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

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43 Bradshaw remained with the Christchurch Cathedral until 1937 and with the University College until 1941, three years after a Chair in Music at the College had been created.' There is some confusion surrounding Lilburn's study at Canterbury College, partly because he sat Otago College examinations whilst still at school, partly because he enrolled in three degree/diploma courses~and partly because he did not apply for conferment of degrees upon passing his examinations. To clarify matters, consider the following chronological list of his study at the University of New Zealand: 1932 (extramural at Otago College) English I History I French I 1933 (extramural at Otago College) History II Economics I 1934 (full-time at Canterbury College) Psychology I (Philosophy) Music I Principles of Journalism Practice of Journalism 1935 (full-time at Canterbury College) History TIl Logic and Ethics (Philosop~y) Counterpart I Harmony I Elementary Knowledge Form in Composition 1936 (full-time at Canterbury College) Acoustics Counterpoint II Harmony II Original Composition Instrumentation According to this list, and through written confirmation to this author from the University Grants Committee,28 by 1935 Lilburn had satisfied the requirements for a BA with History I, II and III, Psychology I (PhilosophYh Logic and Ethics (Philosophy), English I, French I, Music I and Economics I. In 1936 he satisfied the examination. requirements for a Diploma of Music with French I, Counterpoint I, Harmony I,Elementary Knowledge, Form in Composition, Acoustics, Counterpoint II, Harmony II, Original Composition and Instrumentation. He had also received a Practical Certificate of Journalism in 1934 for his passes in English I, French I, History I, Principles of Journalism and Practice of Journalism. Lilburn did not qualify for a Bachelor of Music because he failed to complete the requisite musical exercise. Autograph sketches 28 Letter dated 20 December 1979.
44 currently housed at the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, show that Lilburn began the exercise (in 1937) which was to be settings of portions of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and The Rock. 29 During his study at Canterbury College, Lilburn continued to take piano lessons, firstly from Ernest Empson in 1934 and then, in 1935 (after Empson emigrated to Australia), from Allan Wellbrock, under whom he passed Grade VIII. In 1936 he received lessons from Ernest Jenner and unsuccessfully prepared for the Performers LRSM. Although Christchurch between the years of 1934 and 1936 was not the most exciting cultural city in the world it nevertheless, in comparison with Wanganui and Oamaru, must have seemed to the young Lilburn a veritable Vienna of the South Pacific. Lilburn regularly attended as many concerts as he could, as well as consuming as much of the repertoire on gramophone recordings as possible. He recalls his first hearing of a piece by Bartok - the String Quartet No.1: " ••• as a student in Christchurch I heard a scratchy' limited realisation of his sounds in 1935 ••• ••• it was a shattering experience to hear a work by this renowned composer and realise that the music was quite unintelligible to me. I'd been studying my Kitson harmony, had heard a smattering of the classics, some Bach in the Cathedral,·had discovered Gershwin and Duke Ellington as well as Vaughan Williams and Sibelius and Walton. But this quartet was music of a totally new kind, and after several hearings I was still baffled by the strangeness of the language and form, but fascinated too, and conscious of the challenge it was."30 The performing organisations in Christchurch (and indeed, the whole of New Zealand) at this time, were largely amateur. However, they were many, and in Christchurch the choral groups such as the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, the Christchurch Harmonic Society, the Christchurch Liedertafel, the Christchurch Male Voice Choir and the choir of the Christchurch Cathedral were of a standard that reflected the long 29 "Sweet Thames ••• " and "Unreal city ••• " from The Waste Land (1922) and the ninth chorus from The Rock (1934). 30 Douglas Lilburn, Text of address given at the inaugural meeting of the Christchurch Society for Contemporary Music, University Hall, Christchurch, 20 April 1967. Unpublished typescript, pp.12-13.
