Jenny McLeod: The emergence of a New Zealand voice

This thesis examines the question: "What does it mean to have a New Zealand voice?" as exemplified in the life and music of Jenny McLeod. The study has focused on McLeod's struggle to find a balance between three needs: the needs of the composer, and the needs of those who perform and listen to a composer's music. To balance these ideals McLeod has drawn on many sources of inspiration over the years. As a result, her career as a composer appears at first glance to be rather sporadic and incomplete. I maintain, however, that throughout her career McLeod was working constantly towards satisfying the needs outlined above. When examining the development of New Zealand music during the second half of the twentieth-century, I believe that these issues are the same as those confronting all New Zealand artists. The life and music of Jenny McLeod is, therefore, a representative example of the emergence of a distinctive "voice" in New Zealand music