A classical guitar arrangement of Aotearoa's most beloved and famous Maori lullaby.
Difficulty: Medium to Advanced
Technical Note: Uses altered tuning.
Purchase: The score is available as an ebook via Lulu Publishing.
Price: US$9.99 (approx. NZ$17.00)
About
This sheet music features a carefully arranged version of the beloved New Zealand lullaby Hine E Hine, originally composed by contralto Fanny Rose Porter (1868–1916), known by her stage name Te Rangi Pai. Porter studied in England and returned to New Zealand, achieving fame in 1907 with this timeless piece. This arrangement introduces a subtle structural adjustment to the original format, creating a fresh perspective for classical guitar performance.
Performance Notes:
Guitar is tuned in altered dropped-d tuning: 6 = D, 5 = A, 4 = E, 3 = G, 2 = B, 1 = E.
For comfort, players may use a lower tension string on the sharpened 4th string, or tune all strings down a whole tone for a richer sound (less practical in concert).
Recordings & References:
Waitemata Reverie, New Zealand Guitar Music, Vol. 3 – Gunter Herbig, Naxos, 2019
Video performance by Bruce Paine, released October 2019 on YouTube