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Opinion In New Zealand classical music, the writers of words are routinely hidden from view. If they care so little, why not settle for humming the melody, asks NZ’s inaugural poet laureate, Bill Manhire. I watched the Whānau London Voices concert the other day, and admired the initiative and spirit of the venture, as well as the show itself; I even made a donation! But I was troubled by one of the assumptions about the relationship between music and words. Somehow the authorship of the words didn’t matter much at all. This isn’t an assumption specific to the Whānau project, but one that seems to inform the wider world of classical music. ....