Auckland Libraries

By 1923 the Jazz Age was in full swing in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with a variety of venues to listen and dance to jazz. The Dixieland, Trades Hall, Cafeteria, and the Click Clack Cabaret were all popular destinations. Join us as Dr Aleisha Ward takes us on a digital tour of these venues. She will explore the bands, audiences, and scandalous behavior that had morality campaigners concerned for the safety of people's character Photograph Bob Adams's Jazz Band in the Auckland Town Hall, 1920, Photographer S G Dobson. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1504-16,

Portrait of George Lewis Becke [cropped], ca. 1900, by unknown, vintage gelatin silver print, State Library of New South Wales, DL PX 158. Public Domain. Join expert Allegra Marshall as she helps us learn about the life and work of author Louis Becke. At the turn of the nineteenth century, he was the most prolific, significant, and internationally renowned Australian-born writer of the South Pacific region and was often described as Australia's answer to Robert Louis Stevenson. If after listening to this talk, you wish to read one of his works then simply click https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search?query=Louis%20Becke&searchType=everything&pageSize=10&pageNum=1 to view the collection held by Auckland Libraries.

In this track we hear exhibition curators' Jane Wild and Renee Orr share impressions, selections and insights into medieval manuscripts currently on display in the Gallery - Level 2 Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library. "For most of the medieval period, from the 5th to the 15th century, books were copied out and decorated by hand. These are the books we call medieval manuscripts. For this exhibition we have selected just nine of these miraculous books to show the range of Auckland Libraries’ exceptional collection. They include 12th century Greek Gospels, a tiny ‘Pocket Bible’ and massive lectern Bibles. A Latin translation of Aristotle features extensive marginalia, including the description of a lunar eclipse in 1312. Painted and illuminated pages include dragons, saints and intricate border decorations." We invite you to explore digitised versions of our Rare Book and Manuscript Collections on Kura Heritage Collections Online, or come in and get up close in person. Exhibition is open until 11

In this session we get up close with the 15th Century French manuscript the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, followed by a discussion of some fragments of very early medieval manuscripts found as part of the binding of a bible printed in 1480. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa - welcome to this podcast celebrating our Auckland Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts collection. This track was recorded in 2019 as part of a series of talks delivered by Rare Book specialist Georgia Prince. Ref to content: Le livre de Boèce de consolacion https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/manuscripts/id/17669/rec/1 Image: Detail from Epistola beati. Latin, Basel, 1480. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1480 BIBL Don’t miss your opportunity to visit our Heritage Collections exhibition Miraculous: medieval manuscripts on display in the Level 2 Gallery of Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero – The Central City Library – from 16 August to 11 November 2023. We invite you to explore digitised versions of our R

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Oral histories often include great family history content and interesting social history. In these clips we hear some examples of different types of memories and recording. 0”45 – 2”05 The first recording was made in 1961 and is read as part of her family story by Elizabeth Duncan. 2”05 – 6”15 Susan Carpenter sat down recently with her elderly mother to record some family stories and her mother’s experience of growing up in Pukekohe. In this clip we hear a lovely recollection of time spent with Nana in town and going to the Milk Bar in Newmarket in the late 1940s. 6”15 – 8:34 When asked to discuss her free time as a child, Mere Thompson recalls the games she and her sisters played including hopscotch, skipping and playing shops. Image: 'Four generations', Drury, 1994. "Tui Hall celebrating her 90th birthday with her granddaughter Angela Deane (right), h

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. In this track we hear stories of transport and places. 0”45 – 3”45 Sometimes it’s great to have places identified from old photos in oral history and sound recordings. In this interview we can hear the school playground in the background. Mr Bilkey and Pollock share early recollections of the shops on the main street of Pukekohe – this was recorded in 1961. 3”45 – 4”45 Recorded in 1961 as part of the Pukekohe Jubilee Celebration, Bridget Kennelly recalls what the streets were like prior to footpaths and needing to take a clean pair of shoes to go to Auckland. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-004 4”45 – 7”00 Imagine a day before the motor car….in this recording from the 1961 Jubilee celebration project we hear from Mr James Pollock, born in 1875, describe the first motor car coming to Pukekohe and how they scared the horses! Auckland Librari