Page 1 and 2: THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
Page 3 and 4: ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wish
Page 5 and 6: made access to personal documents a
Page 7 and 8: CON TEN T S VOLUME ONE Abstract Ack
Page 9 and 10: INTRODUCTION
Page 11 and 12: 2 colleagues for the opportunity to
Page 13 and 14: 4 to his compositional activity. As
Page 15 and 16: The first of these was Music Ho, th
Page 17 and 18: 8 the sounds of Vaughan Williams an
Page 19 and 20: 10 London. That New Zealand had nO
Page 21 and 22: 12 "He is most likely to be found t
Page 23 and 24: 14 [Broadcasting Corporation of New
Page 25 and 26: 16 of letters by Douglas Lilburn to
Page 27 and 28: 18 writings on these works, also to
Page 29 and 30: 20 study. On a number of occasions
Page 31 and 32: 22 Frederick Page for the volume of
Page 33 and 34: 24 attempted anything more than a s
Page 35 and 36: 26 1 PREAMBLE The society into whic
Page 37 and 38: 28 oratorio (courtesy of Great Brit
Page 39 and 40: 30 (ballads, popular songs, drawing
Page 41 and 42: 32 the four main centres, there was
Page 43 and 44: 34 ••. You know wh,en you talk
Page 45 and 46: 36 Consequently, great emphasis was
Page 47 and 48: 38 Interval 10. Orchestra, "Stray S
Page 49 and 50: 40 Since all things fade Into a sen
Page 51: 42 It seems unlikely that this deci
Page 55 and 56: 46 awarded to Miss Dorothy I. Johns
Page 57 and 58: 48 study with Vaughan Williams. It
Page 59 and 60: 50 3 1937-1940 ROYAL COLLEGE AND CE
Page 61 and 62: 52 the essence of a personality and
Page 63 and 64: 54 subsequently accepted by, the Go
Page 65 and 66: 56 featuring entertainment from a w
Page 67 and 68: (57) 7. Two Pianos and Orchestra. E
Page 69 and 70: 59 Of the Drysdale Overture, Mr Try
Page 71 and 72: 61 cannot be over-rated: for the fi
Page 73 and 74: 63 4 1941-1945 WELLINGTON TO ~HRIST
Page 75 and 76: 65 house under the guidance of Deni
Page 77 and 78: 67 the dress-rehearsal on the Sunda
Page 79 and 80: 69 Nunc Dimittis,24 Five Bagatelles
Page 81 and 82: 71 On 29 September J943, the first
Page 83 and 84: 73 for violin and piano, the Sonata
Page 85 and 86: 75 No.less deserving of praise were
Page 87 and 88: 77 Correspondence on the subject wa
Page 89 and 90: 79 Inglis Gundry recalled an incide
Page 91 and 92: 81 But I think too, that an occasio
Page 93 and 94: 83 some aural tests, and in general
Page 95 and 96: proved unworkable,17 with the resul
Page 97 and 98: 87 entitled Song of the Antipodes (
Page 99 and 100: 89 "Not in Australia ••• alth
Page 101 and 102: 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
Page 117 and 118:
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,
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209 bars: SOtlletimes a variation o
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211 Ex.2: Theme 1 of Landfall ~n Un
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213 Ex.6: Theme 4 of Landfall in Un
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215 un comparison to the five movem
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217 Table 8: Structure of section B
Page 229 and 230:
A two-bar bridge passage (bars 128-
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221 This first statement of theme 1
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223 This transformed version of the
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225 But this brief period of motivi
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227 developmental treatment of mate
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A second, and this time tutti, stat
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231 dissonant chords (combining the
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233 lines between the three section
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235 Ex.3Ib: Symphony No.1 movement
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237 However, this is more an exampl
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239 melodic cue from the tailpiece
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241 Some themes are even briefly de
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243 unfolding of the second subject
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245 Table 14: Relative durations of
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Compare with Ex.4Ib: oboe bars 38-4
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249 Ex.45c: flute I bars 145-52. Ex
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Ex.48: Symphony No.2 movement I, cl
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253 Szmrhony No.2, a full recapitul
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255 100-149 Development beginning w
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257 2. The material that forms the
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259 harmonies above a pedal note, o
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261 4 HARMONY IN LILBURN If anyone
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263 chromaticism. This chromaticism
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265 Thus, the above five examples i
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267 Ex.S: Diversions movement II, b
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269 in this extract is echoed in th
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271 Ex.12c: Aotearoa Overture, stri
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273 The only two that do not show e
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Ex.14: Festival Overture, bars 230
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277 independence of the bass-line.
Page 289 and 290:
279 Ex.19: Festival Overture, bar 3
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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
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291 Ex.32: Symphony No.2 movement I
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293 Ex.35: ~~hony No.2 movement It
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295 development sections are marked
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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
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307 Ex.12: Aotearoa Overture, clari
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309 suddenly thrown onto a weak bea
Page 321 and 322:
221 222 224 227 231 233 235 238 239
Page 323 and 324:
The first three of these four examp
Page 325 and 326:
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
Page 331 and 332:
321 The second movement of this sym
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323 rhythmic whiplash, a veritable
Page 335 and 336:
325 apart from the work of the stri
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327 unison by an instrument of a di
Page 339 and 340:
329 The texture of this passage can
Page 341 and 342:
331 The trumpet also reflects this
Page 343 and 344:
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-
Page 367 and 368:
357 development as a composer did n
Page 369 and 370:
359 after they were brought into cu
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