REV I EWS The Canadian Musical Heritage / Le Patrimoine Musical Canadien. 3: Songs I to Engl i sh texts/Chansons I sur des textes anglai S. Frederick- A. Ha1 l, Edi tor/Di recteur de l 'ouvrage. Ottawa- 1985. (xxx, 235 p., $34.95) Last month I nad the pleasure of reading product of tne time, and the Canadian one, Robertson Davies' new novel, What's bred seem to be on tne level of presentation. in the bone, and tnis last weekend of watching Tne American oublisners were bound to be the television broadcast of Harry Somers' richer, and could afford showier formats, opera Louis Riel. UD Canada! It is no surprise fancier covers and the like. Also, some of then to find this songbook published by the the Canadian choices for engravers were pernaps Canadian Musical Heritage Society a real injudicious (see 00.18-19, where clearly treasure in both songs and historical someone from tne old school was westling background. That Edward B. Shuttleworth, with the new-fangled steel-type machine). who wrote the words for the romantic serenade, But the overall ~hysiognomy of the material "I am waiting for thee," (11.154) was an is virtually indistinguishable from the "acknowledged authority on the study of American product in many details. A song microbes," is interesting, but even more like "The Ottawa fire" (p.151) is a clear fun to discover is that tne song's ComDoser, imitation of the Charles K. Harris- Monroe Ro- Edwin Gledhill , was the son of a tenor who senfeld scnool of reportage songs that toured witn Jenny Lind, under tne name "Signor flourished around 1895, and it is just as Salvi". Some of tne earlier songs are ~rima.rily good and gory as the best of tnem, albeit of nistorical interest, though the 1805 "A lacking a bit of the old journalistic polish ~anadian boat song" of Tnomas Moore has a of, say, the ouroler Rosenfel d gems. Near1y good swing to it; it was written on MooreLs every genre popular in Englisn or American trip homeward from the U.S.A. and Canada, home-music nas its counterpart nere, altnougn and inspired by the voyageurs ' music. there are manifestly fewer war songs than in the U.S. product of any period. Many are Since so many 19th-century song lyrics are quite nice of their types, and it's a wonder eloyingly sentimental, it is a dleasure to that so few were familiar to me, witn tne find one as delicately teasing as "Oh! NO, notable exception of Ambrose's "One sweetly we never talk in French" (0.34). Considering solemn tnought (words: Carey; DD. 110-1121, the passions that still run high over the whicn still graces Emmett Foxian Sunday subject, its tone is even more remarkable. devotional meetings like my departed aunt's J.C. Chandler's "You can never be a girl Science of Mind Cnurch of thirty years ago. of mine again" (0.146) is a real tear-jerker; It's fun to find out that the original version its main difference from the American product of "Tne maple leaf" (11.83) had a less seems to be that instead of dying of tne felicitous first line in the chorus. usual broken heart, Door Nell actually drowns herself.0ne of the few of these songs by I was actually delighted more with the genteel women composers or lyricists, Hattie Steohens' songs than the others. Interesting musical "Ma be11 e canadienne" (D. 163), would make turns in "Love is lignt" (Arthur A. Cla~~d, a charming encore piece for tenor Or soprano. words: Wicksteed) set it apart from the mold, -Jean lbrris for example: University of Michigan The natural question a Stateside composer and/or musicologist acquainted wi tn 19th- century American music ~1'91 ask is, How different is contemporaneous Canadian music from it, at least insofar as any (p.173) generalizations can be made? In this limited field of comnerci a1 sneet-musi c, which really On this page, be it noted, is an example became big business first around the American of the volume's editorial policy, tnat of Civil War, then again in the 1890s, the most bracketing engraver's corruptions, often immediate differences between tne American relegating the correct reading to a footnote. On tne end of the third brace a missing reader at nome at a piano, wnich is wnere eightn-note flag is not-too-silent1 y corrected. a volume like this belongs. For, witn my Tnis sort of thing distracts from the reading editorial caveat, I found it deligntful to of the music on a performance level wnen, look througn. (It was a joy, for example, as in tnis case, it would nave been mucn to come upon another Henry Russell I hadn't less fussy to restore the tail, and only seen.) Our 19th centuries are interesting footnote wnen tnere is legitimate question periods, those of Canada and the United States, as to the correct reading of the passage. and studying tnis excellent volume could Popular music from both sides of the Atlantic yield rewarding com~arisons between aspects is full of sucn corruptions, and tnere is of our close but separate cultures. scant need to remind us of it, when sucn -Yilliam Bolcom meticulousness might scare away the general University of Hi chi gan ' Medieval and Renaissance Music: a Performer's Guide. By Timothy J. McGee. