The beginnings and development of a New Zealand music: The life ...

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1 AIMS OF THE STUDY 'Are there any New Zealand composers?', 'who are the New Zealand composers?' and 'what kind of music do New Zealand composers write?' are the three most frequently encountered questions about New Zealand mUS1C. The need to ask the first question arises from a disbelief that New Zealand's social and artistic climate could support or stimulate anyone to compose. The second question is a call for identification of the leading figures in the field, whilst the third suggests the expectation that there are distinctive qualities in the work of local composers - a New Zealand idiom. Explicit in the posing of all three questions is a lack of awareness of this country's indigenous music .• While lamentable, the New Zealander's lack of awareness of his own country's growing musical heritage is understandable. New Zealand is a young country and the New Zealander is inculcated with a feeling of cultural inferiority - that home-grown artistic products cannot hope to match in quality the products from overseas, particularly European, c9untries with their centuries-old traditions and experiences. Local composition is thus often condemned without trial as being of little merit. An additional problem is one that is experienced world-wide. Rapid developments in music in the twentieth century have led to a wide composer-audience gap. Contemporary music is appreciated, indeed tolerated, by only a tiny, near-insignificant proportion of the world's popUlation. A distinction has grown between 'popular' and 'serious' music, with serious music being', by definition, not popular. A contemporary composer l not only has to compete with his For the purposes of this study, the word composer is used to denote one who is essentially working in a continuation of the Western, classical tradition of music. This excludes writers of popular songs and writers in other cultural traditions.
2 colleagues for the opportunity to have new works performed, but also with both the music of centuries past and the fashionable sounds of commercially-oriented popular music. It is inevitable in a country with a small and scattered population that opportunities for the development of a minority interest are minimal. In an area of high density population, people interested in a particular pursuit can readily congregate to pool resources and co-ordinate activity. If only 0.1% of a given population is interested in an activity, then in London, for example, 8,000 supporters could be found, whereas in Christchurch, New Zealand, for example, only 350 supporters could be found. Composers, however, not only need supporters in the form of audiences, but also musicians to 'lift the music off the page'. The problem facing a composer working in a community with a small population is thus compounded. In beginning the research for this study, it was intended that the scope of enquiry exhaustively cover the period in New Zealand composition from 1940 to 1970. From a cursory reading of all the readily accessible, published literature on New Zealand composition, there was little doubt that the subject could be covered comprehensively. This, as was quickly discovered, was not the case. For every word already published on the subject, a thousand words of elaboration were required. A research project undertaken in 1979 on behalf of the Composers Association of New Zealand resulted in a Bibliography of New Zealand Composition 2 that contained over 1600 works by 65 composers written between 1940 and 1980. This, as was realised, was only the tip of the iceberg. For every published and recorded New Zealand composition, there must surely be hundreds unpublished and unrecorded. Obviously, limitations on the scope of the research had to be quickly found. This resulted in the decision to include only composers who had been active inside New Zealand during this period, to examine only those composers who had made an impact on a national level as opposed to a local level, and to concentrate on works that were representative of trends, rather than trying to cover all compositions. Composers not born in New Zealand, composers who were born after 1950, and composers who had not worked consistently (in terms of output) were excluded. The electronic medium which made its strongest impact on 2 Philip Norman, compiler. Bibliography of New Zealand Compositions vol. 1 (1940-1980) Christchurch, Nota Bene Music, 1980. 146 pp.
