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

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crotchet beat of the bar. It is a clever reversal of the rhythmic role
of the quaver and first semiquaver in the flr1 figure:
Ex.26: Symphony No.2 movement II, bars 25-9.
Whilst discussion is centred on the second movement of Symphony
No.2, it is worthwhile making a brief digression to examine the sense of
humour that Lilburn displays in his lighter works.
Frequently this
humour is rhythmically derived. Humour, of course, is subjective, but
in this scherzo there are a number of amusing twists and turns that few
could fail to recognise as such.
These comprise:
I. The conventionalised musical humour of light-hearted rhythms,
quickly shifting tonalities, abruptly changing textures and phrasal
nan--6e.ql.L~.
2. The -66a4Zando semiquavers of bars 69-72 - the humour of displaced
rhythm.
3. The deliberate contrast of melody provided by the doleful theme of
the second episode, with its elements of schmaltz; and the
contrasting juxtaposition of this theme with a lively rhythmic
accompaniment - the humour of contrasts and of self-parody.
4. The sudden injection of the flute 'bird-song' of bars 73-7 - the
humour of the unexpected.
5. The rude, accented discord and chromatic slide beneath the gentle
flute melody at bar 55 (and noticeably at bar 59) - the humour of
deliberate mis-pitching.
6. The deliberate extension, beyond the duration one might reasonably
expect, of the 'vamp-like' ostinatofigure leading into the second
episode - the humour of over-repetition.
7. The 6a4W-6J..ma timpani bursts of bars 71-2 - the humour of incongrui-ty.
8. The launching of a banal motif out of a climactic build-up at bar 82,
underlined by the sudden departure from the established tonality -
the humour of antithesis.
9. The rising semitone steps searching for the new key at bars 159-61 -
again, the humour of over-repetition.
Such instances of humour in Lilburn's compositions are generally
discrete, and tastefully incorporated into the musical texture.
rarely uses humour for humour's sake; humour accompanies rather than
directs the music.
It is never 'corny', rarely overt, and has to be
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