Work
Whānau Mārama
for SATB choir and electronics
Borrow/Hire:
To borrow items or hire parts please email SOUNZ directly at info@sounz.org.nz.
About
The text comes from a 1922 publication “The Astronomical Knowledge of the Māori” by Elsdon Best. The term “Whānau Mārama” is a generic term given to all the heavenly bodies and may be translated as “The Light-giving Family”. This text is a lullaby which exists in a number of versions and tells of Tāne pouring out the Milky Way from a receptacle to form the heavens. The electronic soundscape was devised by Tsubasa Kawamoto – a postgraduate composition student in 2013. It was extended and revised by Clovis McEvoy in 2015.
The text translates as:
Be ye clear as to the receptacle of Tane, conveyed by him as a token for his parent; arranged and dotted on high were Canopus, Rigel, and Sirius. The Milky Way was poured out from the receptacle, and now adorns the firmament.
Text note
Traditional Māori text