Drake Family Dunedin New Zealand — Piano & Theory Lessons

Drake family, Dunedin

The family that has been photographed for this poster include Rose, Masters Ernest and Manny Drake and Misters Frank, Harry, Tasman and Sydney Drake. They are described as a “Brilliant Septette of Colonial – Born Artists’ which is not exactly true considering three of those in the photograph were born in the United Kingdom.

The family members are described as follows –

Rose Drake – Soprano vocalist and accomplished pianist.

Master Ernest Drake – possibly this photo was taken in the early 1900s, so perhaps he may have been about 14 years old. He is described as a ‘Musical Genius, is facile princeps (easily first), and during the season will present the best selections of popular composers’.

Master Manny Drake – this I assume is Emanuel Drake. He looks to be about 12 years old in this photo. ‘The youthful and charming Paganini, in melody up to date’.

Mr Frank Drake – ‘Everybody’s favourite. The most tuneful cellist in NZ’.

Mr Harry Drake – Dunedin’s leading tenor and finished violinist, in new and sparkling selections’.

Mr Tasman W. Drake – ‘The Colonial Dan Leno (Dan Leno was the stage name for a well-known English music hall comedian who died in 1904) in mirth-provoking eccentricities’.

Mr Sydney Drake – ‘The marvellously versatile drawing room entertainer and fun distributor, in refined side-splitting novelties’.

Their parents were Emma and Elias Drake, both born in Devon, UK in 1851. The couple were married in Devon in May 1873. In the 1881 UK Census Elias and Emma Drake are living in Edmonton, London and Elias is working as a carpenter. He was born in Taunton, Devon and Emma was born in Torquay. At this stage they have four children, Rosa 7, Sydney G 5, Ada 2 and Elias 4 months. The family arrived in Tasmania on the 26th October 1883 and the children now include baby Emma.

On searching the PapersPast website there are entries for the family playing at various occasions in Dunedin and towns nearby. In the Evening Star dated 25th May 1904, the Drake family orchestra is mentioned at entertainment at St Martins’ School where songs were sung by the Misses Drake, Messer H Drake and Master Ernest Drake and a vocal trio with Miss Drake, Messers H and W Drake.

In the Mataura Ensign there is an advertisement in early 1905 for a Concert planned for the 18th and 19th January. It states that it includes Mr Harry Drake, Dunedin’s popular tenor.

There is a review of a concert given by the family in the Bruce Herald of Milton on the 13th January 1905. It states that the family is clever and versatile, Harry Drake has a pleasant tenor voice, Rose Drake has a sweet voice, T Drake’s humorous recitations were provocative of much hearty laughter, the quartettes of H, G, Manny and Ernest were of the highest order and Frank Drake is a vocalist of the highest order.

There is an account in the Evening Star of 2nd October 1907 that tells of Sydney Drake’s house burning down the night before. He is a builder.

There are other accounts in newspapers of some of the family members playing at flower shows, a musical service at St Pauls Cathedral, Dunedin in 1913 where Mr Ernest Drake sang ‘with distinctness of articulation coupled with good expression’, he sang a solo from the Messiah where he ‘brought out the melancholy pathos of the air in a very effective manner’. Also ‘Frank Drake’s ‘cello solos show how capable that instrument is in skilful hands of producing vibrant and deeply expressive melodies’.

In 1919 Ernest Drake is giving farewell concerts as he will be travelling to the UK and USA. His name appears in a few articles in the British Newspaper archives where is a soloist at concerts, some of which are benefit concerts for those involved in WW1. By September 1921 he is back in New Zealand.

Ernest Drake's Farewell

Evening Star 15th January 1919, PapersPast

Hawera and Normanby Star 12th September 1921 PapersPast

Elias Drake was intestate at the time of his death in 1922; the children of the couple at the time of his death are listed as Sydney George 49, Rosa 47, Henry Elias 45, Ada Drake (Clarke) 43, William Tasman 39, Francis Victor 35, Ernest Winfred 32 and Emanuel Oreti 28. On Elias’ burial records it states that he was born in Torquay (actually his wife Emma was), he came from Victoria, Australia and had lived in New Zealand for 30 years. The newspaper article states that Sydney is living in Palmerston North, W Drake is in Napier, Ernest and Manny are in Auckland and Frank and Harry are in Dunedin. The article does not mention his daughters.

Emma Drake died in 1933. In her will she left her assets to her daughter, Rosa Drake. Considering their generation, some of Emma’s grandsons were killed in WW2.

In the Evening Star dated 20th October 1934, Ernest Drake presents his pupils at a recital in Dunedin of songs, oratorio and opera.

Rosa Drake lived to 102 years. She died in June 1976 and The Press stated that Dunedin’s oldest resident had died. It states that she came to New Zealand at the age of 19, she lived in Southland for three years before settling in the North-east valley in 1897. She was prominent in musical circles in the city.

Francis Victor Drake was born in Ballarat, Victoria. William Tasman, born in Hobart, Tasmania became a vicar. Many of the Drake sons became builders, this is the case for Sydney, Henry Elias and Emanuel. Emanuel Drake was born in Invercargill. Emma Drake married George Cullen, she died in 1964 and is buried in Maungataroto, Northland. Ada lived in Clyde, Otago.

Ernest Drake, born on 11th July 1890 in Westbury, Tasmania, became a well-known New Zealand singer and teacher. His wife, Clarice Wood, was a pianist. One of their children, Bryan Ernest Hare Drake was a singer too, and he spent his career working in the UK.

On the 1st October 2023 the Taieri Rotary Club organised a Historic Homes Tour of North Dunedin. One of the houses that was open was the Drake family house at 371 North Road, North East Valley.

The following is what was printed in the accompanying booklet for the tour. “When you come in the door, look up at the plaster ceilings. Then look along the wide hallway at the carved panels and decorative wooden columns and look back to the front door framed with lovely stained-glass windows. Many of the heritage values are intact, like the tiled fireplaces with carved wooden surrounds. The large living room with its big windows and many heritage features is a delightful place.

The house was built by Elias Drake, probably with his son Sydney. Garry Blackman in his historical columns written in the early 2000’s called the Drake family “"one of the notable families of the North East Valley”, Rosa the eldest, was the pianist and sung soprano. Her six brothers all played instruments, three on the violin, and the others on cello, double bass and cornet. Their mother was also an excellent soprano, and the family performed as a group at many shows and events before WW1. Rosa never married and lived in the North East Valley for 80 years until she died aged 102 in 1976. One of the original Drake sons Harry had a daughter Dora who was well-known as a concert singer and soloist. She returned to the North East Valley to teach singing, and she cared for her mother and Aunt Rosa. She died in 1994”