A Song of Islands is a tone poem (more properly described by the composer as a song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

) written for orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

 by New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 composer Douglas Lilburn

Douglas Lilburn

Douglas Gordon Lilburn ONZ FRCM was a New Zealand composer.-Early life:Lilburn was born in Wanganui. He attended Waitaki Boys' High School from 1930 to 1933, before moving to Christchurch to study journalism and music at Canterbury University College...

 in 1946. The work is the last in a trilogy

Trilogy

A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...

 of pieces exploring the theme of New Zealand identity; it was preceded by the overture

Overture

Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...

 Aotearoa

Aotearoa (overture)

Aotearoa is an overture written for orchestra by New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn in 1940. The overture is one of three early works by Lilburn which center on the theme of national identity; the other two are 1944's Landfall in Unknown Seas, for narrator and orchestra, and the tone poem A Song...

and Landfall in Unknown Seas

Landfall in Unknown Seas

Landfall in Unknown Seas is a work for narrator and string orchestra written by New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn in 1944. It was the second in Lilburn's early trilogy of works dealing with the theme of New Zealand identity, following the overture Aotearoa and preceding A Song of Islands...

for narrator and string orchestra

String orchestra

A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...

.

The piece has been recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....

 under Sir William Southgate

William Southgate

Sir William Southgate is a New Zealand conductor and composer. He was the first New Zealand-based artist to be knighted .-Biography:...

. A new recording by James Judd with the NZSO is forthcoming (August 2006)