Entrenched until recently in Western aesthetics, Australian composers are now developing a functional cultural identity expressed through a distinctly nationalistic musical idiom. Its ongoing formation, inspired by Australias Aboriginal heritage and unique natural environment, seeks to distance the nations artistic developments from the geographically remote Occidental regions and emphasize its native cultures. Presently, however, mounting sociopolitical and ethical concerns surrounding the cultural borrowing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples are problematizing the developing nationalistic idiom, as composers must determine whether the two groups share any legitimate connection beyond mere occupation of the same land, given their tense post-colonial history. Musicologist Beatrice Dalov traces the formation of the Southern Lands cultural identity while simultaneously considering its complex relationship with the nations First Peoples. She illuminates the origins, influences, and developments of Australian art music, from colonization (late eighteenth century) to the present day, interweaving the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that shaped (and often determined) its evolution. The history demonstrates that the complex processes of articulating a unique cultural identity began almost immediately after arrival of the first colonists and continues uninterrupted through today. Drawing on newly available archival material, key works, and personally conducted interviews with numerous contemporary composers, Dalov traces the history of the lands music, from scattered convict settlements and eventful contacts with Aboriginal peoples, to the formation of a national musical infrastructure, to todays thriving musical independence. She brings forward not only the most prominent composers and musicians of the last century, but also those who laid a crucial foundation and offered the first contributions toward a national idiom. A comprehensive history of the music of the Great Southern Land has been too long neglected by social historians and musicologists worldwide. Beatrice Dalov sets the record straight.

"Aurora Australis" by Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, Frank Wild, Tannatt William Edgeworth David, George Marston, Alistair Mackay, James Murray, Douglas Mawson. Published by DigiCat. DigiCat publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each DigiCat edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Authoritative account written for the general reader.

Popular natural history writer Savage takes readers inside the mystery of the beautiful phenomenon of the aurora borealis, explaining how aurorae happen and how humans have stood in awe and devised whole cosmologies around them since time immemorial. Over 60 photos, 34 in color. Map.

Learn about the science of the Aurora Borealis with iMinds insightful knowledge series. The aurora borealis, often referred to as the northern lights, is a natural light-show that appears in the sky around the north magnetic pole. Auroras can sometimes be seen in other places of the world, but not as clearly. In the southern hemisphere, the phenomenon is called "aurora australis." The aurora borealis occurs because of an interaction between solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field. When the sun's gases explode, some of the particles are blown away in a phenomenon known as solar wind. The particles in the solar wind travel at speeds of over 600,000 miles per hour and take two to three days to reach the Earth. iMinds brings targeted knowledge to your eReading device with short information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

Nine year-old Sophie Scott embarks on a mission to Antarctica aboard an icebreaker and documents her adventure in a diary of its natural wonders.