FOLK SONOS OF THE MAORI

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1933, Page 4

FOLK SONOS OF THE MAORI

ENGLISH VISITOR’S STUDY SIR HAROLD BOULTON’S INTEREST. HIS IMPRESSIONS OF DOMINION. Sir Harold Boulton, of Camberley, England, who is keenly interested m folk songs, is on a holiday trip m New Zealand and is visiting New Sir Harold is very favourably impressed with New Zealand, especially the very up-to-date methods employed in the dairying industries. When passing through the Waikato he visited the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company’s main factory and some of the big farms. He was astonished to find the amount of work that was being done by "speS on the subject of the depression Sir Harold frankly admitted that he could not see the end, but he was convinced that if the British Empire pulled together it would soon come through. He considered that the Ottawa Conference marked a big step forward and that the results would be more marked aS time went on. “The Empire,” he said, “is no worse off than any other nation, and is better off than most. We all like blaming Governments, but there is an old saying that each country gets just as good a Government as it deserves.” Sir Harold is a student and a worldwide authority on folk songs, and has made an extensive study of this type of music in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and has published works on folk songs. One of the chief reasons for his visit to New Zealand is the study of the music and songs of the Maori. He hopes later to spend some time at Rotorua investigating the subject at first heard many reports concerning the songs of the Maori,” he said, “and am awaiting, with much interest the opportunity of hearing them sing their old chants.” When told that many of them were of the wailing lament type he replied that this was quite to be expected as it was usually a characteristic of the music of all primitive peoples. Sir Harold and Lady Boulton will leave New Plymouth this morning for Wellington, where they will be the guests of Lord and Lady Bledisloe.