Marlon Williams’ te reo Māori album, and canons in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Who hasn't sung a canon or round at some point in their life? 'Frère Jacques', 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' and 'Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree' are among the best-known children's songs and they're all meant to be sung as rounds. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, composers loved playing with canons in both sacred and profane music (some of it very profane indeed). The University of Queensland Chamber Singers has just made an album of music from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and Denis Collins of UQ's School of Music joins us to talk about it.

Aotearoa singer songwriter Marlon Williams has just released Te Whare Tīwekaweka, his first album sung entirely in te reo Māori. Collaboration is at the heart of the record, with Marlon crediting his friend and Māori language teacher Kommi Tamati-Elliffe, as well as long-term band the Yarra Benders and singer Lorde, for creating this record ‘by committee’. Taking five years to write and record, Marlon opens up to Andrew Ford about his experience of reconnecting with language and culture, and how it felt having a film crew follow him around for much of that time. The documentary Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Between Two Worlds is out next month.