marrying civil servant John Howie in Christchurch in 1891, on the advice of English
contralto Janet “Madame” Patey, Fanny travelled to Australia for formal vocal training.
After a brief recital tour of Australia, Fanny and her husband traveled to London
in 1901 to further her vocal studies and to advance her career as a recitalist and
oratorio singer. Billed as “The Princess Te Rangi Pai” (“The Beautiful Spirit”), she made
a highly-praised debut in Liverpool in late 1901. Lauded by critics and loved by the
public, she was immensely popular with British audiences, who fell in love with the
admirable power and richness of her alto voice. An international career was cut
short by the deaths of her mother and youngest brother and her own ill health. She
returned to New Zealand in 1905 and toured extensively there until her further
failing health forced her to retire two years later. In the remaining years of her life
she taught voice lessons and composed songs. Fanny Rose “Princess Te Rangi Pai”
Porter Howie died at Opotiki in May 1916, and was buried at Maungaroa, under a
Hine e Hine, due in
New Zealander, Kiri Te Kanawa.
David Hamilton (b. 1955) has written over sixty works for chorus, a dozen of which
have been recorded by the Auckland, New Zealand choir, Viva Voce. He has been a
frequent winner of national composition competitions and has received a number of
commissions from choral and symphonic organizations in New Zealand. His works
are increasingly being performed outside New Zealand, most recently in Australia,
Canada, the US, England, and Ireland. He is currently Deputy Musical Director of the
Auckland Choral Society and Head of Music at Epsom Girls Grammar School.
You are crying, my daughter,
You are tired, my daughter,
Stop your sadness, rest in love,
The heart of the father, my daughter.
The sea shanty originated as a work song for sailors, its rhythms marked by the
various tasks undertaken at sea: raising anchors, hauling ropes or setting sails. They
helped coordinate a team and chronicle their adventures at sea and ashore. Such
songs can be traced back to ancient times, but few texts and no tunes have survived
from before the 19th century. The most well-known shanties date from the early
19th century, during the rise of the Atlantic merchant trade between Europe and
the Western Hemisphere. Shanty repertoire borrowed from the contemporary
popular music enjoyed by sailors, including minstrel music, marches, and folk songs.
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