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

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"Not in Australia ••• although I had many
manuscripts submitted to me. But in New
Zealand I found one very promising young
composer, Douglas Lilburn of Christchurch.
I was impressed with his work, and I have
brought back with me one of his scores entitled
Diversions. This will be added to the
repertoire of my orchestra, and I hope the
British public shortly will have the 29
opportunity to hear and appreciate it."
If one examines the life of a successful artist, one inevitably
comes up with names of people who have fought for the artist to be heard,
creating opportunities for the artist wherever possible. Lilburn's
champion 30 has been Frederick Page, an influential figure in New Zealand
31
from the late-1930s through to the present day.
Page had only vaguely known Lilburn in Christchurch in the 1930s.
He had met him again briefly in 1937 in London, shortly after Lilburn had
arrived there and prior to Page's return to New Zealand.
When news
f ~ 'l tere d b ac k to C h' r~stc h urch that L~ 'lb urn h a d won t h e Co bb ett Pr~ze, ,32
it was Page who wrote away to London for the score and parts of the
"Westron Wynde" Phantasy String Quartet and organised the New Zealand
premiere.
"From the first we recognised there was a
stamp on the music: yet some felt it was
disconcerting to have a composer around.
How did we know the composer would be any
good? Why should we be now asked to do
the extra work of listening to new music?
Would this newcomer call the bluff of the
fuddy-duddies?"33
29 Boyd Neel tells the English press about us. Evening Post 6 October
1947.
30 Page's championship of Lilburn has extended the full length of
Lilburn's career. However, Page has never accepted Lilburn's works
in the electronic medium.
31 Frederick Page was born in Lyttelton on 4 December 1905. -He was
educated at Christchurch Boys High School and the Royal College of
Music, London. He married the artist Evelyn Page in 1938. In 1941
and 1942 Page was a lecturer in music at Canterbury University College.
In 1946 he was appointed Senior Lecturer and Head of the Music Department
at Victoria University College. In 1957 he gained a Chair in
Music, and continued working as Professor of Music at Victoria
University College (latterly Victoria University of Wellington) until
his retirement in 1970. He has served on numerous music committees
throughout his career, written for many publications, and performed
frequently both as a pianist and conductor.
32 See Part I Chapter 3.
33 Frederick Page as in Owen Jensen and others, A birthday for mus~c.
New Zealand Listener vol.53 no.1360, 29 October 1965:8.