waiata ā-ringa
1. (noun) action song - a popular modern song type with set actions and European-type tunes. Also written as waiata-ā-ringa.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 55-63;)
Nā Paraire i para te huarahi mō ngā momo titonga waiata ā-ringa hou, mahue atu ana i a ia ngā waiata o te ao tawhito; kāore i rite ngā rangi ki ngā rangi Pākehā nui nei te rerenga, kāore i taea te waiata te whakaōrua, ā, he mīta whakahipahipa kē te momo waiata. I whāia kētia e Paraire te momo tito kupu e taunga ana ki ngā rangi ka taea te whakaōrua, ā, i tuhituhia e ia ngā rārangi orotahi ki te tohu orooro tika; i te nuinga o te wā he mea tango mai ngā rangi i ngā waiata Pākehā. (TTR 1996:256). / Paraire was a pioneer composer of songs in the new 'action song' style, moving away from classical waiata which used small note ranges, no harmony and irregular metre. Instead, he wrote words to fit harmonised tunes written in diatonic scales and generally deriving from European songs, the rhythms adapted to fit Maori idiom (DNZB 1996:535).