J. C. Fisher

James Churchill Fisher ( 22 March 1826 – 22 March 1891), generally known as J. C. Fisher or J. Churchill Fisher was an Australian singing teacher and composer. He is best known as an advocate of the Tonic Sol-fa system of music teaching, and was responsible for the system's introduction to Australia.

History Fisher was born in Portsea, Hampshire, England, and had practised as a singer, conductor, and music teacher for several years. As a young man he had a fine tenor voice, and sang with Charles Santley. He also sang with Jack Hatton on numerous occasions. demolished 1954 again before Prince Alfred. He conducted the "J. Churchill Fisher Juvenile Choir" at the unveiling of the Captain Cook statue in Hyde Park in 1879, and again at the opening of the International Exhibition in the Garden Palace on 25 September 1880, when his cantata The Emigrants was performed. He finally gained a position with the Department's Examiners and Training Branch in May 1881, but had lost enthusiasm for the job and was asked to resign, which he did in March 1884. He died at Paramatta on his 65th birthday after years of pain and paralysis brought about by meningitis. His remains were buried at Rookwood Cemetery.

Personal Fisher married Emma Hall (c. 1830 – 21 February 1910) on 16 March 1854 at Wollongong, New South Wales. Of their twelve births only two girls and one boy survived childhood. The singer Emma Fisher was a daughter, but apart from that fact no more has been found.

He was found insolvent in 1870.

He was an excellent painter of landscapes. The Land of Gold I've Waited and Watched (both from the cantata and available as separate song sheets) The Emigrants to the libretto of "Australie", first produced by the Petersham Musical Society in 1880. He also composed numerous voice exercises, dance pieces, and school songs, the latter being noted for their beautiful harmony. He also composed and arranged the contents of the "School Song Books" used in New South Wales public schools.