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

333
With the exception of the octave doubling by the bassoons and the
double bass, there are no gaps in the voicing of this E major chord.
However, Lilburn does not entirely forsake the spacious voicings
that characterise the early overtures. Frequently a voicing such as
the one for the C major chord played at bar 14 (see Ex.5) can be heard
throughout the work.
Ex.S: Symphony No.2 movement I, voicing of chord at bar 14, beat 1.
In Symphony No.2 Lilburn also makes much less use of strictly
homophonic textu~es. Use of rhythm unison between all the sounding
parts is in the main reserved for points of sequential repetition of a
given motif (as discussed above in "Rhythm in Lilburn,,4).
The changing relationship between the first and second violins is
worth commenting on. In the Aotearoa Overture, the violin II line is
treated as a secondary violin line. It is nearly always subservient to
the first violin line. If only one violin line is needed, it is the
first violin that plays. As well, first violins are given all the
thematic interest. Sometimes the second violins double the firsts in
articulating a theme; most often they move in parallel thirds beneath
the first violins.
Notable in the score to Symphony No.2 is the new independence and
reponsibility given to the second violins. Whilst the seconds begin in
bar 1, the firsts do not appear until the anacrusis to bar 12. During
the exposition of the first subject group, the seconds enter at bar 30
and play through to bar 65 before the firsts reappear. Although the seconds.
still move in parallel thirds to the first violins on some occasions,
most often they double the first violins at the octave during big
4 Part II, Chapter 5.