Maori Music [Hardcover]

Mervyn McLean (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: Auckland University Press (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1869401441
• ISBN-13: 978-1869401443
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,097,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lifetime study; informative, thorough and easy-to-read., May 21, 2001

By 

J. Archer (Waiouru, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maori Music (Hardcover)

This is a study of ancient Maori musical tradition and knowledge, and an exploration of the impact of European music on this tradition. It draws on diverse written and oral sources, and includes some 1300 recorded songs, interviews with singers and numerous eyewitness accounts.

McLean went all over New Zealand with a Grundig tape recorder in the 1950s and recorded over 800 tribal songs. He seems to have spent the next 40 years analysing those tapes and building on the knowledge he gained.

There are lots of interesting anecdotes as well as musicological information. It is well illustrated with many musical examples. 480 pages.

Mervyn McLean was until recently an associate professor of Ethnomusicology and head of the Archive of Maori and Pacific Music at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.