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Love Songs for Soprano and Strings or Piano, are based on the poems of John Donne 1572 – 1631

• Twomey: Love Songs on Words by John Donne; computer-set 

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• Twomey: Love Songs on words by John Donne; computer-set 

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• Reflections - Music Composed by Ray Twomey 

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• A New Dawning  Year: 1999 

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• Farquhar: Three Medieval Carols; facsimile 

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• Farquhar: Three Medieval Carols; facsimile 

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• David Farquhar: Half a Century of Song 

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The drama and poetry of traditional Scots ballads have a universal appeal, but particularly for a composer who (like many New Zealanders) had a Scots ancestry. King Orfeo is unusual in that it is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, who now plays the bagpipes rather than the lute; and doubly unusual in that it has a happy ending with Orfeo rescuing his Isabel. The other two ballads are more typical in their themes of darkness and death. Lord Randal’s story is told in dialogue with his mother; it is interesting that another dialogue-ballad, Edward, was set by Schubert towards the end of his life. These settings also exist in a version for voice and orchestra

• Farquhar: Three Scots Ballads; facsimile 

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• David Farquhar: Half a Century of Song 

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• Chamber Works Vol. 2 (NZ Composer Edition) 

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• Farquhar: Three Scots Ballads 

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• New Zealand Sounds - October Sound 

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Lilburn composed these songs in 1958 for the baritone Donald Munro and his wife the violist Jean McCartney, who gave the first broadcast performance.

The influence of serialism on the composer’s style at this point in his career makes for a challenging vocal line, especially in the first two songs. Nonetheless, Lilburn’s work capitalizes on the affinities between voice and viola, and exploits technical capabilities of the viola to evoke moods rather than painting the words. In the penultimate verse of “Warning of Winter”, for example, the viola’s wavering line, thickened with chords, heralds the darkness of winter that “descends the flowered pathway”. Such subtle evocation of the text is also found in “Blow, Wind of Fruitfulness”. Here the viola’s wide leaps to high trills are to be executed with the bow placed over the fingerboard; this evokes the troubling paradoxes of spring, the “Birds that are silent now/And buds of barren springing”. Between these bleak poles, the viola and voice pairing are used with bold irony in “Song of Allegiance”. This march is a poet’s humble yet robust reflection on his own position in comparison to the poetic geniuses of the past. Again Lilburn enlists the viola to speak with and as the poet: wide intervals, tense chords, and motivic stutters convey a poetic voice that is “cracked and harsh”.

• Lilburn: Three Songs; computer-set 

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• Lilburn: Three Songs for baritone and viola; facsimile  Year: 1972 

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• Chamber Works Vol 1 (NZ Composers Edition) 

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• Viola Aotearoa  Year: 2000 

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• Waiteata Collection of New Zealand Music Vol. 9 - Douglas Lilburn: Salutes to Poets  Year: 2006 

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