Weavers of Song: Polynesian Music and Dance


Printed:	1999	Author:	Mervyn McLean
Publisher:	Auckland University Press	ISBN:	186940212X
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Hardcover - 496 pages (November 1999), usually ships within 4-6 weeks.
Amazon Review
Following his highly respected "Maori Music", Mervyn McLean presents a companion volume which takes into account the entire sweep of Polynesian music and dance. "Weavers of Song" is divided into two Books. Book 1 covers regional music and dance, exploring in detail the musical traditions of 20 specific areas, including the Society Islands, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, Uvea and Futuna, the Marquesas Islands, Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand. In Book 2, "Comparisons", McLean describes the musical instruments, and the uses, performance, composition, teaching and structure of music across the entire region.
He studies the impact of European music on traditional music and includes a chapter on modern music and dance. Finally he examines cultural connections and the diffusion of styles throughout the Polynesian Pacific. "Weavers of Song" is lavishly illustrated with 165 photographs and over 80 musical examples. It will be accompanied by a CD sampler containing one song and one dance-song from the 20 areas considered in the book.