MACPHERSON, Christina

Christina Rutherford Macpherson (1864–1936) played a tune on her zither (autoharp) can collaborated with Banjo Paterson in 1895 to write the lyrics and tune to Waltzing Matilda, Australia’s most iconic folk song.

Her contribution in composing the music for Waltzing Matilda was only discovered in 1991 when one of her letters describing how she and Banjo Paterson collaborated in writing the song was discovered. Subsequently, a music sheet in Christina's handwriting was also discovered. These records clearly demonstrate that Christina played a vital part in the composition of the music for Waltzing Matilda. Without her contribution, there would have been no song called Waltzing Matilda.