Land of the Long White Cloud - RS10175 | Musica

Long before Europeans ventured out of sight of lang, the bold and restless ancestors of the Maori people were making voyages of thousands of miles across the world's greatest oceans. It was around 1000 A.D. that they landed in New Zealand. The discovery of New Zealand is attributed in Maori tradition to Kupe and and the circumstances of the landfall gave the country its Maori name. As land was approached, a long, flat volcanic cloud could be seen, Kupe's wife Hine-te-aparangi looked to the horizon and cried out "He ao! He ao! A cloud! A cloud!" The Name of Aotearoa was given to the island - The Land of the Long White Cloud.

This piece was originally conceived as a brass band work in 1980 and transciped for concert band eight years later by the composer.