Douglas Gordon Lilburn, ONZ, 1915-2001

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 34, 1 January 2001, Page 5

Douglas Gordon Lilburn, ONZ, 1915-2001

Jill Palmer

An era in New Zealand music ended on 6 June 2001 with the death of Douglas Lilburn, this country’s most renowned composer. Respected nationally and internationally, his influence and legacy is profound. Integrity and generosity weave through all his activities: as a composer, teacher, mentor, writer, champion of composer and human rights, and as a benefactor to several cultural, charitable and environmental societies.

His gifts to the Turnbull Library, both during his lifetime and with his bequest, have been described as rivalling in generosity the original magnificent gift of Alexander Turnbull. While he was especially sympathetic to the needs of those involved in music in New Zealand, his sympathies and interests also extended to research and study in the arts and humanities in general, and he believed that the Turnbull was especially important because of its position as New Zealand’s major research library in these disciplines.

Douglas Lilbum had a rare sense of history, continuity and a long-range vision of what needed to be done for New Zealand music. It was his idea to establish an Archive of New Zealand Music at the Turnbull Library. His fully-fledged plan was presented to the Composers’ Association of New Zealand at its inaugural meeting in March 1974, and then to an enthusiastic Jim Traue, Chief Librarian at the time. He then supported the Archive by depositing his superb collection of music scores, sound recordings and manuscripts, and by giving wise and timely advice, including as its Honorary Curator from the mid-1980s. His collection has been further enriched by papers included in his bequest.

In 1984 he established the Lilbum Trust with the Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust Board for the fostering, promotion and preservation of New Zealand music. From then until 1999, when he resigned for health reasons, he was a member of the Lilbum Trust’s Music Advisory Committee, and this became one of his main interests in life. Always concerned to do the right thing, Douglas would spend sleepless nights pondering over setting precedents, or how much should be given toward projects. While generous, his policy was to help those who were willing to help themselves, and he took great pleasure in recommending unsolicited Lilbum Trust grants and citations for individuals who had contributed outstanding services to New Zealand music. The Tmst has for some years made possible significant progress in the publishing and recording of New Zealand music, in the promotion here and overseas of works by New Zealand composers, and in the preservation of musical archives. Since 1984,

grants totalling over $600,000 have been made. This work will continue, and the funds available for grants will become greater as the bequest increases the size of the Tmst fund. The capital of this Fund has been built up through astute investing by the Endowment Tmst Board Chairman, Mr Laurie Cameron. Douglas was astonished to learn that in these materialistic times members of the Endowment Tmst Board serve unpaid.

Over the last few years, Douglas Lilbum was greatly concerned by the restructuring of the National Library and especially the threat to the identity of the Turnbull Library. This concern moved him to specific action. Although in his later years he rarely ventured beyond his home, apart from occasional visits to his doctor and to do some shopping in Thomdon, in a dramatic and unexpected move, he arrived on Laurie Cameron’s doorstep. Douglas had made this trip to present a signed document giving his blessing to use substantial Lilbum Tmst funds to support legal action to preserve the individual role of the Turnbull Library. Then, declining Laurie Cameron’s invitation to come inside, Douglas departed in the same taxi, as quickly as he had appeared. It was a great relief to Douglas that, with the change of government in 1999, the threat to the Turnbull Library lessened and the amendments to the National Library Act promised to provide protection to the Turnbull and its collections.

As part of his proposed actions to protect the Turnbull Library, Douglas had also threatened to withdraw his original music scores and other papers that he had deposited on long-term loan. Again, it was a relief to all, especially Douglas, that it became no longer necessary to carry out this threat. His Will remained as he had originally intended, bequeathing his collection to the Library, with his copyrights and the residue of his Estate passing to the Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust Board for the Lilbum Tmst.

