Morrison. — On National Melodies. 515 



the original melodies of the Maoris are like chants or dirges, 

 on four or five notes in a minor key. 



The affixed manuscript (PI. LV.) is a short air in C minor, 

 which I have written on the idea of Maori melody. The key 

 of C minor is acknowledged to express earnestness, and also 

 to lend itself to the portraiture of the supernatural. 



Earnestness is characteristic of the Maori, who is known 

 to possess deep religious feeling. As the Maoris have their 

 martial music and dance-forms, solos, recitatives, and choruses, 

 it cannot be said that colonists are the founders of national 

 dance and song; they have only introduced higher forms. 

 Indeed, it seems probable that if Maoris had had the advan- 

 tages of civilisation and culture which Europeans have had 

 they would have equalled them in the developments of 

 music. 



All true colonists and Maoris are striving towards what 

 the theosophists profess to possess — a feeling of universal 

 brotherhood. In this country of freedom all nations can enjoy 

 their national songs. The Englishman can sing "Britannia 

 rules the Waves," or "The Eed, White, and Blue"; the 

 Scotchman or Irishman can have " Auld Lang Syne " or " St. 

 Patrick's Day";, the French, "La Marseillaise"; the Ger- 

 mans their volhslieder ; while the Italians have blue enough 

 skies in New Zealand to call forth the songs of Italy. It 

 has been observed by William Husk, librarian of the Sacred 

 Harmonic Society, that melodies of a similar cast to those of 

 Scotland have been found as wide apart as China and the 

 west coast of Africa. Colonists belongiug to these nations 

 have their song in New Zealand, and will have their say in 

 the development of New Zealand melodies. And now, with 

 the wonderful advantages for the artist in this country, the 

 mixture and intermarrying of different nations, the steady pro- 

 gress of science, and the numerous movements on foot towards 

 the advancement of good, may we not look for a high develop- 

 ment of national melody? In the future, when the stray 

 traveller from New Zealand, spoken of by Macaulay, takes 

 his stand on a span of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of 

 St. Paul's, let us hope he will be able to sing melodies which 

 may enlighten the remaining inhabitants of the great metro- 

 polis. 



