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

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260 second movement is in A major, again, not a close relative of the presiding tonic. Lilburn brings this most distantly related key back to the tonic through beginning the third movement in B minor and ending it on a bitonal chord of G major and B major. The B major element of this chord allows the movement to end with a reference to the tonal centre on which it began. The G major element, the stronger element of the two, becomes the dominant of the C major key of the fourth movement. The five movements of Diversions show a very symmetrical use of key signatures: back to three sharps. three sharps, two sharps, no sharps, ·twosharps and sequence of keys for each movement of minor to subdominant and back to tonic. In tonal terms, this gives a tightly-knit tonic to super tonic to tonic The final point to note is that both symphonies show cognisance of the traditional ordering of the 'weight' of each mo~·ement. ~ follows the conventional ordering of a three-movement work. Following the intense, but animated Al1eg4onont4oppo of the first movement comes a slow-pulsed, lyrical Andante eon moto. The third Symphony movement shows a return to an Al1eg4o, but of much lighter nature than in the opening movement. The relative 'weightings' of the movements in Symphony No.2 are complicated by the fact that the final two movements are paired. Together, these two movements provide the widest range of material covered in the symphony and contribute the most substantially to its length. However, the first movement of this symphony (a medium-slow, intense, but lyrical prelude) is still arguably the most concentrated of the four movements. It is contrasted in movement II by an admirably flippant, light-hearted scherzo marked Ateeg40 v~vaee. If the second movement is all light, then the first of the final pair of movements is all darkness and gloom. It is a grave and troubled Poeo lento, the brooding emotions of which are not resolved until the following movement. This fourth movement is an Aileg40 that captures the brightness of the second movement, yet is tempered both through being foreshadowed by the troubled third movement and through owing something in spirit to the seriousness of movement I. It is a moderating movement that strikes a happy medium between the extremes of mood presented in the preceding movements. These contrasts between movements, coupled with the stylistic homogeneity in evidence within each work, show Lilburn conforming in his~ first two symphonies to the highest ideal of conventional structuring: that of diversity within unity.
261 4 HARMONY IN LILBURN If anyone particular element was to epitomize the changes in Lilburn's composition style throughout his output, it would be that of harmony. to define his style. Obversely, it is also this element that arguably most helps The music of Lilburn's first composition period is strongly triadic, yet, unlike his use of form, for example, his harmonic vocabulary does not remain fixed and constant throughout this period. Whilst continuing to be triadic, it shows a slow evolution from the diatonic modality of the early overtures to the chromatiG parallelism of his second symphony; or rather, it is a slow expansion, for his harmony never really severs its diatonic modal roots. A facet of Lilburn's harmonic technique that recurs throughout his output is his use of pedal points. A brief examination of a few carefully chosen extracts will serve to illustrate his use of this device. More importantly though, these extracts will serve as a good illustrative introduction to the expanding nature of his harmonic vocabulary throughout his first composition period. The first extract (Ex.l) is from the A~tearoa Overture of 1940. It shows the weaving of strictly diatonic chords. above a tonic (G) pedal. The material that forms the basis of this extract is drawn from the introduction section of the overture. Ex.l: Aotearoa Overture, strings bars 135-42, piano reduction. J ....- p:= ,. l/l fJ- i , , r .. "-- 111 1 t>- Xl j -;:;; 1 ,.--~ ~ - \ I I .'. J ..... ---f .... - £; , ~. C', ~ I; . 7 .". -;! ~ 1l.........-- 11 -t;l -,.- ..... -
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THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
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ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wish
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made access to personal documents a
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CON TEN T S VOLUME ONE Abstract Ack
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INTRODUCTION
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2 colleagues for the opportunity to
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4 to his compositional activity. As
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The first of these was Music Ho, th
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8 the sounds of Vaughan Williams an
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10 London. That New Zealand had nO
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12 "He is most likely to be found t
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14 [Broadcasting Corporation of New
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16 of letters by Douglas Lilburn to
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18 writings on these works, also to
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20 study. On a number of occasions
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22 Frederick Page for the volume of
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24 attempted anything more than a s
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26 1 PREAMBLE The society into whic
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28 oratorio (courtesy of Great Brit
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30 (ballads, popular songs, drawing
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32 the four main centres, there was
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34 ••. You know wh,en you talk
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36 Consequently, great emphasis was
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38 Interval 10. Orchestra, "Stray S
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40 Since all things fade Into a sen
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42 It seems unlikely that this deci
