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

15
The second source of information of particular value was the
6~~eh4i6t for Douglas Lilburn, published by the Composers Association
of New Zealand to mark the occasion of Lilburn's retirement from the
Victoria University of Wellington, 31 January 1980.
Initially
published as an issue of Canzona,28 it was subsequently re-issued as
a separate publicatiob in a revised edition:
HARRIS, Valerie and NORMAN, Philip eds. Douglas Lilburn
2nd ed. Wellington, Composers Association of
New Zealand, 1980. 114pp.
Douglas Lilburn takes the form of a composite portrait of
Douglas Lilburn, sketched by a selection of his friends, students and
colleagues -
in all, thirty-six people contributed to the publication.
The material is arranged in three sections. The first section,
beginning with a biographical sketch, outlines chronologically Lilburn's
life and career. Loose threads are tied between each contribution by a
connective editorial narrative that supplies background information and
points of clarification. The second section contains articles on
Douglas Lilburn's links with many individuals, organisations and
societies. The third section comprises a set of appendices which
include a list of Lilburn's works, chronological lists of Lilburn's
recorded and published compositions, and a select list of references
of writings on Douglas Lilburn.
For the purposes of this study, the most important contribution
in Douglas Lilburn is an interview of Douglas Lilburn by Jack Body
. 1 d ifF f - 1 - . ,,29 Th" ..
ent1t e ragments 0 a sto en conversat1on • 1S 1nterv1eW 1S
invaluable in that it provides a wealth of reminiscences by Lilburn on
various aspects of his early life and work as a composer.
reminiscences take the form of a first-person narrative account of
Lilburn's early years up to the time he was appointed to the lecturing
staff of Victoria University College. -From this interview can be
gleaned many of Lilburn's reactions-to significant events in his life
during this period. However, it must be cautioned that these are
remembered reactions, noted in some cases up to sixty years after the
event.
Another important contribution is the inclusion of edited copies
The
28 Canzona vol.1 no.3, January 1980. 112pp.
29 ibid.pp.15-21.