Roy Ewing "Robert" Agnew (Aug. 23, 1891 - November 12, 1944) was an Australian composer and pianist, often thought to be one of the best Australian composers of the early 20th century.

Agnew taught himself piano at a young age, but later on took lessons in Sydney, and for a short time studied composition at the New South Wales Conservatory (now known as the Sydney Conservatorium of Music) with Alfred Hill. He began teaching piano in 1911.

By the time he was teaching piano, Agnew had composed several works for piano. Through the help of his friends and supporters, he was able to study composition and orchestration with Gerard Williams and Cyril Scott at the Royal College of Music in London in 1923. He would return to Sydney in 1928, and went back to London in 1931, and did a few more trips back and forth. In 1938, the Australian Broadcasting Company asked Agnew to curate a program called "Modern and Contemporary Composers' Session" that ran for five years. Agnew featured music of Berg, Debussy, Scriabin, and Webern, playing some of their works himself. No doubt he admired these composers, and most critics have noticed the influence of Scriabin on him.

Winter Solitude  is one of his many works for piano, and was dedicated to Australian pianist Doris Barnett. This short work has sonorities similar to those of some British composers at the time. The melody is simple and straightforward, while the left hand goes through some very interesting tonal progressions.

We sadly haven't found any recordings of this; hopefully that changes soon.