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

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the timpani is in the main used for reinforcing pitches and rhythms
used by other instruments. In Aotearoa Overture, for example, the
timpani remains tied almost throughout to cello and bass lines. In the
later works, such as the two symphonies, the timpani is granted greater
freedom to work as an independent line.
However, in Festival Overture, there is a particularly good
example of Lilburn using the timpani as part of a thematic statement.
This occurs in bars 38-9, where the timpani makes a ~ec~ of the
rhythm of the main theme's antecedent phrase before a variation on the
consequent phrase is taken up in the lower strings:
Ex.19: Festival Overture, timpani bars 37-40 with lower strings
bars 39-40 •
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Compare this with the original:
Ex.20: Festival Overture, cello bars 17-20.
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Movement I of Symphony No.1 also contains a good example of such
prominent thematic use of timpani. I~ the first few bars of the work,
the timpani assists the trumpets in heralding the first theme. The
first theme grows out of three bars of timpani solo based on the
prominent rhythmic motif from the theme:
Ex.21: Symphony No.1 movement I, timpani bars 6-9.
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