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Work


Whānau Mārama

for SATB choir and electronics

Year:  2013   ·  Duration:  7m 30s

Year:  2013
Duration:  7m 30s

David Hamilton
Composer

Composer:   David Hamilton

Films, Audio & Samples

David Hamilton and Tsubasa ...

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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