A NEW book has been published charting the story of Titanic bandmaster Wallace Hartley and his fellow musicians.

Norwegian-born Christian G Tennyson-Ekeberg has written Nearer Our God To Thee to examine the facts – and the myths – surrounding one of the most poignant episodes of the Titanic disaster.

The author will be in Huddersfield today to sign copies of his book.

Christian said: “I’ve always had an interest in maritime things, having come from a naval family. Then there’s that word – Titanic. Everyone knows something about it, or thinks they do.”

Christian’s book, which he describes as a “multi-biography” tells the story of Wallace Hartley, his fiancée Maria Robinson, and the seven other band members who perished with Wallace when the ship went down.

Hartley, who was 33 when he died, was born in Colne, but lived in Huddersfield for several years before moving to Dewsbury. He played with the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra.

The book is the result of many years of assiduous research to separate fact and fiction in the story of Wallace and his colleagues.

Christian said: “I set off in 1988 not to write a biography, but THE biography.

“So many books about the Titanic have left more questions than answers, I thought the only way was to set it all down.

“I didn’t realise how many miles I would travel or how many people I would meet and interview.”

Christian said that immediately after the sinking, the Press had little information to go on and some of their reports were entirely fictitious. Eyewitnesses also gave conflicting accounts of what happened.

Christian said some survivors suffered what would now be termed post-traumatic stress disorder, which led them to “misremember” the harrowing event.

Several facts about Wallace are unclear – even down to where and when he met Maria Robinson.

Christian said: “She was from Leeds and her family were very prosperous in the cloth trade.

“She and Wallace met in 1902 or 1903, either in Bridlington when he was playing with the Bridlington Parade Orchestra, in Leeds at Rounday Park Museum or at Collinson’s Cafe in Leeds.”

The violin which was recovered with Wallace’s body following the sinking had been given to him by Maria as an engagement present.

Tests have now revealed that it was definitely the violin used by Hartley and it is due to go on show at a Titanic exhibition in Belfast.

While Wallace and the band famously “played on” as the ship began to sink, survivors have differed in their accounts of how long they played and what music they played.

Christian said: “There are two accounts that Wallace played a solo encore of Nearer My God To Thee, but we don’t know which tune he played. There were 60 different arrangements of the hymn published in his lifetime.”

Christian, a designer and manufacturer of silverware and jewellery by profession, now plans a sequel to his book, delving even deeper into the people and events surrounding the world’s most famous maritime disaster.

The author will be signing books at 4.30pm today at Time Circa 2010 Gallery and Coffee Shop in Hammond’s Yard, off King Street.