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Rough, unpredictable weather and a lengthy, often treacherous coastline meant many ship were wrecked in the early days of New Zealand’s history. Fortunately, such disasters are considerably less frequent today.

One point of the coastline that claimed more than its share of ships was the Timaru roadstead. From November 1865 until 1890, when an ambitious harbour works scheme was completed, the port was the graveyard for 28 ships.

Shipwreck recalls the disaster in setting a portion of a poem printed in the Timaru Herald on 23 May, 1882. The poem details the events and pays tribute to the bravery of all the sailors cnocerned. Shipwreck opens with a setting of a folk ballad, ‘John Smith A. B.’ (printed in The Bulletin Sydney 1904), which describes the loss of a life at sea and illustrates how such tragedy was accepted by the early sailors as part of the hazards of their occupation.

Shipwreck was composed in May to July 1990, revised in May 1997 for the City of Dunedin Choir (musical director Judy Bellingham), orchestrated in May to June 2006 for the Canterbury Philharmonia (musical director Mark Hodgkinson) with funding from The Canterbury Community Trust.

• Norman: Shipwreck; computer-set 

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• Norman: Shipwreck; computer-set 

  Chord chart :: lead sheet | Pdf - computer set
  

• Norman: Shipwreck; computer-set 

  Full score | Pdf - computer set
  

• Noman: Shipwreck; computer-set 

  Chord chart :: lead sheet | Hardcopy - computer set
  
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Rough, unpredictable weather and a lengthy, often treacherous coastline meant many ship were wrecked in the early days of New Zealand’s history. Fortunately, such disasters are considerably less frequent today.

One point of the coastline that claimed more than its share of ships was the Timaru roadstead. From November 1865 until 1890, when an ambitious harbour works scheme was completed, the port was the graveyard for 28 ships.

Shipwreck recalls the disaster in setting a portion of a poem printed in the Timaru Herald on 23 May, 1882. The poem details the events and pays tribute to the bravery of all the sailors cnocerned. Shipwreck opens with a setting of a folk ballad, ‘John Smith A. B.’ (printed in The Bulletin Sydney 1904), which describes the loss of a life at sea and illustrates how such tragedy was accepted by the early sailors as part of the hazards of their occupation.

Shipwreck was composed in May to July 1990, revised in May 1997 for the City of Dunedin Choir (musical director Judy Bellingham), orchestrated in May to June 2006 for the Canterbury Philharmonia (musical director Mark Hodgkinson) with funding from The Canterbury Community Trust.

• Norman: Shipwreck; computer-set 

  Full score | Hardcopy - computer set
  
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The thing that struck me about Charm when I first read it, was the wonderful concept of the spirit of the land – te wairua o te whenua. The land is our mother, she cares for all of her children. We have all at some point in time been a stranger to this land, and as visitors, we have all been welcomed by her.

Charm is a poem from the mid 19th century, a time when all Europeans were recent visitors to the land. It is likely, however that this poem was a Maori charm originally, translated into English by settlers, suggesting that Maori also felt the same way about Aotearoa.

We now live in a unique multi-cultural society. Our many and varied contemporary art forms reflect this fact, and display something that could only be created here. This piece is a recognition of the similarities and differences of all of the cultures of New Zealand. It is a musical analogy to my idea that cultures can co-exist without overshadowing or changing one other. And finally, it is a musical celebration that we all have ended up here on the same soil.

Gareth Farr

• Farr: Te Papa; computer-set 

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• Gareth Farr: Ruaumoko 

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• Gareth Farr: Te Papa  Year: 1998 

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• Gareth Farr: From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs  Year: 2009 

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