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

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tra d 1t1on " 0 f cora h 1 s1ng1ng ' , 1n . t h e C1ty. ' 31 By 1934 there were three
active orchestras in Christchurch:
the Christchurch Orchestral Society
(founded in 1908), the Laurian Club (founded in 1932) and the 3YA studio
orchestra (founded in 1934).32 Visits by overseas musicians were
reasonably frequent at this time.
In 1935, for instance, the eighteenyear-old
Yehudi Menuhin toured New Zealand, as did Percy Grainger in
33
October of that year.
Despite the abundance of amateur musical activity in
Christchurch, Lilburn is not recorded as having actively participated in
any way.
He was, though, as mentioned above, a keen concert-goer.
Up until 1936 Lilburn had given little indication that he wished
to specialize musically in composition.
Next to playing the piano, his
main interest in music seemed to be one of appreciation. Apart from the
probable student exercises written to meet course requirements, there is
the evidence of only one completed-work to suggest that Lilburn was
interested in composition before this time.
This work is Sonata in C
Minor (Opus I) for piano, written in 1932 whilst at Waitaki Boys High
School. 34 There is no record of this sonata having ever been performed.
From 1936 though, there is no doubt of Lilburn's interest in
specializing in composition.
In that year, the New Zealand Broadcasting
Board announced its intention to hold a composition competition.
The idea
for the competition had been suggested by Percy Grainger during his tour
of New Zealand the previous year. Grainger donated the first prize of £25
for the competition, which was to be open to all native-born New Zealand
composers and was to be for the best orchestral work submitted of between
f 1ve ' an d twenty-f" 1ve m1nutes d urat10n. ' 35
Lilburn decided to enter the competition.
He wrote his entry, a
tone poem entitled Forest, over a period of eleven days whilst spending an
extended Easter holiday at Peel Forest in South Canterbury.
Of the forty-nine entries received, Lilburn's tone poem was
adjudged the most successful, with the consequence that he was awarded
first prize. A second prize of £10 (donated by the Radio Board) was
31 See H.M. Watson, -Music in Christchurch. Unpublished MA thesis,
Canterbury University College, 1948.
32 ibid.
33 Maurice Hurst, Music and the Stage 1n New Zealand Wellington, Charles
Begg and Co, 1944:82-3.
34 Autograph manuscript housed at the Alexander Turnbull Library.
35 C.J.M., The Musical World. c.1937. Unsourced clipping, photocopy
with author.