ago we had a prominent local musician Mr Patrick Flynn getting wide publicity in the Sunday Times by saying ‘There is no such thing as Maori music…. Maori words have been put to European songs of the 20s and 30s. There is no Maori music at all.’

Of course there are many Maori songs to Pakeha tunes and whilst such songs are very much second best, they nevertheless have their place. (I never tire of quoting the Maori who explaining the use of a Pakeha tune said: ‘We are but simple people. We have made up the words and actions but to compose the music is the work of very skilled craftsmen. There are none such amongst us so we have borrowed a tune and changed it to our use to express those thoughts which are in our hearts’). Nevertheless, although they write in Pakeha idiom (because this is an idiom familiar to and enjoyed by the vast majority of New Zealanders, Maori and Pakeha), there are Maori composers who compose original tunes with Maori lyrics which deal with Maori things. Surely it is legitimate to call this Maori music and indeed to acknowledge it as truly New Zealand music?

Ashley Heenan has taken some of the best loved songs of this genre and arranged them for orchestra, choir and soloists. The result is a ‘Maori Suite’ featured as part of side one of a Kiwi record entitled

YOUTH AND MUSIC

SLC-72 12 in. Stereo/Mono LP 33 ⅓ rpm

The suite was commissioned for the Royal youth concert given in the presence of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 26 April 1966, and this record is of the actual performance before Her Majesty in the Wellington Town Hall. The choir consists of children from Nelson College for Girls, Cashmere High School, Christchurch Girls' High School, Wellington Girls' College, New Plymouth Girls' High School, Spotswood College, St. Mary's College, Hutt Valley High School and Tawa College. The orchestra is of young players from the NZBC Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Symphonia, Christchurch Civic Orchestra, Dunedin Civic Orchestra and the 1965 National Youth Orchestra under

the baton of Juan Matteucci. The songs in the suite are ‘I Runga I Nga Puke’, ‘Hine e Hine’, ‘Poi Kihikihi’, ‘Tahi Nei Taru Kino’ and ‘Haere ra e Hoa Ma’. The soloists are Donna Awatere and Laurette Gibb.

‘I Runga Nga Puke’ is a joy to listen to. The choir, predominantly of Pakeha children, sings the Maori words with clarity and correct pronunciation. Unfortunately, the first soloist seems to have some difficulty with the words and there is occasional blurring of the pronunciation.

In ‘Hine e Hine’ the choir provides a haunting counterpoint to the soloist. Once or twice the orchestra seems to overwhelm the singers but I think that one must accept the acoustic limitations of the Wellington Town Hall and the fact that this is a live recording of a concert performance rather than one made in a studio at a special recording session.

‘Poi Kihikihi’ offers a contrast to the other songs in the suite in that it is cast in a more ancient idiom. Ashley Heenan's arrangement captures with strength and beauty the song of the locust. The soloist effectively evokes the quality of voice used by the kuia of ancient times when singing laments and chants whilst the choir provides a haunting obliggato to make the song a beautiful blend of the ancient and the modern.

Ashley Heenan has given ‘Tahi Nei Taru Kino’ one of his rather typical ‘lightly tripping, gaily skipping, arrangements which is suggestive of the coy lover singing about the perils of falling in love. There is a very tuneful duet in this song. ‘Haere Ra e Hoa Ma’ is sung with real poignancy as befits a farewell song. It is marred by the fact that the song, and of course the suite itself, comes to a somewhat inconclusive ending.

My main criticisms, and they are muted ones, are that it is a pity for the sake of contrast and interest that there was no male soloist or duettist and that one could wish for more venturesome parts for the choir. Only in the final verse of ‘I Runga I Nga Puke’ is their potential fleetingly exploited. A full choral arrangement of one of the songs — perhaps by a truly Maori choir — would have set the seal on a most attractive contribution to the field of Maori music and indeed New Zealand music. It is to be hoped that this will not be the one and only full-scale performance of Maori Suite. However, even if it is, this splendid recording will bring it to the wider audience which it undoubtedly merits.

THE BEAUTY OF THE MAORI

Hukarere Maori Girls' School

HMV CSDM 6259 Mono-Stereo 10 in. LP 33 ⅓ rpm

THE MAORI GIRLS OF TURAKINA

Turakina Maori Girls' College Choir

Viking Mono VP255 10 in. LP 33 ⅓ rpm

There seems to be a considerable public interest in records of unaccompanied Maori female voices and two more records have appeared to meet this demand. Both records are pleasant listening but both unfortunately suffer from the same defects.

Firstly, the covers. Neither cover tells anything about the singers or their schools and there is a disturbing lack of detail as to what the songs are about except for brief descriptions such as ‘sacred song’ on the Turakina cover. I am afraid that I put the blame for this squarely on the shoulders of the schools concerned. Record companies know only too well that cover information enhances the sales value of a recording and, unless I am sadly mistaken, there is no question of the companies refusing to print cover notes. Schools such as Hukarere and Turakina are truly cradles of Maori culture (hackneyed though that phrase is), or if they are not they certainly should be. It should not be beyond either the staff, pupils or interested parents to supply explanatory notes for inclusion on the cover of their record. This is indeed a sad omission.

Secondly, after listening to each record, there is an overwhelming impression of sameness, although the Hukarere record does have a little more sparkle. However, there are no adventurous choral arrangements, part singing, descants, etc. which the Maori voice can do so well. The contrast of a haka powhiri or a traditional chant would be welcome.

Thirdly, there are far too many songs on both records which are sung straight to easily recognisable Pakeha tunes. It behoves schools such as Turakina and Hukarere to steer clear of Tin Pan Alley as much

as possible and to concentrate instead on original music, particularly that written by Maoris. If Pakeha tunes have to be used then the less well-known should be preferred and with a little ingenuity given much more of a Maori flavour. I am not of course completely against the use of Pakeha tunes but I believe they should be used very sparingly on records (unless it is a tune where the Maori associations are very strong, such as ‘E Pari Ra’), particularly by school groups who have the tradition and resources to do much better. The Pakeha listener cannot help but be assailed by a marked feeling of incongruity when he buys what he thinks is a record of Maori music and then hears Strauss waltzes, ‘Blue Skies’, etc., especially when there are no cover notes to tell him that the performers are not singing about blue skies but about Maori themes such as preserving the treasures of their ancestors, etc. (Perhaps, however, that point would strike the ultimate note of irony.)

Finally, both records show the marked fault of much Maori singing, namely bad breath control which results in an inability to sustain notes, particularly at the end of the line.

All of this is negative criticism I know but it is offered in the hope that school and other groups yet to record will try and do better. On the positive side both records are full of youthful verve and enthusiasm, the words are clearly enunciated and there is much very tuneful singing. The quality of the recordings is excellent.

WHAKARARO

Solution to No. 64

Crossword Puzzle No. 65

WHAKAPAE