Music By New Zealanders

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 937, 26 July 1957, Page 26

Music By New Zealanders

HE average man, asked to name some New Zealand composers, would be hard put to it to name three. And the chances are that one of these would be wrong (contrary to a common belief Alfred Hill is an Australian and not a New Zealander). But if the conclusion reached was that we have few composers, it would be a _ mistaken one. There are dozens of them and their tecorded compositions run into the hundreds, as one may learn from a schedule of recorded music now being circulated by the Australasian Performing Right

Association. This list, which is: not claimed to be completely accurate, shows compositions of traditional origin and by New Zealand composers that have been commercially recorded. Of course, there are other works-especially in serious music-that have not to date been recorded, so the list doesn’t show all our composers either, but it certainly shows more than one would have said offhand existed and an astonishing number of themes. There are titles under almost every letter of the alphabetfrom "After All the Rain" down to the "Yodelling Cowboy," and under J are two titles which give a good indication of the diversity of work represented. These two are Douglas Lilburn’s film music "Journey for Three" (written for the National Film Unit) and a song by our most prolific "pops" composer, Sam Freedman-"Just a Letter to Mummy and Daddy." The national preoccupation with Rugby is reflected in Ken Avery’s "The Game is Football,’ and in such other Rugby-inspired pieces as "The All Blacks’ Football Song," "On the Ball," and "When the Scrum is On the Ball." Band music is represented by such composers as Sergeant, Goffin, Francis, Brook, and Amohau, whose "Maori Battalion" is one of our _ best-known marches, There is even an apparently honorary New Zealander listed, in the person of Colonel Julian G. Hearne, lately U.S. Military Attaché in Wellington, whose "Kiwi Soldiers’ March," recorded by the U.S. Military Academy Band of West Point, only shows one side of his talent. He also has listed another composition entitled "Those Kia Ora Islands." But band music and football songs don’t figure in large enough numbers to qualify as typical New Zealand compositions. Most of the list falls into four main divisions: Maori songs and traditional works, cowboy songs, and what could be defined as "Island music"with titles like "Farewell Samoa," "Fijian Holiday," "Happy Hawaiian "Holiday" and "My South Sea Island Dream." That Maori music-or music by Maoris-should be a major element in New Zealand recorded music is not surprising and Ruru Karaitiana, for instance, would almost certainly be one of the few. New Zealand composers known overseas-his "Blue Smoke" has been recorded by such artists as Anne 4

Ziegler and Webster Booth. In fact, of the five composers with most recordings to their credit, three are Maori: Erima Kaihau, Hemi Piripata, and Karaitiana. The two most prolific composers, however, are Sam Freedman and Les Wilson: Freedman is a "popular' song" specialist; Wilson concentrates on "cowboy" songs. Wilson (or the Otago Rambler as he is called) started his yodelling career when 12 years old. At 14 he had a six-months’ contract with 4ZB, and a tremendous fan mail. In 1948 he made his first records, and since then has added to the numbers, saree his works ("Shadows on the rail," "Trail Herder," "Rambling Rose" are examples) either solo, or with his wife, Jean Calder. Though the most productive in his own field, Les Wilson is only one of the New Zealanders writing this kind of music. Cole Wilson, of the Tumbleweeds, Reg Stuart, Johnny Cooper, each have written a number of "cowboy" songs. There are a few recordings which do not fit into any category, most of them "oncers,’ where a special event seems to have produced both composer and tune. "Opo the Crazy Dolphin," and "The Hillary Song," both very popular for a short period, seem to fit into this category. Top ‘composer in number of recordings is undoubtedly Sam Freedman, with about 25 releases to his credit, including the catchy "Haere Mai," which sold 80,000 recordings in New Zealand) He is also the first New Zealand composer to get his works on LP. "I’m really sorry for you classical boys," he was reported as having remarked at the composers’ convention in Wellington early this year; "the way’s tough enough for us. It must be hopeless for you." He was maintaining that composing was not a way to get rich quickly, and that popular music, though a surer thing for a recording company to handle, still brought small dividends. He continued composing, he admitted, because it brought a lot of satisfaction. So it seems that though producing a lot of music, New Zealand has not yet produced a large enough population to support the full-time composer. He must do all sorts of other jobs besides composing (and perhaps performing); jobs that would provide dubious musical inspiration. How else could one regard Johnny ("Lonely, Lonely Blues’) Cooper’s past stint as a part-time worker in a cemetery?