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

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Here, it is the viola, cello and bass lines that move together in
imitation of the violin I and II lines. This process lasts until bar
136, where the music moves towards a strict homophonic texture. From
bar 139 to bar 144, the music moves in strict rhythmic unison.
The third of the above-mentioned processes - the ostinato - can
be most clearly heard in many of Lilburn's smaller proportioned works.
In these, the rhythms of his bass-lines take on prominence due to the
often lively nature of the repeated rhythmic figure. All five movements
of Diversions, for example, contain incidences of ostinati. However,
not all of these are employed in the bass-line.
Movement III contains an ostinato, quoted 1n the discussion On
harmony as assisting to establish a pedal point. It is the simplest of
all the ostinato figures in Diversions, and is subjected to a few minor
variations throughout the course of the movement:
.2: Diversions movement III, cello bars 5-6, 47-8, 57-8.
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This ostinato recalls an ostinato used in movement II of Landfall
in Unknown Seas. However, this Landfall 1n Unknown Seas ostinato shows
a slightly greater degree of sophistication in that it moves away from
the exclusive use of only two pitches:
Ex.3: Landfall in Unknown Seas movement II, cello bars 5-13.
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