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

ignored the choir, brass band and church in his writing. He composed
only one work for the large choir - Prodigal Country of 1939 - which was
written to meet competition requirements.
150
He wrote only one work for
brass band - Suite for Brass Band of 1959 - which to date has never been
performed. With the exception of Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis of 1942,
which was written in response to a request from C. Foster Browne, then
organist and choirmaster of the Christchurch Cathedral, there are no
religious works in Lilburn's output.
There are also no works for treble
voices, and only one work, Prelude and Fu&ue in G Minor of 1944, written
for organ.
This, though, was written for the competition requirements
of the Philip Neill Memorial Prize (Lilburn, however, did have the option
of writing for either piano or organ under these requirements).
If there were any signs of professional music making within New
Zealand prior to 1940 it was in instrumental music, particularly the
string orchestra. For a young composer, too, the apotheosis of serious
music still lay in the orchestral medium, a medium that had not yet been
established in New Zealand.
"My aural imagination was certainly drawn more
towards string sound (later full orchestra
sound as it became available again) and towards
piano works and chamber music. Some solo songs,
yes, because I felt that some New Zealand poetry
of the time invited such settings. But I don't
recall being stirred to take any larger poem
and set it for choir.
As far as brass bands were concerned, the sound
and idiom didn't appeal-"2
Consequently, Lilburn's output up to 1965 (and the beginning of
his almost exclusive use of the electronic medium) is dominated by works
for orchestra, string orchestra, instrumental combinations and the solo
piano.
On a title by title basis alone (discounting durations and
relative 'weight' of works), works for these media are in the majority,
as the following table shows:
Table 1: Lilburn's output up to 1965
(approximate percentages only)
Orchestra ••
String Orchestra (includes works for narrator) .•
Solo piano (includes one piano duo)
Chamber string (includes solo string music) ..
Chamber wind (includes solo wind music)
Incidental music (for mixed and unspecified media)."
Solo vocal (includes short songs) .•
Choral (either unison song or choir)
Other (brass band and organ)
11 %
10%
17%
13%
7%
23%
13%
5%
1%
58%
23%
19%
2 Douglas Lilburn 1n correspondence with author 29 July 1983.