RECORDINGS TO BE MADE OF MAORI SONGS AND CHANTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 82, 14 August 1950, Page 5

RECORDINGS TO BE MADE OF MAORI SONGS AND CHANTS

During the Matatua sextennial celebrations to be held at Wairaka Pa, Whakatane, from September 22 to 24, a recording unit from the National Broadcasting Service hopes to record Maori chants, hakas and songs from all the visiting tribes. The invitations, which are now being sent out to all tribes, will urge all those districts intending to be present to bring their haka and poi dance teams for exhibitions.

In other centres arrangements are being made to have a permanent record made of as many old Maori songs and chants as possible. It is hoped that, after they have been recorded on a master record which would be copyrighted, recordings of the songs would be available at cost price to those wishing to leai'n more of the Maori’s traditional culture.

About 200 recordings of old Maori songs were made in the Wanganui River area by Sir Peter Buck, Mr Johannes Andersen, and Mr Elsdon Best about 1920, but it is feared that any hope of preserving these melodies has gone. The recordings were made on dictaphone records, and over the years several unsuccessful attempts have been made to re-record -them. The slight contraction and expansion of the wax on the records over a long period have been sufficient.

It was thought that many of the songs had been forgotten and lost for all time, but the recent visit of Sir Peter Buck illustrated' that they still live and are tending to grow in usage as younger Maoris begin learning more of the culture of their forbears. There are still many old Maoris who can teach the young ones the almost forgotten tunes.

About half the records made in 1920 are held at the Alexander Turnbull Library and the other half are stored by the Maori Purposes Fund Board in the hope that, even at this stage, there may be some technical development which will enable the re-cording of the circular discs.