Page 1 and 2: THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
Page 3 and 4: ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wish
Page 5 and 6: made access to personal documents a
Page 7 and 8: CON TEN T S VOLUME ONE Abstract Ack
Page 9: INTRODUCTION
Page 13 and 14: 4 to his compositional activity. As
Page 15 and 16: The first of these was Music Ho, th
Page 17 and 18: 8 the sounds of Vaughan Williams an
Page 19 and 20: 10 London. That New Zealand had nO
Page 21 and 22: 12 "He is most likely to be found t
Page 23 and 24: 14 [Broadcasting Corporation of New
Page 25 and 26: 16 of letters by Douglas Lilburn to
Page 27 and 28: 18 writings on these works, also to
Page 29 and 30: 20 study. On a number of occasions
Page 31 and 32: 22 Frederick Page for the volume of
Page 33 and 34: 24 attempted anything more than a s
Page 35 and 36: 26 1 PREAMBLE The society into whic
Page 37 and 38: 28 oratorio (courtesy of Great Brit
Page 39 and 40: 30 (ballads, popular songs, drawing
Page 41 and 42: 32 the four main centres, there was
Page 43 and 44: 34 ••. You know wh,en you talk
Page 45 and 46: 36 Consequently, great emphasis was
Page 47 and 48: 38 Interval 10. Orchestra, "Stray S
Page 49 and 50: 40 Since all things fade Into a sen
Page 51 and 52: 42 It seems unlikely that this deci
Page 53 and 54: 44 currently housed at the Alexande
Page 55 and 56: 46 awarded to Miss Dorothy I. Johns
Page 57 and 58: 48 study with Vaughan Williams. It
Page 59 and 60: 50 3 1937-1940 ROYAL COLLEGE AND CE
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52 the essence of a personality and
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54 subsequently accepted by, the Go
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56 featuring entertainment from a w
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(57) 7. Two Pianos and Orchestra. E
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59 Of the Drysdale Overture, Mr Try
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61 cannot be over-rated: for the fi
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63 4 1941-1945 WELLINGTON TO ~HRIST
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65 house under the guidance of Deni
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67 the dress-rehearsal on the Sunda
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69 Nunc Dimittis,24 Five Bagatelles
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71 On 29 September J943, the first
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73 for violin and piano, the Sonata
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75 No.less deserving of praise were
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77 Correspondence on the subject wa
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79 Inglis Gundry recalled an incide
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81 But I think too, that an occasio
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83 some aural tests, and in general
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proved unworkable,17 with the resul
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87 entitled Song of the Antipodes (
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89 "Not in Australia ••• alth
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9 I In 1948 Lilburn continued commu
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93 to New Zealand music. The immedi
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generated interest in his compositi
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56 Music School, was with trying to
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99 6 1950-1960 WELLINGTON "So I put
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101 feature film related the storie
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103 The next production in which Li
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105 original and the slow movement
Page 117 and 118:
107 An article in the New Zealand L
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seemed; had been lost. Only Sings H
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1 I I Peter Crowe, an ex-pupil of L
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1 13 through the years. Douglas [Li
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players from the National Orchestra
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117 intolerable - to spend one's li
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119 Following approaches from the A
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12 I yield strange and evocative no
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123 12 Lilburn for his composition
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'mecca' for composers, musicians an
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Meanwhile, Lilburn was preparing to
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and met its director, Mr Walter. 12
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The Return was, with great rapidity
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Overture and Landfall in Unknown Se
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135 8 1965-1980 By 1966, Lilburn ha
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137 The main part of these sounds w
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139 for the Wai-te-ata Press Music
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14 I established, that 'Nothing is
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the working area from structural vi
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abstract movement of six dancers on
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147 personal contact. He continuall
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149 1 OVERVIEW "A Romantic in corse
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On the basis of duration, and exclu
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was completed with a .view to a per
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shows little more than that Lilburn
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157 coupled with Lilburn's Symphony
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159 Lilburn's music. If greater emp
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161 Piano, in particular, is a succ
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163 2 MELODY IN LILBURN The music o
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165 be drawn. Specifically, these a
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167 with less frequency and is less
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169 rhythmic and announced in the v
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17 I it has a pastoral flavour, alb
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173 Ex.13: Song of the Antipodes, v
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Ex.16: Symphony No.2 movement IV, h
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177 Ex.20: Symphony No.1 movement I
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179 Ex.25: Diversions movement I, v
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181 Ex.28: Diversions movement III,
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183 Ex.3): Suite for Orchestra move
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185 Ex.36: Festival Overture, cello
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187 simultaneous use. The motif emp
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189 clarinet at bar 4 (see Ex.46).