The Douglas Lilbum Collection reflects the life of a remarkable New Zealander. Bom on 2 November 1915 at Wanganui, he was raised on ‘Drysdale’, the family farm near Hunterville. His early love for the landscape of this country, together with his gifts as a composer, combined to establish over the years a New Zealand voice in music. He achieved for music that which his associates Allen Cumow, Denis Glover, R. A. K. Mason, Rita Angus and others did toward establishing a New Zealand tradition in their literary and artistic fields. However, he admitted that at the beginning of his career he did not know exactly what that New Zealand music would be. Douglas had a fine sense of the impact of his music, writings and influence, yet he was always unpretentious despite receiving many honours.

In 1988 Douglas Lilbum was given New Zealand’s highest honour, a welldeserved Order of New Zealand (ONZ), which only 20 people may hold at any one time. This followed numerous other awards including an honorary doctorate from the University of Otago (1969), the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) Certificate of Honour for Outstanding Services to Music (1975), and the Composers’ Association of New Zealand (CANZ) presented him with its Citation

for Services to New Zealand Music (1978). Earlier, his compositions had won major prizes. His academic career at Victoria University from 1947 until his retirement in 1980 influenced many young composers. There he also established the first Electronic Music Studio in Australasia, and in 1970 was appointed Professor, with a personal Chair in Music.

However, Douglas was not one to push his own work forward. In 1946 and 1969 he had given remarkable talks at the Cambridge (New Zealand) Summer School of Music and at the University of Otago respectively, the manuscripts of which were in his collection. John Mansfield Thomson, Jim Traue and I had to scheme to get him

to agree to publish them and finally this was achieved; they were published by the Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust Board with the assistance of the New Zealand Composers Foundation as A search for tradition (1984) and A search for a language (1985).

The original deposits of his music scores and papers are listed in The collection of Douglas Lilburn manuscripts in the Alexander Turnbull Library (1990). He had also mentioned a ‘trunk of letters’ at his home but, when asked if he felt it was the time for them to come to the Library so they would be safer, he always declined. However, after his death we found a wonderful collection, which included his autobiographical notes and other writings. There were also many bundles of letters from family, friends and colleagues—most with envelopes, neatly tied up with string and in plastic bags. Photographs include family portraits, and a special treasure is a coloured miniature of Douglas as a young child, in about 1918.

From notes in his collection, it appears that Douglas had earlier given away or sold to various institutions several original New Zealand paintings which he had collected. His Will bequeathed his remaining art works to the Library, including paintings by Douglas Mac Diarmid, a Rita Angus work, and a particularly striking Leo Bensemann portrait of Douglas from about 1943. These newly-received items will be available for researchers in the future.

Less well known, however, is the personal support he gave the Library, particularly through his interest and kindness to Margaret Calder and to me. ‘I enjoyed his brief visits and the short exchange of comments —encouragement in bad times, and criticism in the better times’, said Margaret, ‘and I miss his hesitant entry into my office.’ His needs were modest; all he would occasionally ask for was some stationery, especially carbon paper for his ‘faithful Olivetti’ portable typewriter on which he pounded out historic memos and letters. He did not want a computer, mistrusted the Internet, and it was only after some gentle coaxing that he would leave messages on voicemail. This appeared to be at odds for a composer who had been deeply involved with electronic music and its gadgetry. He also sensed when things should end. When asked why he had stopped composing when he did, he replied simply, ‘l’d said all I wanted to say.’

Douglas longed to see out his days in his Thomdon home, set in his ‘jungle’, where he had lived for over 40 years. His wish was granted and he died at home on 6 June 2001. At a reception held at the Library on Sunday 29 July, following a commemorative concert at St Andrew’s Church, Her Excellency The GovernorGeneral, Dame Silvia Cartwright, and the Hon. Marian Hobbs, Minister Responsible for the National Library, paid tribute to Douglas for his magnificent legacy to New Zealand music and to the Library.

Douglas Lilburn’s contribution to music, and to scholarship in New Zealand, is matched by his generosity to these causes. The Turnbull Library and the researchers of the future will frequently have cause to remember him and to thank him for all his gifts.

Turnbull Library Record 34 (2001), 5-8