Maori Battalion
(CONSIDERING the difficulties of time, place, and opportunity for making such records, it is surprising that the half-hour of "The Maori Battalion in Song" resulted in such a cohesive effort. These performances were mainly recorded in the Middle East under conditions of heat and cramped quarters which would scarcely appeal to singers wishing to give of their best; but the traditional pride of the Maori in his singing is evidenced here in the fullthroated choral singing. For the returned men of the Battalion this programme will bring poignant memories; for relatives and friends it is no less interesting as a memento of Egypt and Italy. The majority of songs recorded are well enough known to those listeners who though special and appropriate words have ever attended a Maori concert, alhave been added to some of them; butthe authentic spirit of the Maori Battalion was surely contained in the first item, the haka. The narrator explained that this was recorded in the desert, at night§ by the light of a solitary lantern. Even a second-hand hearing by means of recordings made it plain that the participants were giving it everything they had: heard under the original conditions, I can imagine nothing more startlingly bloodcurdling. .
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19461129.2.21.1
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 388, 29 November 1946, Page 10
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205Maori Battalion New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 388, 29 November 1946, Page 10
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