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Throughout Polynesia, Tangaroa is the god of the sea. The sustaining life force of the cultures of this region (and the mythical origin of humanity), the mighty Pacific Ocean, is the inspiration for this work. In its surging ebb and flow, the music evokes the ocean in its many moods – from the gentle rippling of calm, sparkling waters to the turmoil of a chaotic storm.

Composed at the request of the American marimba player and Andy Harnsberger, Tangaroa is a virtuosic work in which a number of contemporary performances techniques are intentionally exploited.


from Tangaroa – Trust Records

• Farr: Tangaroa; computer-set  Year: 2004 

  Full score | Hardcopy - computer set
  
  $40.00
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• Gareth Farr: Tangaroa (1 of 2); video 

  Media on Demand | External - video
  

• Gareth Farr: Tangaroa (2 of 2); video 

  Media on Demand | External - video
  

• Gareth Farr: Tangaroa - Komori; video 

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• Gareth Farr - Tangaroa  Year: 2008 

  CD
  
  $30.00
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Whales have long been one of my favourite mammals, and I have always felt greatly aggrieved when I hear of the slaughter of these huge and gentle creatures. One of the most heart-warming sights I know of is seeing a community of people trying to save beached whales, a sight that is not uncommon around our coastline. For most New Zealanders, the idea of hunting whales is now abhorrent and worthy of protest at an international level. This piece, entitled ‘Whalesong’, is my small contribution to that on-going protest. The piece takes its inspiration from a marvelous and famous recording of a humpback whale, made by Frank Watlington of Columbia University Geophysical Field Station, and first released by Roger Payne in 1970. Some phrases from this song have been incorporated into the music, such as the opening rise of a third. The many sliding phrases in the piece owe a debt to the whale’s singing, as do some low rumbling effects on the double bass. The echoing sound world of the underwater is also evoked in the music. Ideas from the whale’s song are subjected to compositional processes, in order to create a coherent piece of human music, something the composer has already grappled with in his work for flute, entitled ‘Tui’ (2004). Whalesong also has a programmatic component to it. Its peaceful song is cruelly interrupted by a harpoon, and the whale is slowly hauled in (signified by the mechanical rhythms in the final section of the piece). I would like to express my gratitude to Dale Gold for his assistance and advice in writing this piece.

• Ritchie, A.: Whalesong; computer-set 

  Full score | Pdf - computer set
  
  $24.00
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• Ritchie, A.: Whalesong; computer-set 

  Full score | Hardcopy - computer set
  
  $25.00
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• Anthony Ritchie: Whalesong; audio 

  Media on Demand | Embedded
  

• NZ Premieres 2008 Vol. 2 

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• Anthony Ritchie: Whalesong 

  CD