| Description |
Tape#1: Music Journey and Experiences of Resin Tolop.
Side A & B:
Resin ToLop was born in 1933 and comes from Vunairoto Village, in the north coast area of the Gazelle Peninsula. Resin had early exposure and experiences to music through singing in 4 vocal parts harmony (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) mainly with church choir. In 1951, he attended George Brown Pastor's College where he learnt during the course one year music studies that consolidated his understanding and knowledge as a composer, conductor and singer in church music.
In 1955, Resin graduated as a Methodist pastor and returned to his Vunairoto village where he served in his christian ministry. He continued as a musician and taught choirs in various villages and churches as part of his christian ministry work to the people. He then started the first Male Choir combined from three surrounding villages (Kabakada, Nabata, Vunalir) with Vunairoto. Later these villages had their own choirs after having the knowledge of music taught by Resin with their own choir masters.
From mid to late 1960s' and early 1970s', there were various choral competitions such as Queen's Birthday, Tolai Warwagira in Rabaul and church choir competitions on John Wesley Day at Gaulim George Brown Day at Vunairima. His choirs (male, female, mixed) participated and were successful mostly taking out first prize awards.
Resin also attended a training course in Suva, Fiji on Composition of Songs. He continued teaching other schools, villages, church choirs and also a music teacher at George Brown Pastor's College. He expanded from just church choir singing and included traditional songs with harmonies on basis on existing Tolai folk songs such as Purmatam, Natugu, A Kuvur. Traditional and christian songs do not mix because of content assumed to be evil versus good but people later understood and embraced the musical aspects of the songs with harmonic content. Traditional songs have references to the Lili, Libung, Vutung etc.
Modern musicians who compose their own songs are more into Gospel and electric bands than choir singing and their aim is to record and earn from sales of their cassette tapes for monetary purposes.
For Resin, as a trained pastor and church musician, he rather use choir singing in 4 parts harmonies to turn people to their christian faith and living with awareness and commitment to God in their lives than just entertainment. This is part of his ministry work in spreading the gospel through singing harmoniously in choirs to draw people to God.
Resin also had collaborations with other musicians from other denominations and within United Church who were mainly organisers and judges at choral festivals, competition such as Father Reisel and Father Kevin Bar (Catholic), Dan Masolo, Cornelius Wasisi (SDA), Andrew Midian (UC), Ronald Pupul (UC), Joseph Linge (UC) amongst others.
Resin's choir had tours to Bouganville, West New Britain and were arranging a tour of Australia from Sydney through a Tour Organising Committee led by a Rev Don Marshall who earlier worked with the United Church of PNG, New Britain Region.
(Steven Gagau, February 2019) |
