David Dell struck the music historian's version of gold last on a trip to Wairarapa last week, when he was handed a leather bound volume primarily of NZ sheet music from the WW1 era by a Masterton family who had fortuitously held onto his contact details from an event five years ago.
It's an example of how things keep cropping up at odd moments, and people keep coming forward with fascinating material from the past, says Dell.
Upper Hutt-based Dell is the driving force behind Featherston's ANZAC Hall's current 'Farewell Zealandia' exhibition and popular concert series, and is also the founder of the Musical Heritage New Zealand Trust which houses the world's largest collection of NZ sheet music, music books and music memorabilia.
The discovery comes just in time for the next concert of NZ WW1 songs at ANZAC Hall this Sunday at 2pm, which will feature soloists Roger Wilson and Linden Loader, accompanied by solo piano as well as a three piece trio.
'This particular volume is exciting because bound volumes from this era predominately contain music from overseas, whereas this focuses on New Zealand music, and there also seems to be a strong connection to Wairarapa.'
It features the original printed version of a song by Masterton woman Jane Morison of which the Trust had previously only a photocopy. A song by Morison will be played at the final ANZAC Hall concert on 24 April.
'There was also a piece called 'Happiness Waltz' written by Mona Moore, and while we already had a copy of the waltz, what we didn't know was that Mona had a link to Wairarapa, says Dell.
The copy in the bound volume is signed: 'With compliments, Mona Moore, Carterton, 14/09/1915.' With some help from Gareth Winter at Wairarapa Archive, Dell discovered that Mona was born in 1893, the daughter of John George Moore and his wife Emma Sarah Weston. John Moore, a Carterton sheep farmer, was the son of Thomas Moore, an early Carterton settler and his brother Willie was a Carterton mayor. Mona married Ivon Vernon Wilson, a local dentist, in 1917. She died in 1979, aged 86.
'So here is a WW1 piece written in Carterton that's also a piece designed to cheer people up!' says Dell. 'How can we not play some of it this Sunday!'
It seems the voices and melodies from the past just keep giving.
'Farewell Zealandia: Forgotten Kiwi Songs of World War One.' Featherston ANZAC Hall, 62 Bell St, Featherston. CONCERT SERIES: 10 April & 24 April both at 2pm. EXHIBITION: 4 March - 25 April, 10am-3pm daily, entry free. Concert tickets $20 (waged) and $15 (unwaged). Available from Masterton & Martinborough i-Sites and the Featherston Information Centres or by emailing David Dell E: [email protected]. Door sales available.
Caption: Left: David Dell with the newly discovered bound volume of music. Right: NZ's flag design was also on the agenda for Masterton composer Jane Morison in the early 1900s. Photos: David Dell.