MCLEAN, Mervyn, 1996. Maori Music. Auckland: Auckland
University Press, xii, 418pp., hardcover. ISBN Code: 1 86940 144 1.
Retail price: NZ$59.95.  Available from Auckland University Press, University of Auckland,
Private Bag 92019, Auckland.

Maori Music draws on diverse written and oral sources gathered over more than 30 years of scholarship and field work that yielded some 1300 recorded songs, hundreds of pages of interviews with singers, and numerous eye-witness accounts.  The work is illustrated with over 120 photos and more than 100 music examples.

The book is divided into two parts.  Part 1 deals with traditional music and dance.  It describes musical instruments, song and dance styles, techniques of performance, composition, ownership, methods of instruction and music structure.  Part 2 looks at European influences, including hymnody, and the contribution to modern genres of early Maori concert parties and well-known performers such as Maggie Papakura, Princess Te Puea, Sir Apirana Ngata and Paraire Tomoana.

Extracts from first reviews:
"Treasure for students of Maori music . . . A must for anyone wanting a close look at this subject" (Bay of Plenty Times)

"Serious look at Maori music . . .a wealth of outsider observation and insider knowledge . . ." (Otago Daily Times)

"Accessible survey of Maori music . . . McLean is a consummate scholar of the documentary record . . ." (NZ Herald)

". . . destined to become a classic . . . It sets new standards for general ethnomusicology in its handling of historical material . . . an authoritative comprehensive view of the musical arts of the Maori . . . a book of impressive heft, splendidly bound, and arranged for general readers as well as specialists . . . a great achievement . . ." (Journal of Pacific Arts).