NEW ZEALAND COMPOSERS ARE BUSY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 65, 20 September 1940, Page 47

NEW ZEALAND COMPOSERS ARE BUSY

Impetus Of The War

GREAT deal of interest has been aroused among listeners to the Commercial Broadcasting Service network by the featuring of local compositions and local talent. During the past twelve months many poets and musicians have come to the fore. The stress of the times and the patriotism which lies dormant until a call is made on it probably supply the explanation. The bush, the birds, the New Zealand trees and flowers, the boys going overseas-all are the subject of lyrics. Ballads, marching songs, and humorous numbers have been featured from ZB stations. One song received this week is " Tamahine," written and composed by . Dorothy Jesson, of Miramar, Wellington, and Edith Harrhy. Dorothy Jesson has written plays for the past two drama festivals-‘ The Corner Stone," and a Welsh play, ‘ Moel Caerog"’ ("Little Hill ")-and has also contributed short stories and poems to several New Zealand papers.

The music of " Tamahine" was written by Edith Harrhy, a well-known writer of Maori songs. Here is the lyric: "There is a rapture in the sunset, there’s beauty in the seas, There’s a sound of magic sighing, in the wind among the trees. There’s a glory for the warrior, there’s glow in victory, ag Pod all of them beloved, I ask but this of thee. Tamahine, Tamabine, thou nymph of tear and sigh, I'd gladly give all else I have, could I but feel thee nigh," Marching Song Two other Wellington people, Joye and Elizabeth Taylor, have written a marching song entitled, "The New Highway." Here are the words of the chorus; "Will you wait for me till the clouds roll by? Will the roses bloom by the garden seat? Will we walk together down a busy street? Til go marching along with you,

Any old way. or. street will do, Stepping in time, hand in mine, we'll march down the New Highway." Phillips S. E. Hereford, of Wellington, has written his own words to the tune of " John Brown’s Body," and has called the song "New Zealand Marches On." Listeners have no doubt heard this song from Station 2ZB. One verse goes: " The people cry for mercy, and our God will grant their prayer, The people pray to right the wrongs that He will yet repair, The people’s triumph is coming, do you still refusal dare? Our Cause is Marching On!" Heard from the BBC Then there has been the " Maori Battalion Song " which was broadcast on a recent Friday night by the BBC. On the following day this song was written down from memory, and a special recording made with Ana Hato, the Maori songster, taking the lead, and a party of Maoris doing a haka. It has been featured over all ZB stations and is a very popular number during request sessions, The song was written by a Maori at one of the camps, and is now being sung at smoke concerts and camp"concerts, and else- where throughout the Dominion. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest song hits of the war, probably ranking in popularity with the "" Beer Barrel Polka" in this country:

"Maori Battalion march to. victory, Maori Battalion strong and free, Maori Battalion march to glory And take the honour of the country with VOU. And we'll march, march, march, to the enemy, And we'll fight right to the end, | For God, for King and for Country, Ane, Ake, Aka, Kohu, Kaha, OF e's a Humorous War Song The "Merryman," and ‘"Cheerio," havé composed a humorous war song, which bee gins: "y The big toffs like their old champagne, Bold pirates call for rum, Giants. demand ‘their human blood, " With a fee, fo, fi, fum. But soldier men in uniform, All take a man’s delight, In frothy pints of pep-me-up, To go into a fight. Chorus: Ale Hitler! Ale Hitler! Ale, ale, ale, ale, Send it to us in barrels, And we'll drink it by the pail, We'd like to have a sea of i, And _a swallow like a whale, Ale Hitler! Ale Hitler! ALE! ALE! ALE!" More and more compositions are being submitted to the Commercial Broadcasting Sere vice, and it does not take long these days for a catchy tune to become popular once it has been heard over the air.