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

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92 but tempered this observation with: "As a work the symphony has several shortcomings those in search of fault would be quick to seize upon. The principal themes are.abstrusea.nd discursive, the texture is uneven, and the effectiveness of the trumpet pa~~ages is not heightened by their frequency." L.C.M.S., in reviewing the first Auckland performance of the work, sidestepped making a direct criticism of the symphony by writing: "Whether this material has sufficient interest, whether the scoring tends to become a monochrome, and whether there is sufficient differentiation of style between the three movem~2ts, are points that each listener must decide." Dorothy Davies in reviewing for Landfall noted that ·"Weaknesses there are for sure; moments 6f uncertainty and over-reiteration ••• a groping of harmonic movement in one section of the last movement. Pulse is still the danger point."43 whilst concluding that this "•.• very lovely music ll possesses" beauty 1144 Owen Jensen, writing in the Arts Year Book No.7, concluded his lengthy appraisal of the music with: "The originality and vitality of Douglas Lilburn's first symphony is in the shapes of the various themes, in the integration of these ideas and in the working out of the elements of the design. The texture of the music itself contains nothing that is startlingly new. Key patterns are largely traditional - there is nothing of atonality and little that could be defined as polytonality - and the harmonies are effective without being abstruse. The orchestration which, except for the solo passages, consists of block contrasts of strings, woodwinds, and brass with some effectively beautiful horn writing and the thematic use of timpani, is admirably tempered to the pervading austerity of the music. Doug las Lilburn's Symphony No.1, the first symphony to be written by a New Zealander, is, and will be, of historical importance, but it is not enough that we commend it as a significant contribution great 41 ibid. 42 L.C.M.S., Important musical occasion New Zealand symphony premiered. Unsourced newspaper clipping, copy with author. 43 Dorothy Davies, Douglas Lilburn's 1st symphony. Landfall vol.S no.3, September 1951:231.
93 to New Zealand music. The immediate importance is that we understand and enjoy it as living music. To those who have followed Lilburn's music through the succession of his works, enjoyment is a spontaneous reaction to what seems a natural musical expression. Others may not find it so readily assimilable. On the one hand it has none of the comforting sentiments of the neo-romantics, nor, on the other, the astringent vigour of the more dissonant contemporary writers. Its very simplicity is deceptive. Lilburn's music is neither ingenious nor ingenuous. Neither does it orate or rhapsodize. Straightforwardly sincere, optimistic in outlook, adventurous in spirit rather than substance, serious, and tinged on occasion with austerity, but neither pompous nor of an empty solemnity, this is the character of the music of the first genuinely New Zealand composer."45 Lilburn's complete shift to Wellington in 1949 marked the end of his prolific period as a free-lance composer. He was now thirty-three years of age, turning thirty-four in November - well past the age of being described as a 'composer of promise'. What then, had he achieved S1nce winning the Percy Grainger Prize in 19367 principal compositions to 1949: For Orchestra , Fores t a tone poem Drysdale Overture Festival Overture •• Aotearoa Overture •• Song of the Antipodes Symphony No. I For String Orchestra Allegro •• Landfall in Unknown Seas Sinfonia Cambridge Overture Diversions For Choral Forces Prodigal Country Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis Chamber Music Phantasy for String Quartet •• Sonata in E-flat for violin and Sonata in C for violin and piano String Trio •• String Quartet in E Minor •• Sonatina for'Clarinet and Piano For Piano (or Organ) Four Preludes for Piano Prelude and Fugue in G minor Chaconne Sonatina Consider a list of his 1936 1937 1939 1940 1946 · . 1949 1942 1942 1943 1946 1947 · . 1939 1942 1939 piano 1943 1943 · . 1945 1946 1948 1942-4 1944 1946 1946 45 Owen Jensen, Lilburn: "Symphony No.1 in A minor". Arts Year Book no. 7, J 95 I : 154-6 .
