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

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rhythmic and announced in the violins, heralded by the brass) contrasted
with a slower-pulsed two-part theme in the cello line (bars SO-93).
These lyric-pastoral themes are generally articulated at a quieter
dynamic than the principal themes and are accompanied by a pared-down
orchestral texture, sometimes reduced to a pedal note. Because they are
melodies conceived for woodwind, they usually possess the 'breathinglength'
phrases of vocal music.
The main theme of Symphony No.2 movement I (see Ex.6) follows an
essentially crotchet-pulsed introductory theme in the strings.
Ex.6: Symphony No.2 movement I, oboe bars 22-S.
It is announced at a p~o dynamic following a 6o~~~~o climax of the
introductory material. It is articulated over a double pedal of F-sharp
(in the cello) andB (in the double bass and horn IV) in conjunction with
a reiterated rhythmic figure in the viola:
Ex.6a: Srmphony No.2 movement I, viola bar 20 (repeated bars 21-6).
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The melody is clearly modal - in the aeolian mode based on B.
Certain undeniable similarities can be found between the secondary
themes of the Aotearoa Overture (see Ex.7) and the Festival Overture
(see Ex.S). They both begin with a similar rising contour, they both
are essentially scalic melodies in that most of the intervals they employ
are of the second, they both make expressive use of an upwards perfectfourth
step, they both use a dotted rhythm over a short rest in the
initial phrase, and they both have their slow-pulsed undulating lines
punctuated by ornament-like embellishments.