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

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for the Wai-te-ata Press Music Editions had lessened. 14
In 1969, Lilburn took a short overseas leave, for fifteen weeks
from 26 April to 29 July. His expressed intention was II ••• to study
recent developments in electronic and other contemporary music" 15
He spent five weeks in Toronto at the faculty of music, working in one
of its two electronic music studios on a series of short compositions
entitled Five Toronto Pieces. The new director of the studios was
Professor Gustav Ciamaga, who advised Lilburn throughout his familiarisation
with their new equipment, and offered suggestions about the
future development of the EMS/VUW.
From Toronto, Lilburn flew directly to Paris to represent the
New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation at the UNESCO Rostrum of Composers.
In five days,- he hear'd eighty-one new works in the Rostr_um, and each
evening attended concerts of music by Stockhausen,who was in Paris that
week. From Paris, he flew to Amsterdam and spent a couple of mornings at
the Electronic Music Studios of the University of Utrecht. From there
he flew to London in time to attend the final night performance of Peter
Grimes at Covent Garden.
Whilst in London he revisited Daphne Oram who was engaged in
research into the reproduction of hand-drawn wave-shapes as sound. He
also visited the- Royal College of Music to see Tristam Carey and his
students in the College1s new electronic workshop. He visited the new
Music Information Centre of the British Guild of Composers, noting that
the newly-reconstructed New Zealand Music Society in London was
effectively promoting young soloists. He returned to New Zealand by way
of Vancouver, where he met with Dr Behrens of Simon Fraser University
and gained a brief insight into the work being done there in the Centre
of Communications and the Arts.
In his report on this overseas leave to the Council of
Victoria University of Wellington, Lilburn noted:
" •••• Electronicmusic appears to be following
three main paths of development; (i) computerized
studios at a cost not yet to be contemplated here,
14 The third wave proved to be the last wave initiated by Douglas
Lilburn. In 1982 Jack Body assumed responsibility for the Wai-te-ata
Press Music Editions, and five new publications resulted in that year.
15 Douglas Lilburn, Report on overseas leave 1969. Unpublished
typescript, p.l.