Mr Harry Ratcliffe, a young baritone who has gained preliminary stage experience in the J C Williamson musical comedy companies, made his farewell appearance at St James's Hall last night, when he was encored with enthusiasm for "Love, Could I Only Tell Thee" (Capel), responding with a tender interpretation of M V White's "To Mary," and was similarly recognised after Roeckel's "The Charmed Cup" Mr Ratcliffe displayed a robust baritone voice of rich, warm quality, and sang with fervour, so that his determination to study further in England is amply justified. He has a friend in London in the person of Mr Reginald Kenneth, recently here as baritone in "The Blue Moon," and in other directions will find himself not wholly a stranger. The departing singer was cordially supported last night, so that a capital programme of recitation and music was contributed by Misses Vera Quirk, Geraldine Ward, Annette Kerr, Blanche M'Burney, Pearl Miller, Lillian Ratcliffe, and Brunsden, Messrs A Hoyle, Sid Shipway, Henry Herbert, Fred Carter, W. Wright, W. Kerr, Alan Hart, and Stuart Mackenzie, with Mr F. Hall and Mrs E. Wall as hon. treasurers, and Miss F. Callander and Mr J. H. Regan as hon. secretaries.
Love, could I only tell thee How dear thou art to me, Show thee my heart's devotion, Say how I worship thee! The height of stars above thee, The deepness of the sea, Are as the height and deepness Of my heart's love for thee. Love, could I only tell thee How dear thou art to me! Dear to the knight his glory, And to the king his throne, But this heart of mine a kingdom More dear than all doth own! Seas hold no fairer treasure, The sky no star so pure, And I love thee, I love thee, With a love that shall endure!
When we awhile are parted, The days seem lonely years; I count the weary moments Without thee by my tears. As thou art near or far, love, The earth is glad or grey; Life without thee is darkness, Life by thy side is day. Love, could I only tell thee How dear thou art to me! How dear, oh love, thou art.
Authorship: lyrics by (Graham) Clifton Bingham (1859 - 1913) and music by John Mais Capel (1862 - 1931), "Love, could I only tell thee", published 1896.
Harry married Sarah Elizabeth Mountford in 1907 and they had one child, Henry Mountford Ratcliffe (1907-1966). I would assume that the son, Henry, is who my mum (Josephine Ratcliffe, born 1918) referred to as Cousin Mountford, he being 11 years older.
Sadly, Sarah, passed away at a relatively young age of 52 in Melbourne in 1939.
As a Bonus - an Image of Reginald Kenneth - the English singer and mentor of Harry, and mentioned in the article above.
