Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This comprehensive history of the diverse and unheralded music of New Zealand focuses on performance from colonial times to the formation of the national symphony orchestra in 1947, and composition from Alfred Hill in the early 1900s to the flowering of local composers in the 1970s.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This short work is remarkably complete in its coverage of local musical history, including also visiting musicians whose contribution to music in the young colony was all-important. It is unfortunate that this otherwise admirable history deals mostly with European music in New Zealand. Most references to Maori music and individual musicians are to those who have contributed to the European tradition, some of whom, such as Kiri Te Kanawha, have an international reputation. An introductory chapter and a short section on Maori music cover mostly the mixed tradition that has emerged. Complete coverage of Maori music would have required a much larger book. Otherwise, the volume provides comprehensive coverage of the various facets of music in New Zealand, including music education and publishing, and the important role of the government broadcasting network. The most extensively treated individuals are Alfred Hill, the first professional composer, and Douglas Lilburn, probably the most prolific and influential contemporary composer. The number of names mentioned, whether of individuals or groups, choirs, and orchestras, sometimes gives the text a rather jerky feel. The index is limited to personal names. The bibliography is extensive, but it includes some general book and periodical references with marginal application to music and omits some specialized works, especially bibliographies known to this reviewer. No explanations are provided for abbreviations. Despite its limitations, it is a good buy for music libraries (partly because of its international links), for New Zealand collections, and for larger reference collections. -M. S. Martin, emeritus, Tufts University