Inner Song: A Biography of Margaret Sutherland

Inner Song: A Biography of Margaret Sutherland Melbourne University Press (The Miegunyah Press), 2023 ISBN 9780522878233 (Hbk) / 9780522878240 (e-book) xx+284pp., 37 ills Reviewed by Aidan McGartland Hailed as being both the 'undisputed first lady of Australian music/ and assuming the role of 'grand old man' of Australian music/ Margaret Sutherland is undoubtedly one of the nation's most significant twentieth-century composers. Graham synthesises a narrative from her extensive archival research and analysis of primary sources, allowing her to thoroughly support each component of her interpretation of Sutherland's life. According to Graham, the rejection of serialism was particularly prominent in interwar England, unsurprisingly along with widespread anti-German sentiment after the Great War. According to Graham, McBurney was another role model, and demonstrated to Sutherland that, despite many difficulties, being a woman need not prevent a career in the arts.