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Pukekohe and the wider district are best known for the rich soils for growing and agriculture. In these clips we hear voices of experience related to the business of farming and market gardening. 0:45 – 1:90 In the first track we hear John Johns, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration talking about changes in agriculture from farming and growing grains to vegetable market gardening. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-007 1:90 – 3:25 Also recorded in 1961, Leslie Smeed explains the art and desirability of making stacks of hay and the changes in demand from growing horse feed to use of land for vegetable growing. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-015 3:25 – 14:05 In this 2015 recorded interview Pritim Singh describes his days on the family farm and the changes from hand picking cabbages, potatoes and onions, t

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Listen to a range of voices related to school and schooling. This track draws on a variety of oral history recordings. Search Kura Heritage Collections Online. Voices on this track include: 0:45 - 1:45 Violet Keith, 1884-1971, recalls her school years, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-005 1:45 - 3:30 Patrick Gallagher, 1893-1965, recalls his teaching days, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-003 3:30 – 7:40 Gwen Francis recorded in 2016, recalls Pukekohe Technical High schooling and the gender norms of the time, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, OH-1266 7:40 – 9:35 Mere Thompson [still being processed], recorded in 2023 for the Franklin Voices project, talks about the 1952 Maori School and her lo

Alison is joined in the studio by author Josie Shapiro discussing her debut novel Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts. This beautiful coming of age story of young runner Mickey Bloom and her determination to achieve her dreams is also a love letter to Auckland. This interview was recorded for Auckland Council Libraries' We Read Auckland festival of Auckland's readers and writers, celebrated 1 - 31 August 2023. Visit aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/WeReadAKL for more details. 'Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts' can be borrowed from Bestie collection displays in all Auckland Council libraries or requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue. Available in multiple formats: https://bit.ly/3YfvsNj

Alison is joined in the studio by author Dominic Hoey discussing his action-packed and darkly funny novel, Poor People with Money. A fighter with a face covered in scars, a life full of debt and a brother who has mysteriously disappeared, Avondale local Monday Woolridge goes looking for income and answers in some dark places. Poor People with Money can be borrowed from Bestie collection displays in all Auckland Council libraries or requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue. Available in multiple formats: https://bit.ly/3q0XjVa This interview was recorded for Auckland Council Libraries' We Read Auckland festival of Auckland's readers and writers, celebrated 1 - 31 August 2023. Visit aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/WeReadAKL for more details.

Alison is joined over Zoom by author Dr. Emma Espiner, discussing her poised and candid memoir, There’s a Cure for This. From quietly perceived inequities of her early life, Espiner's stories trace her hard-won revelations as a Māori medical student and junior doctor during the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s a Cure for This can be borrowed from Bestie collection displays in all Auckland Council libraries or requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue. Available in multiple formats: https://bit.ly/3Ybo1ab This interview was recorded for Auckland Council Libraries' We Read Auckland festival of Auckland's readers and writers, celebrated 1 - 31 August 2023. Visit aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/WeReadAKL for more details.

In this track we talk with Poukōkiri Whakaaturanga Taonga Kahurangi Goulton about the exhibition of ngā mōteatea in the Kura Tūturu | Real Gold exhibition case for Hōngongoi and Matariki. Kahurangi explains how te reo Māori was originally only transmitted orally and as such Māori crafted and perfected the art of mōteatea. Mōteatea refer to all forms of traditional waiata or songs. These waiata were composed to transmit, retain and celebrate the life, customs and history of Māori. In the case we have the hand written manuscript of a waiata composed by Hinewairoro and collected by Riwai Te Ahu from Ngāti Hinerangi and Ngāti Awa. We can assume this waiata dates back to an earlier time. This waiata has been identified as, A song to incite remembrance in people’s hearts. On view for July 2023 in the Reading Room Level 2 Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library or by request at any time. Image: Karakia, Waiata. Riwai Te Ahu. Pre-1854. GNZMMS 097_07 Kura search results: Riwai Te Ahu https://kura.auckland

Nau mai haere mai - Welcome to a session from the Reading Room of Ngā Pātaka Kōrero, the Central City Library, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. In this podcast we are delighted to share the recording of Greg Doran’s visit to the Auckland First Folio in June 2023. Greg Doran, artistic director emeritus of the Royal Shakespeare Company is on a tour of surviving first folios sponsored by the British Council. https://www.britishcouncil.org.nz He comes to us after visiting First Folios in Japan and most recently Sydney, at the State Library of New South Wales. Next stop Cape Town. Our First Folio has travelled the furthest from the Print House in London, some 11,386 miles in fact. The Folio has had an active life, most recently getting some attention from David Ashman our Preservation Manager. The Folio can be handled more easily post treatment. The tangible evidence of the preservation treatment (including leather shavings and “gutter sweeping”) is now stored in a bespoke archival box with the Folio itself. In