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44 currently housed at the Alexande
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46 awarded to Miss Dorothy I. Johns
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48 study with Vaughan Williams. It
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50 3 1937-1940 ROYAL COLLEGE AND CE
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52 the essence of a personality and
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54 subsequently accepted by, the Go
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56 featuring entertainment from a w
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(57) 7. Two Pianos and Orchestra. E
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59 Of the Drysdale Overture, Mr Try
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61 cannot be over-rated: for the fi
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63 4 1941-1945 WELLINGTON TO ~HRIST
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65 house under the guidance of Deni
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67 the dress-rehearsal on the Sunda
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69 Nunc Dimittis,24 Five Bagatelles
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71 On 29 September J943, the first
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73 for violin and piano, the Sonata
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75 No.less deserving of praise were
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77 Correspondence on the subject wa
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79 Inglis Gundry recalled an incide
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81 But I think too, that an occasio
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83 some aural tests, and in general
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proved unworkable,17 with the resul
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87 entitled Song of the Antipodes (
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89 "Not in Australia ••• alth
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9 I In 1948 Lilburn continued commu
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93 to New Zealand music. The immedi
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generated interest in his compositi
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56 Music School, was with trying to
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99 6 1950-1960 WELLINGTON "So I put
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101 feature film related the storie
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103 The next production in which Li
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105 original and the slow movement
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107 An article in the New Zealand L
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seemed; had been lost. Only Sings H
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1 I I Peter Crowe, an ex-pupil of L
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1 13 through the years. Douglas [Li
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players from the National Orchestra
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117 intolerable - to spend one's li
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119 Following approaches from the A
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12 I yield strange and evocative no
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123 12 Lilburn for his composition
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'mecca' for composers, musicians an
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Meanwhile, Lilburn was preparing to
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and met its director, Mr Walter. 12
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The Return was, with great rapidity
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Overture and Landfall in Unknown Se
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135 8 1965-1980 By 1966, Lilburn ha
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137 The main part of these sounds w
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139 for the Wai-te-ata Press Music
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14 I established, that 'Nothing is
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the working area from structural vi
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abstract movement of six dancers on
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147 personal contact. He continuall
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149 1 OVERVIEW "A Romantic in corse
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On the basis of duration, and exclu
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was completed with a .view to a per
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shows little more than that Lilburn
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157 coupled with Lilburn's Symphony
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159 Lilburn's music. If greater emp
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161 Piano, in particular, is a succ
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163 2 MELODY IN LILBURN The music o
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165 be drawn. Specifically, these a
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167 with less frequency and is less
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169 rhythmic and announced in the v
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17 I it has a pastoral flavour, alb
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173 Ex.13: Song of the Antipodes, v
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Ex.16: Symphony No.2 movement IV, h
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177 Ex.20: Symphony No.1 movement I
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179 Ex.25: Diversions movement I, v
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181 Ex.28: Diversions movement III,
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183 Ex.3): Suite for Orchestra move
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185 Ex.36: Festival Overture, cello
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187 simultaneous use. The motif emp
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189 clarinet at bar 4 (see Ex.46).
