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

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committees 63 is just one example of his work 'behind the scenes'
further opportunities for New Zealand composers.
this, occurring in 1959, was his work on behalf of N~w
to
Another example of
Zealand
composers in preparing submissions for the proposed revision of the New
Zealand Copyright Act.
This work was prompted by the release of the report by the
Committee of Enquiry on Copyright.
In this, the Committee made a
number of recommendations that seemed to go against the best interests
of composers in New Zealand.
Lilburn undertook a four centres tour of
New Zealand to promote a greater awareness of the implications of the
copyright report, and to gather together the thoughts of other composers
on the subject. Lilburn's concern was to persuade the Government to
draw up an act modelled closely on the British Copyright Act, which was
considered t6 afford adequate protection for composers; Lilburn,
heading a small delegation of composers, met with the Hon. H.G.R. Mason,
the then Mini~ter of Justice, and presented the submissions. 64
The New Zealand copyright act (Copyright Act 1962) was eventually
passed on 5 December 1962.
To what extent Lilburn's submissions were
influential in the designing of the act cannot be measured.
final form, though, the Copyright Act 1962 provided far greater
In its
protection for composers than the act (Copyright Act 1913) which it
65
superceded.
In 1957, a Chair in Music was established at the Victoria
University College. Frederick Page was promoted to Professor of Music.
That year, Lilburn concentrated mainly on wind instruments in his
output, composing Quartet for Brass Instruments and Wind Quintet. Wind
Quintet was given its first performance on Sunday 22 June 1957, by
63 Over the years, the APRA New Zealand Committee has been reconstituted
in various forms. From the Music Advisory Committee in New Zealand
(established 1957) it became the APRA Music Foundation (New Zealand)
in 1966. In 1975 the Committee was again reconstituted without a
change of name to make provision for the representation of two
composers active in the light or entertainment field of music. In
1981 the committee-underwent a major reconstitutioning and became
The Composers' Foundation of New Zealand.
64 Pat Bell, Douglas Lilburn and APRA. Douglas Lilburn op.cit. p.61.
Also Douglas Lilburn in conversation with author March 1983.
65 Copyright Act (N.Z.) 1962 no.33, Wellington, Government Printer,
83pp.