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985. (xxx, 273 p,, $27.95) Medieval and Renaissance music is a book The information McGee presents is based, wnicn will be of particular interest to pro- where this is possible, on historic documents. fessional and amateur performers of early The documents are not used anacnronistically music; nowever, teachers of music history or indiscriminately; however, wnere and music theory will find much useful documentation is wanting (as is the case information about style and composi tional with text-underlay before 14751, McGee suggests techniques from about 900 to about 1600, various possible approacnes to the problem and undergraduate students will undoubted1y and clearly identifies the solutions as nis find the book a good source of topics for own. term papers and projects. One of the major difficulties confronting tne performer of early music is tne 20th- Tne book is written with the performer in century edition. While some editors are mind, and musicological and theoretical conscientious and furnish all tne information "jargon' is avoided. Many different kinds tne performer will need to nave, otners are of readers will use tnis thought-provoking not. How should tne performer approacn various book. The amateur recorder player will be editions? How far can they be trusted? Has delighted by the step-by-step directions tne editor made faulty judgements about musica for performing a variety of early music well, by the guidelines for im~rovising f icta or text-under1 ay? McGee has devoted embell isnments (and entire pieces! and by considerable soace to discussing tnese and the suggestions for adapting music to the otner important questions, and shows tne resources at hand. The professional player performer now to cope witn some of the arbitrary editorial practices that make life will find McGee' s tables for "orcnestrating" so difficult. Among otner things, McGee medieval and renaissance music helpful , and his ideas on now to cope with good and bad presents some useful guidel ines for interpreting triple ~rooortionsin renaissance editions of music indis~ensable. ~olyphony when the edition is unclear. His McGee's aDproach to nis subject is in its "rule-of-thumbii procedure will nel~many own way very mucn like Ral ~n Ki rkpatrick's a performer to make a reasonable decision. Introduction to tne Scarlatti sonatas. (Kirkpatrick encourages the performer to Tne question of determining a suitable temDo tnink carefully about everytning ni is doing, wnen working from a modern edition is a and ne makes the reader aware tnat music difficult one at best, and at times is almost and enligntened ~erformance are two sides nopeless. McGee stresses (p.41) tnat "tnere of one coin. ) McGee's book is tnougntfully really is no totally satisfactory way to written and well organised, and his lucid determine an early tempo without looking discussion of every aspect of performance at tne original," yet nis common-sense iS enhanced by ~ractical , common-sense suggestions will undoubtedly be of great guidel ines and clear suggestions. IIelb to the many performers who do not have access to the original. His brief discussion and not be tem~ted to accent the first of some of the main features of original beat of each bar; McGee shows us exactly notation (p.41) will be lost on many readers, how to proceed, and the good performer will a1 tnough he points out (p.10) that the original find it rewarding to work his way througn notation tells us something about tne music the music using McGee 'S process discovering that a modern edition cannot. Since this for nimself how supple the rhythms of a Dufay is not a handbook of notation, but rather cnanson can be once he learns to ignore the a nandbook for the performer, McGee refers ba rlines. tnose who are interested in notation to the standard works on the subject. Medieval and Renaissance music should be on the shelf of every public library in Canada, McGeels directions for "ignoring tne bar1ines" even if the music collection is a small one. in a Dufay chanson -- and by extension in University libraries will order it as a matter mucn music of the renaissance -- (p.21) are of course.