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

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contributions to the development of composition within New Zealand.
Larry Pruden describes the first session of that composers' group:
"After the official opening of the school,
the composers ••• were directed to a remote
room overlooking the cricket field. It was
hot and windless. While waiting for Douglas
to appear we talked, somewhat nervously I
think. Although on average we were only ten
years younger than he, already he had achieved
so much, seemed so established and mature, so
remote, that most of us regarded him with SOme
degree of awe. When, finally he came into the
room, we scuttled for chairs and sat waiting.
I don't know what we expected, but it was
certainly not what we got -a long, long,
silence. Douglas sat gazing beyond us, out
beyond the cricket field and the paddocks and
distant trees to the rolling hills on the
horizon.
The silence was of course eventually broken,
as it had to be, but I haven't the remotest
idea what the comment was that Douglas made.
He hoped, no doubt, to provoke a response,
but by this stage none of us could utter a
sound, and consequently a further lengthy
silence descended. As the afternoon wore on
we all gained courage; the proportion of
silence and comment grew more equitable and
some dialogue was finally reached."9
Fortunately the members of the composition group quickly overcame their
'awe', and the following eleven days proved to be very profitable ones
for both the pupils and the teacher.
"It wasn't until 1947 when I began to teach
at the University in Wellington, and had been
confronted by a group of enterprising young
composers at Cambridge SUmmer School, that I
realised how complacent and negligent I had
been for many years. I began to put myself
back to school." 10
Pruden describes the method of teaching that Lilburn chose for his
composers group:
"Douglas never imposed his own Vl.ews or
methods on us. We listened to music, did a
certain amount of analysis, talked a great
deal, were occasionally sharpened up with
9 Larry Pruden, Douglas and Cambridge •. Douglas Lilburn, Wellington,
Composers Association of New Zealand, 1980:41-2.
10 Douglas Lilburn, Christchurch Society for Contemporary Music
address,p.13.