Before coming to New Zealand did you wonder about its history? What it meant for something to be culturally significant to Aoteroa? Or possibly, how music intertwines with its heritage? If the latter is something you have pondered, then this article is for you. Allow me to introduce you to the 1916 Festival of New Zealand Music, a celebration of the countries music organised by Arthur Lilly.
Firstly, a little background on the man himself. Arthur Lilly is a name that likely pops up often in certain circles within New Zealand, as he is a well-known composer. Born in Dunedin in 1882, Lilly was a musical prodigy. By five years old he was already very skilled at playing the organ and only seven years later, at age twelve, he filled the role of church organist. It seemed that his life path was already laid ahead of him. Lilly poured all his energy into pursuing a career in music and at twenty-one, he set sail for London to study at the Royal College of Organists. After his studies abroad he settled in Christchurch, which leads us to the festival itself (“lifetime in music,” 1959).
Arthur Lilly. Image courtesy of Barbara Divehall. All Rights Reserved.
Arthur Lilly was an advocate for New Zealand music, suggesting that the Canterbury Society of Musicians should offer a prize for compositions. He was very vocal in his view about the distinctive style of New Zealand music and pushed for more support for New Zealand-born composers, adding that “There is a lot of splendid talent among New Zealanders” and that “the time is ripe for its acknowledgment and encouragement.” With this the Society for the Encouragement of New Zealand Music was born, succeeded by the formation of the Festival Committee in September 1916. Lilly strongly believed that with the right encouragement and diligence New Zealand composers could produce incredible work, boasting that it would be different to the current German works in circulation. Given that this was during World War I, it is not surprising that the level of patriotism was high and finding a cultural identity was of upmost importance.
This passion of his led to him pioneering for the Festival of New Zealand Music, however it was not without trouble. Although Lilly had the support and patronage of many notable figures, he had difficulty curating a selection of music with the limited timeframe available. Hence the first instalment of the Festival contained solely Arthur Lilly’s works. This included the works Life, Soldier’s Requiem, Christmas Joy and God is our Hope. Despite his passion and fervour towards this project, it was not deemed a success. In fact, several reviews in The Press took to the concert with determined pessimism. The attendance of the concert was low, pertaining to the “unfestive” feeling. I can’t help but wonder if this is due to the state of the world at the time, especially since the earlier Christchurch Exhibition of 1895 proved to be hugely popular. Could it be that this was simply poor timing?
Perhaps the war had some significance and place in the concert. Lilly’s opening piece Soldier’s Requiem and Life, composed for the festival, referenced and were dedicated to soldiers and the war, with the latter being dedicated to Lilly’s brother Leslie for his service in the military. Life was set to the words of Wordsworth’s Immortality Ode, playing on the innocence of childhood, something that could become reflective and meditative for people of this time. Whether this was received by the audience or not, the critics did not look fairly upon it.
The cultural significance of this event, despite its downfalls, was that it generated a movement towards creating New Zealand music and laid the road for other composers to tread upon. In the years following, the distinctive New Zealand sound and musical identity of the country began to build. While music already existed in post-colonialism New Zealand, it was heavily influenced by the music in Great Britain and it wasn’t until Lilly took to undertaking the festival did New Zealand start openly providing its own music. The festival itself attracted many overseas guests and their curiosity, posting their intentions of attending. There is little information around whether or not these foreign visitors attended the concert but judging by the sparse audience, it is likely that they were not in presence. Once again, given the time it is not surprising that it wasn’t the joyous and popular occasion Lilly had hoped for.
I can’t help but think that during the quest to find New Zealand’s unique sound was the complete erasure of traditional Maori music. In later concerts of the festival series, some aspects of Maori song were included however they were interpreted through the eyes of colonialism hence destroying the long-established themes of indigenous music. There is an ongoing argument about whether music composed by New Zealand-born composers, in New Zealand for New Zealand is truly New Zealand music or just an interpretation of the popular world music of the time.
References:
A festival of New Zealand music. (1916, December 12). The Press, p. 4.
A lifetime in music. (1959, September 5). The Nelson Evening Mail, p. 10.
Festival of music. (1916, December 12). Star, p. 5.
Nichol, E. (2018, November 30 to December 2). “To encourage New Zealand composers”: The Festivals of New Zealand Music, Christchurch, 1916 and 1918 [Paper Presentation]. Into the Unknown: 2018 Meeting of the New Zealand Musicological Society, Christchurch, New Zealand.
