Canterbury songs

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 8

Canterbury songs

Sir, —Recently we went to buy some printed copies of some of the songs of Canterbury. Both Christchurch music shops informed us that they were not a commercial proposition; because New Zealand was such a small market, they were not printed. “Bullocky Jones,” “The Fairlie Flyer," and “Flow Along Waitaki” admittedly are not great works of art, but they are of historical value to New Zealand music. We have a State Literary Fund to help book publishers. Is there nothing similar in the music field? Does the University of Canterbury music department not have funds available in such circumstances? It is no wonder the Beatles made $B5 million out of the world’s teen-age girls’ love of music. It is not possible ' for them even to attempt to play their own country’s music.—Yours, etc., E H March 18, 1971.

[Professor J. A. Ritchie, i professor of music at the University of Canterbury, ■ replies: “The songs men- : tioned, and many others of ’ similar regional significance, , are not in printed published i form. They are recorded. ; Their publication is as much ’ a sociological consideration : as a musical one and, while I sympathise with ‘E.H.'s’ motives, it has to be acknowledged that there is a better chance of a publication becoming a viable proposition 1 following an initial dissem- • ination through recordings. ' At present, it seems that ! songs about Canterbury have ■ not the world-wide appeal that those from Liverpool ’ possess. The resources of 1 the School of Music of the ' University of Canterbury are quite incapable of finan- ’ cing projects such as ‘E.H ’ ' suggests, but one of our 1 post-graduate students plans research next year which ! will possibly cover this 1 genre in Westland. There has, of course, been interesting and original work done already by men like Phil Garland and Les Cleveland.”]