Call of the Huia: 100 early New Zealand Art Songs
Horses of the Dawn – Words by Marieda Batten (1875 – 1933)
Mary Brett (1887 – 1974) was born in Invercargill and studied piano in Dunedin. She married and moved to Australia. At the outbreak of World War Two she moved back to Auckland where she continued her career as a pianist and teacher.
‘Horses of Dawn’, published in 1928, is one of three known published songs, the other two date from the 1930s. This song became a test piece at the Auckland Competitions in the 1950s.
Marieda Batten (aunt of Jean Batten) was born in England and came to New Zealand in 1879. Her first book of poems ‘Love-life’, was published in 1918. ‘Horses of the Dawn’ appears in her 1922 collection ‘Silver Nights’. In 1926, after the death of her husband, she returned to England with her daughter, an aspiring singer.
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.
