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

72
"Has he, in his care to avoid (on the poet's
advice), 'the self-important celebration',
taken too literally the entreaty to substitute
the 'half-light of a diffident glory?' The
last word is the hardest one to have, and I have
yet to hear a finale by Douglas Lilburn that
sings of what has gone before as his overtures
and allegros sing of what is to come."35
Marsyas found, in comparing the Bagatelles with the other works, that
Lilburn is primarily an orchestral composer, and the best moments of the
Bagatelles are those when Lilburn " ••• seems to have forgotten his piano,
and one hears vestiges of his now familiar orchestral style".
'Marsyas'
confessed to being slightly puzzled by the Sinfonia in D, mainly through
it being unfamiliar to him.
He did, unwisely, as the passing of time
has show!:]., hazard a prediction that " ••• I shall not be surprised if, in
36
time, I find that this was the best music of the whole programme."
Lilburn began reviewing concerts for The Press in 1943, sharing
with Frederick Page at the latter's invitation. The job was sporadic,
but nevertheless helped supplement Lilburn's income.
Unfortunately, it
is impossible to detect with any great facility which of the reviews in
The Press were written by Lilburn, for shortly after he began reviewing,
the newspaper's policy of identifying reviewers by their initials was
a 1 tere d ~n
· f avour 0 fl'
eav~ngrev~ews
.
uns~gne
.' d • 37
When Maurice Clare had resigned from the position of Conductor
and Leader of the National Broadcasting Service String Orchestra, he had
purchased a farm in Canterbury intending to live there and work as a
farmer in semi-retirement from music. Lilburn renewed his acquaintance
with Clare on arrival in Christchurch and a friendship between the two
flourished as Lilburn frequently visited Clare on his farm "bartering
farm labour with a knowledge of strings".38
Clare played the violin for Lilburn in the 1943 production of
Hamlet, during which time Lilburn was working on a second composition
35 ibid.
36 ibid.
37 Three reviews identifiable as having been written by Lilburn are:
I. Successful first concert - types of national music. The Press
3 May 1943:2. 2. Organ recital - a finely constructed programme.
The Press 21 April 1944:3. 3. Royal Musical Society - a splendid
programme. The Press 12 June 1944:3.
38 Walter Brookes, A young New Zealand composer: Douglas Lilburn's
musical achievement. New Zealand Magazine vol.25 no.l, January­
February 1946:11- 12.