A world of motion, music and imagination

Tu Tangata, Issue 33, 1 December 1986, Page 30

A world of motion, music and imagination

by Te Puoho Katene

FESTIVAL 86

Te Puoho Katene was one of the judges for the festival competitions.

Festival ’B6 has come and gone. There will be few who would not have been affected by its magic. A period of recovery will follow and then the creative wheels will begin to turn again and the whole mammoth process of retraining and fine tuning will lock the groups in the struggle for artistic supremacy like gladiators in the arena and athletes in the Olympic stadium.

My job has been to judge the choral section. It is this section that most people have reservations about. It just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest. Why is this so? What can be done to make it fit more comfortably? All music is the product of organising sounds and rhythms. In choral work the voice is used to create the sounds. Through the voice there is the use of words. Because of our oral tradition it has been possible to accommodate something of the choral traditional of the Pakeha.

This has been encouraged through our historical association with the Church. The early hymns helped the transition from quarter tone chanting to the diatonic singing of today. The great church huis have laid the foundation for the choir singing which is perpetuated in the festival. Choral work immediately sets one thinking of a close formation of people in the middle of the stage.

As the problem is to fit the choral section more comfortably into the festival we need to take a look at what we have to fit it into. This means we have to look at the Maori culture section to see what has and is happening there. The old viewpoint that the stage is a marae is no longer valid. The stage is a stage and as such belongs to the world of theatre. Maori culture in the festival is pure theatre. As such it draws from those traditions of the theatre that enhances its presentation. At the same time it pays homage to the traditions which gave rise to its dance forms, and reinforces them artistically. It is constantly searching for new ways of expres-

sion while preserving the integrity of these forms. Choral singing is moving from its church origins and becoming part of theatre also. Church music has dominated the choral section as a tradition and also because translated hymns and written parts have been available. There has been a movement away from this with groups looking for themes to which they could relate more and more. Some are translating or substituting words and setting them in borrowed tunes or creating their own. This is great.

The system of music notation using symbols and pitch-lines is possibly the best devised yet. Some people organise their music this way. Others by accretion plotting the direction on an instrument and working out parts in practice sessions. Both are valid and creative ways. Some of our people are quite brilliant in working this latter system as we know from the fine choral effects in the poi and action songs.

Some groups have moved away from close formation format of the traditional choir and are presenting their choral selection in a setting that reflects the mood and message of the words. The beautiful setting of ‘E Pari Ra’ (unconducted) will always be remembered for its visual representation of grief.

Potiki (the winning group) used the full expanse of the stage to reinforce the spatial sounds of their chords in a way that authoritatively retained their ‘Maoriness’ and tangatawhenuatanga. They exploited the dramatic possibilities of their song and situation, creating a piece of theatre of action, sight and sound that verged on awesomeness, culminating in a crashing dissonance. It was well conceived and carried out with panache. One thought of the majestic choruses of opera and the climatic moments of the great stage musicals. It was mighty. This then is the trend and one which I applaud. It will provide the answer to the questions posed at the beginning. It calls for a new degree of innovation. We are moving towards the world of staged

choruses rather than formal choirs, of theatre rather than church. It is a world of motion, music and imagination. This does not mean that the end of formal choirs is in sight. It does mean that the base for the choral section has considerably widened. Much will depend on the type of song selected and how the parts are organised. Classic music must stand comparison with the best anywhere. Original music would be considered on its own effectiveness.

Every trick of the trade should be used intelligently to enhance the performance to bring out the inner beauties to exploit the emotional and dramatic qualities. There should be freedom of expression, not for its own sake but for the sake of beauty and greater understanding of the piece.

Some innovative works are without written music. I don’t mind this but I would appreciate a copy if one exists. I am a believer that music is not music until it is freed from the written page like a song is not a song until it is sung. I am quite familiar with most of the music the groups have access to. My concern is the treatment of the piece selected. Are there special insights to be revealed?

I have been constantly asked how I judge without written copies. A venerable judge of waiata once said to me: “I have the words before me. I have only to listen for the ‘rangi’ for its pattern which constantly repeats.” This is also my approach to music. Patterns emerge. Chords resolve into chords in a certain way. If the piece is well written, the movements of parts are predictable as they follow rules.

Conversely when a piece is not particularly well organised things become a bit confusing and lose effect. But this may be offset by the qualities of the voices and the sincerity of the interpretation. As in all things it is the final result that counts. It should be a moving, exhilarating experience, that touches the wells of emotion deep within us, that enriches our lives and makes us more vibrant people.