Two treasures in the chamber music repertoire that involve eight players feature in this first concert of our Autumn Series - Bach’s Concerto for two violins in D minor & Mendelssohn’s celebrated String Octet in E-flat Major. Written when he was just sixteen, and as a gift to his then violin teacher, Mendelssohn’s Octet overflows with some of the most iconic and captivating melodies. He had already established his distinct musical language which includes his signature scherzo. The last movement, an eight part fugue, is a nod to his hero, Johann Sebastian Bach, whose double concerto opens the concert.

In this concert Christopher Everest explores the hidden world of the classical guitar and its history through works written by New Zealand composers. John Ritchie’s Whimsies reflects upon William Shakespeare, each movement a reimagining of a well known sonnet. Wellington based composer Amanda Riddell’s Vanya’s Lament, is a homage to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s tragic comedy Uncle Vanya, its four colourful movements reflecting the central moods throughout the plays four acts. Alongside these, shorter works by New Zealand composers Kenneth Young, Michael Stoop, and Bruce Paine explore the classical guitar, reflecting the many cultures of Aotearoa.

Trio Eclectica will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor and Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, subtitled “Dumky”. Both pieces Ebb and flow in character with fluctuating major and minor themes, or alternating fast and slow passages, or in tragic and celebratory themes. Trio élégiaque No.1 is a single movement piece interspersed with variations. Dvořák’s Dumky Trio stays true to its folk music roots with 6 movements incorporating an earthy and rustic musical flavour with movements alternating in sombre, commemorative, nostalgic, and playful personalities.

Michael Cai and William Sun are both students of Richard Mapp at the University of Auckland.  Michael is a Masters student who is also an accomplished percussionist, playing with the Auckland Youth Orchestra and other ensembles.  William is a second year student who also plays the trumpet in a number of ensembles.  Together they present a programme of works by beloved composers for the piano, including Beethoven’s monumental C minor Variations, and works by Ravel and Debussy.

Visiting Irish pianist, Daniel Kearney, concludes our series with an exploration of the unique and creative ways in which composers have used music and the piano to describe the sights and sounds of nature. Utilizing the perspectives of many different genres including baroque, romanticism, impressionism and folk music, the performer and listener will go on a journey together through time and place. A swan on a French river, a Russian Lark, a volcano overlooking the sea in Indonesia, chattering monkeys beside a lake, the soft glow of twilight. These pieces and many more will invite the listener to let their imagination run wild and to enjoy the genius effects, harmonies and rhythms that the composers have used to bring nature to life through music.

For nearly 100 years, playing music in a public bar was illegal. Gareth Shute explored how this, and other laws affected the music scene in an article for the music history website www.audioculture.co.nz. In this talk, Gareth expands on his findings, illustrating how booze often slipped into music venues even when it was still illegal. Learn why so many venues in the ‘70s were in hotels and how there came to be alcohol-themed bands like Beam and Distillery. About the speaker Gareth Shute is a music historian who has authored five books, including NZ Rock and National book award winner Hip Hop Music in Aotearoa. He’s also a musician - currently with party band The Golden Geese, though he’s previously toured internationally with The Brunettes and the Ruby Suns. This talk was presented at the Central City Library on 3 May 2023. Image: John's Place, Rialto Arcade, Newmarket, 1971, Rykenberg Photography. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1269-19710522-05 Music: Surf Experiment performed by Gareth Sh

Auckland Libraries have recently acquired, digitised, and catalogued four chromolithographic posters from the late nineteenth century. In this track we hear Andrew Henry, Principal Aotearoa NZ Collections, share the story behind the creation of these artful 1890s advertising newspaper supplements. The posters feature views, taken from different elevated spots around the Tāmaki Makaurau central isthmus, surrounded by vignettes of local businesses who had paid to be included in the posters. The interior views of shops, hotels, and factories are particularly intriguing. Printed by Wilson and Horton's Lithographic and Colour Printery, in Auckland, in 1895, the chromolithographs were included as a supplement to the New Zealand Herald and Auckland Weekly News. The digitised posters are available to view via Kura Heritage Collections Online. https://tinyurl.com/327ssn7j Learn more about them in a Heritage et AL blog post by Andrew Henry, Principal Aotearoa New Zealand Collections Librarian: https://bit.ly/