law “Jock” Hume, age 21 – Violinist
Jock Hume was from Dumfries, Scotland. He was a brilliant and well-known violinist who had already played on multiple voyages before the Titanic. He was engaged to be married, and though he didn’t know it, his fiancée Mary was expecting their first child.
Georges Krins, age 23 – Violinist
Georges Krins was a violinist from Belgium who was incredibly gifted. He entered the Royal Conservatory in Liege when he was thirteen, winning the highest prize for violin during his time there. His musical career included playing in his hometown symphony, first violinist at Le Trianon in Paris, and finally, playing at the Ritz Hotel and the Trio String Orchestra in London before being recruited to work on the Titanic.
John “Wesley” Woodward, age 32 – Cellist
Wesley Woodward, from West Bromwich, England, was the youngest of ten children. He was a professional cellist, playing in orchestras and hotels before joining the cruise lines. Though he enjoyed the work at sea, he intended the Titanic voyage to be his last. He was engaged to be married, though his fiancee’s identity remains unknown, and had brought his best cello on board.
John “Fred” Clarke, age 28 – Bassist
Fred Clarke was from Lancashire, England. Though listed as a clerk in the 1901 census, by 1911 he was listed as a musician. He played for a time with the Liverpool Philharmonic and the Argyle Theater.
Percy Taylor, age 40 – Cellist
Percy Taylor was from London, and was the only member of the band who was married. He and his wife Clara were just a month shy of their 6th anniversary. Little is known about Taylor other than that he played the cello and piano.
The Band Played On
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. Wallace Hartley and the other musicians gathered and began to play cheery, lighthearted music to ease the stress. The Titanic carried only enough lifeboats for half of the people on board, so many of the passengers came to the realization that they were facing a slow, inevitable death. According to survivors, the little orchestra played for two hours, up until the very end, after which some of them strapped their instrument cases around their bodies, hoping to aid with flotation as they slipped into the frigid water.
Debate Over the Final Song
Although most of the Titanic survivors remembered the musicians playing to the end, there was some contradiction in their stories about which song was their last.
Multiple survivors who heard the music from the lifeboats remembered hearing the hymn “Nearer, My God, To Thee.” But other survivors were sure that the final tune was “Songe d’Automne,” a popular tune by Archibald Joyce.
Either way, there was no contradiction about the calm, courageous demeanor the men displayed in the face of certain death. In the words of survivor Lawrence Beasley:
“Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame.”
