Music of New Zealand

Music Of New Zealand

Popular New Zealand music has been influenced by blues, jazz, country, rock and roll and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.

Māori developed traditional chants and songs from their ancient South-East Asian origins, and after centuries of isolation created a unique "monotonous" and "doleful" sound. Flutes and trumpets were used as musical instruments or as signalling devices during war or special occasions. Taonga pūoro are traditional musical instruments of the Māori people. Taonga pūoro were revived over the past thirty years by Hirini Melbourne, Dr Richard Nunns and Brian Flintoff. The instruments previously fulfilled many functions within Māori society including a call to arms, dawning of the new day, communications with the gods and the planting of crops.

Early European settlers brought over their ethnic music, with brass bands and choral music being popular, and musicians began touring New Zealand in the 1860s. Pipe bands became widespread during the early 20th century. The New Zealand recording industry began to develop from 1940 onwards and many New Zealand musicians have obtained success in Britain and the USA. Some artists release Māori language songs and the Māori tradition-based art of kapa haka (song and dance) has made a resurgence. The New Zealand Music Awards are held annually by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ); the awards were first held in 1965 by Reckitt & Colman as the Loxene Golden Disc awards. The RIANZ also publishes the country's official weekly record charts.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the country's national orchestra. The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Wellington Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra are the leading regional orchestras. The New Zealand String Quartet and the NZTrio both perform locally and internationally. The NZTrio specialises in contemporary art music.

New Zealand has a strong choral tradition. The Anglican cathedrals in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch have choirs of a high standard and there are also a number of secular choirs including the international award-winning Voices New Zealand chamber choir.

New Zealand has produced a number of internationally famous opera singers, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major and Jonathan Lemalu. New Zealand Opera is the country's sole professional opera company. The company stages up to three operas a year in Auckland and Wellington and features international as well as New Zealand soloists.

A number of local composers have developed international reputations. The most well-known include Douglas Lilburn, John Psathas, Jack Body, Gillian Whitehead, Jenny McLeod, Gareth Farr and Ross Harris.

Read more about Music Of New Zealand:  New Zealand Pop, Rock/Alternative/Indie, Hip Hop, Roots/Reggae/Dub, Electronica, Blues, Heavy Metal, Musical Theatre, Classical Composers

Famous quotes containing the words music of, music and/or zealand:

    The music of an unhappy people, of the children of disappointment; they tell of death and suffering and unvoiced longing toward a truer world, of misty wanderings and hidden ways.
    —W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt)

    The time was once, when thou unurged wouldst vow
    That never words were music to thine ear,
    That never object pleasing in thine eye,
    That never touch well welcome to thy hand,
    That never meat sweet-savored in thy taste,
    Unless I spake, or looked, or touched, or carved to thee.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    Teasing is universal. Anthropologists have found the same fundamental patterns of teasing among New Zealand aborigine children and inner-city kids on the playgrounds of Philadelphia.
    Lawrence Kutner (20th century)