Page 201 and 202:
191 shared between groups of instru
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193 the fifty above examples. All i
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195 3. Landfall in Unknown Seas mov
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197 Ln examples 7,12,17,18,23,24 an
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199 12. Song of the Antipodes (see
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201 a theme, and the woodwind and s
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203 first composition period. In re
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205 Section AI (bars 46-54) announc
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207 Ex.la: Diversions movement IV,
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209 bars: SOtlletimes a variation o
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211 Ex.2: Theme 1 of Landfall ~n Un
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213 Ex.6: Theme 4 of Landfall in Un
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215 un comparison to the five movem
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217 Table 8: Structure of section B
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A two-bar bridge passage (bars 128-
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221 This first statement of theme 1
Page 233 and 234:
223 This transformed version of the
Page 235 and 236:
225 But this brief period of motivi
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227 developmental treatment of mate
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A second, and this time tutti, stat
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231 dissonant chords (combining the
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233 lines between the three section
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235 Ex.3Ib: Symphony No.1 movement
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237 However, this is more an exampl
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239 melodic cue from the tailpiece
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241 Some themes are even briefly de
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243 unfolding of the second subject
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245 Table 14: Relative durations of
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Compare with Ex.4Ib: oboe bars 38-4
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249 Ex.45c: flute I bars 145-52. Ex
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Ex.48: Symphony No.2 movement I, cl
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253 Szmrhony No.2, a full recapitul
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255 100-149 Development beginning w
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257 2. The material that forms the
Page 269 and 270:
259 harmonies above a pedal note, o
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261 4 HARMONY IN LILBURN If anyone
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263 chromaticism. This chromaticism
Page 275 and 276:
265 Thus, the above five examples i
Page 277 and 278:
267 Ex.S: Diversions movement II, b
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269 in this extract is echoed in th
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271 Ex.12c: Aotearoa Overture, stri
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273 The only two that do not show e
Page 285 and 286:
Ex.14: Festival Overture, bars 230
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277 independence of the bass-line.
Page 289 and 290:
279 Ex.19: Festival Overture, bar 3
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281 preparatory to its move to the
Page 293 and 294:
However, most of these F minor stat
Page 295 and 296:
285 heard from bars 10-15 is the no
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287 note is articulated, yet where
Page 299 and 300:
289 Ex.27: Aotearoa Overture, bars
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291 Ex.32: Symphony No.2 movement I
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293 Ex.35: ~~hony No.2 movement It
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295 development sections are marked
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movement has begun, the music remai
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299 Where a bass-line does contain
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301 Here, it is the viola, cello an
Page 313 and 314:
303 Ex.5: Aotearoa Overture, rhythm
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305 , I , ~r"'·f ..,... ~..L +" f
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307 Ex.12: Aotearoa Overture, clari
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309 suddenly thrown onto a weak bea
Page 321 and 322:
221 222 224 227 231 233 235 238 239
Page 323 and 324:
The first three of these four examp
Page 325 and 326:
Ex.24: Symphony No.2 movement II, c
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317 listened for to be appreciated.
Page 329 and 330:
319 Several points about this extra
Page 331 and 332:
321 The second movement of this sym
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323 rhythmic whiplash, a veritable
Page 335 and 336:
325 apart from the work of the stri
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327 unison by an instrument of a di
Page 339 and 340:
329 The texture of this passage can
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331 The trumpet also reflects this
Page 343 and 344:
333 With the exception of the octav
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335 Ex.7: Symphony No.2 movement I,
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337 Despite the frequent recurrence
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339 Ex.ll: Alle~ro for strings, bar
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341 one-half of the piece. The viol
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343 10 Th.,. .p :[ Yla. 'fIe. .p Db
Page 355 and 356:
345 In summary, Lilburn's woodwind
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Ex.16: Symphony No.1 movement I bar
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349 the timpani is in the main used
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35) Ex.24: Symphony No.2 movement I
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353 7 INTERLUDE Discussion in the p
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355 quick-slow-quick or slow-quick-
Page 367 and 368:
357 development as a composer did n
Page 369 and 370:
359 after they were brought into cu
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