James Barr (composer) James Barr (composer) James Barr (1779–1860) was a Scottish composer who composed the tune which inspired the tune now used for the Australian traditional song "Waltzing Matilda." Born in Tarbolton in South Ayrshire, Barr taught music and worked for a publisher in Glasgow. Barr set several poems by his friend Robert Tannahill to music. According to Christina Macpherson, "Waltzing Matilda" was created in the sitting room of Dagworth Station in January 1895 with the help of a young solicitor and poet, "Banjo" Paterson. Tannahill wrote the words in 1805 and in 1818 Barr set them to music, possibly based on
A Voice from the Town A Voice from the Town A Voice from the Town is a poem by Australian writer and poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson. It was first published in "The Bulletin" magazine on 20 October 1894. In "Up The Country," Lawson had criticised "The City Bushman" such as Banjo Paterson who tended to romanticise bush life. Paterson, in turn, accused Lawson of representing bush life as nothing but doom and gloom, famously ending with the line ""For the bush will never suit you, and you'll never suit the bush."" This exchange sparked what is known as the Bulletin Debate, mainly between Paterson