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191 shared between groups of instru
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193 the fifty above examples. All i
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195 3. Landfall in Unknown Seas mov
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197 Ln examples 7,12,17,18,23,24 an
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199 12. Song of the Antipodes (see
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201 a theme, and the woodwind and s
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203 first composition period. In re
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205 Section AI (bars 46-54) announc
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207 Ex.la: Diversions movement IV,
Page 219 and 220: 209 bars: SOtlletimes a variation o
Page 221 and 222: 211 Ex.2: Theme 1 of Landfall ~n Un
Page 223 and 224: 213 Ex.6: Theme 4 of Landfall in Un
Page 225 and 226: 215 un comparison to the five movem
Page 227 and 228: 217 Table 8: Structure of section B
Page 229 and 230: A two-bar bridge passage (bars 128-
Page 231 and 232: 221 This first statement of theme 1
Page 233 and 234: 223 This transformed version of the
Page 235 and 236: 225 But this brief period of motivi
Page 237 and 238: 227 developmental treatment of mate
Page 239 and 240: A second, and this time tutti, stat
Page 241 and 242: 231 dissonant chords (combining the
Page 243 and 244: 233 lines between the three section
Page 245 and 246: 235 Ex.3Ib: Symphony No.1 movement
Page 247 and 248: 237 However, this is more an exampl
Page 249 and 250: 239 melodic cue from the tailpiece
Page 251 and 252: 241 Some themes are even briefly de
Page 253 and 254: 243 unfolding of the second subject
Page 255 and 256: 245 Table 14: Relative durations of
Page 257 and 258: Compare with Ex.4Ib: oboe bars 38-4
Page 259 and 260: 249 Ex.45c: flute I bars 145-52. Ex
Page 261 and 262: Ex.48: Symphony No.2 movement I, cl
Page 263 and 264: 253 Szmrhony No.2, a full recapitul
Page 265 and 266: 255 100-149 Development beginning w
Page 267 and 268: 257 2. The material that forms the
Page 269: 259 harmonies above a pedal note, o
Page 273 and 274: 263 chromaticism. This chromaticism
Page 275 and 276: 265 Thus, the above five examples i
Page 277 and 278: 267 Ex.S: Diversions movement II, b
Page 279 and 280: 269 in this extract is echoed in th
Page 281 and 282: 271 Ex.12c: Aotearoa Overture, stri
Page 283 and 284: 273 The only two that do not show e
Page 285 and 286: Ex.14: Festival Overture, bars 230
Page 287 and 288: 277 independence of the bass-line.
Page 289 and 290: 279 Ex.19: Festival Overture, bar 3
Page 291 and 292: 281 preparatory to its move to the
Page 293 and 294: However, most of these F minor stat
Page 295 and 296: 285 heard from bars 10-15 is the no
Page 297 and 298: 287 note is articulated, yet where
Page 299 and 300: 289 Ex.27: Aotearoa Overture, bars
Page 301 and 302: 291 Ex.32: Symphony No.2 movement I
Page 303 and 304: 293 Ex.35: ~~hony No.2 movement It
Page 305 and 306: 295 development sections are marked
Page 307 and 308: movement has begun, the music remai
Page 309 and 310: 299 Where a bass-line does contain
Page 311 and 312: 301 Here, it is the viola, cello an
Page 313 and 314: 303 Ex.5: Aotearoa Overture, rhythm
Page 315 and 316: 305 , I , ~r"'·f ..,... ~..L +" f
Page 317 and 318: 307 Ex.12: Aotearoa Overture, clari
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221 222 224 227 231 233 235 238 239
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The first three of these four examp
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Ex.24: Symphony No.2 movement II, c
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317 listened for to be appreciated.
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319 Several points about this extra
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321 The second movement of this sym
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323 rhythmic whiplash, a veritable
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325 apart from the work of the stri
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327 unison by an instrument of a di
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329 The texture of this passage can
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331 The trumpet also reflects this
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333 With the exception of the octav
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335 Ex.7: Symphony No.2 movement I,
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337 Despite the frequent recurrence
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339 Ex.ll: Alle~ro for strings, bar
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341 one-half of the piece. The viol
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343 10 Th.,. .p :[ Yla. 'fIe. .p Db
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345 In summary, Lilburn's woodwind
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Ex.16: Symphony No.1 movement I bar
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349 the timpani is in the main used
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35) Ex.24: Symphony No.2 movement I
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353 7 INTERLUDE Discussion in the p
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355 quick-slow-quick or slow-quick-
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357 development as a composer did n
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359 after they were brought into cu
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