Douglas Lilburn: A Search for Tradition & A Search for a Language

Illustrated with sketches and

watercolours by Rita Angus

Introductions by JM Thomson
Afterword by Jack Body

•              The perfect gift for people interested in New Zealand culture, art or music

•              Hard-cover with full-colour illustrations including watercolours and sketches by Rita Angus, some published for the first time

•              Thought-provoking writings that are still relevant

•              Includes a time line of Lilburn’s life, and a list of available scores and recordings of his works

•              All proceeds go the the Lilburn Residence Trust, which maintains Lilburn’s former home as
               New Zealand’s only residence for composers

•              Published to mark the 10th anniversary of Douglas Lilburn’s death in June 2011

*             A beautiful and quite special book which I shall treasure.

These are words, like Lilburn’s music itself, measured, carefully poised, challenging.

Allan Thomas

Above all, he [Lilburn] shows us not only how to stand upright, but also how to dance around a little.
Bill Manhire

... you just wish a copy was on every Kiwi bookshelf.

William Dart

In 20th-century New Zealand, outstanding music, art and literature sprang from the tender roots of a new culture shaped by physical and artistic isolation.

These talks, given in 1946 and 1969 by Douglas Lilburn, the first composer to develop his career almost entirely in New Zealand, describe with astounding clarity the uncertainties and demands of a creative life.

Issues of heritage, education and environment are confronted with an uncompromising honesty that has the power to challenge cultural thinking in the 21st century.

Published by: Lilburn Residence Trust in association with Victoria University Press

ISBN: 978-0-473-18379-0

RRP: $24.99

Publication date: June 8, 2011

Size: 185mm x 152mm portrait, 112pp

Distribution: Archetype / Random House

Info: www.lilburnresidence.org.nz