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THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
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ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wish
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made access to personal documents a
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CON TEN T S VOLUME ONE Abstract Ack
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INTRODUCTION
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2 colleagues for the opportunity to
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4 to his compositional activity. As
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The first of these was Music Ho, th
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8 the sounds of Vaughan Williams an
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10 London. That New Zealand had nO
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12 "He is most likely to be found t
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14 [Broadcasting Corporation of New
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16 of letters by Douglas Lilburn to
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18 writings on these works, also to
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20 study. On a number of occasions
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22 Frederick Page for the volume of
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24 attempted anything more than a s
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26 1 PREAMBLE The society into whic
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28 oratorio (courtesy of Great Brit
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30 (ballads, popular songs, drawing
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32 the four main centres, there was
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34 ••. You know wh,en you talk
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36 Consequently, great emphasis was
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38 Interval 10. Orchestra, "Stray S
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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
Page 61 and 62: 52 the essence of a personality and
Page 63 and 64: 54 subsequently accepted by, the Go
Page 65 and 66: 56 featuring entertainment from a w
Page 67 and 68: (57) 7. Two Pianos and Orchestra. E
Page 69 and 70: 59 Of the Drysdale Overture, Mr Try
Page 71 and 72: 61 cannot be over-rated: for the fi
Page 73 and 74: 63 4 1941-1945 WELLINGTON TO ~HRIST
Page 75 and 76: 65 house under the guidance of Deni
Page 77 and 78: 67 the dress-rehearsal on the Sunda
Page 79 and 80: 69 Nunc Dimittis,24 Five Bagatelles
Page 81 and 82: 71 On 29 September J943, the first
Page 83 and 84: 73 for violin and piano, the Sonata
Page 85 and 86: 75 No.less deserving of praise were
Page 87 and 88: 77 Correspondence on the subject wa
Page 89 and 90: 79 Inglis Gundry recalled an incide
Page 91 and 92: 81 But I think too, that an occasio
Page 93 and 94: 83 some aural tests, and in general
Page 95 and 96: proved unworkable,17 with the resul
Page 97 and 98: 87 entitled Song of the Antipodes (
Page 99 and 100: 89 "Not in Australia ••• alth
Page 101: 9 I In 1948 Lilburn continued commu
Page 105 and 106: generated interest in his compositi
Page 107 and 108: 56 Music School, was with trying to
Page 109 and 110: 99 6 1950-1960 WELLINGTON "So I put
Page 111 and 112: 101 feature film related the storie
Page 113 and 114: 103 The next production in which Li
Page 115 and 116: 105 original and the slow movement
Page 117 and 118: 107 An article in the New Zealand L
Page 119 and 120: seemed; had been lost. Only Sings H
Page 121 and 122: 1 I I Peter Crowe, an ex-pupil of L
Page 123 and 124: 1 13 through the years. Douglas [Li
Page 125 and 126: players from the National Orchestra
Page 127 and 128: 117 intolerable - to spend one's li
Page 129 and 130: 119 Following approaches from the A
Page 131 and 132: 12 I yield strange and evocative no
Page 133 and 134: 123 12 Lilburn for his composition
Page 135 and 136: 'mecca' for composers, musicians an
Page 137 and 138: Meanwhile, Lilburn was preparing to
Page 139 and 140: and met its director, Mr Walter. 12
Page 141 and 142: The Return was, with great rapidity
Page 143 and 144: Overture and Landfall in Unknown Se
Page 145 and 146: 135 8 1965-1980 By 1966, Lilburn ha
Page 147 and 148: 137 The main part of these sounds w
Page 149 and 150: 139 for the Wai-te-ata Press Music
Page 151 and 152: 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).
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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
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223 This transformed version of the
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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
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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
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265 Thus, the above five examples i
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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
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Ex.14: Festival Overture, bars 230
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277 independence of the bass-line.
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279 Ex.19: Festival Overture, bar 3
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281 preparatory to its move to the
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However, most of these F minor stat
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285 heard from bars 10-15 is the no
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287 note is articulated, yet where
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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
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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
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221 222 224 227 231 233 235 238 239
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The first three of these four examp
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Ex.24: Symphony No.2 movement II, c
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317 listened for to be appreciated.
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319 Several points about this extra
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321 The second movement of this sym
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323 rhythmic whiplash, a veritable
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325 apart from the work of the stri
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327 unison by an instrument of a di
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329 The texture of this passage can
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331 The trumpet also reflects this
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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
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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-
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357 development as a composer did n
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359 after they were brought into cu
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