Call of the Huia: 100 early New Zealand Art Song
'Lullaby' – Words based on Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Seal Lullaby’
'Contrast' – Words by Joice NanKivell
Claude Haydon (1884 – 1960) was born in Melbourne, Australia. He was crippled from birth, which hindered his ambition to become a concert pianist. He was a prolific composer, including writing an opera, Paolo and Francesca, performed in Melbourne and Wellington. He, his mother and sister moved to Wellington in 1920 when his sister was appointed Principal to Queen Margaret College. After she returned to Australia upon marriage in 1924 Claude and his mother remained in Lower Hutt where he taught piano and music theory.
This pair of songs were probably written during the 1920s. In 1930 Haydon married Masterton school teacher Lily Hall, who was also a pianist. Sometime around then he joined the Salvation Army and began writing music for their use including hymns, songs and marches. Most of his subsequent music is imbued with this religiosity, which diminishes its musical originality. This is relevant for the ‘Lullaby’ in that later he rewrote the words to remove any reference to the Kipling poem, however the version that we are performing is an early version of the song.
Joice NanKivell (1887 – 1982) was an Australian poet whose three collections of poetry were published between 1916 and 1926 which may help date Haydon’s setting. She married Sydney Loch, a Gallipoli veteran and Quaker who wrote a book about his experiences in the trenches that was banned by the military for its truthful look at the events. He and Joice spent the rest of their lives in humanitarian pursuits including ‘Operation Paperclip’ a World War Two operation to get Romanian and Jewish children out of Romania, for which they were recognised by the Polish, Romanian and Australian governments.
Recorded 12 February 2021, St Andrew's on The Terrace, Wellington by RNZ Concert
Producer: David McCaw for RNZ Concert
Engineer: Darryl Stack for RNZ Concert
Video: Chris Watson for SOUNZ
The Call of the Huia research project by music historian Michael Vinten is funded by the Lilburn Trust with support from the Alexander Turnbull Library, the Hocken Library, SOUNZ Centre for NZ Music, RNZ Concert and others. The scores with CDs for Call of the Huia can be purchased in hard copy or as digital download from SOUNZ.
