A Celebration of Canadian Composers / Un Hommage Aux Compositeurs Canadiens

Musicanada 2000: A Celebration of Canadian Composers / Un hommage aux compositeurs canadiens. Edited by S. Timothy Maloney, assisted by Ulla Colgrass, Mireille Gagne, and Vkonique Robert. Montreal: ~ditionsLiber, 2001. 180 p., ill., music. ISBN 2-92 1569-96-5. $12.00 The title of this book betrays a distinct permitted an in-depth, if not scholarly, lack of imagination. Musicanada has treatment of each topic. Musicanada already been used for at least three 2000 contains twice as many essays, but periodicals, a film, a festival of the average word length is one-quarter Canadian music held in Europe, and a that of the earlier book, so that only a set of primary school music textbooks. It superficial treatment of each of the is one of those made-up "bilingual" chosen subjects was possible. words (i.e., it means nothing in either Cilibration contains no illustrations or French or English) that Canadians seem music examples, whereas Musicanada to love. I find it both ungainly and 2000 has 65 photos and 13 score feeble, so let me begin with a plea: Let excerpts. us have no more musicanadas! Information technology was in its The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) infancy when Cilibration was was founded on 1 January 1959. This published; books were still the principle book is a fortieth birthday tribute, means of disseminating knowledge back although in the end it appeared two and in 1984. In the meantime, the CMC has a half years after the event. As such, it is wholeheartedly joined the IT revolution, a companion piece to Cilibration and is digitizing its library holdings for (Toronto: CMC, 1984), a book of essays remote access and distribution via published under the editorship of electronic means. Text is passC; Godfiey Ridout and Talivaldis Kenins hypertext is the new (virtual) reality. It for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the seems that people now prefer to CMC. An anti-academic bias is common download bytes of information in to both volumes: the editors of cyberspace rather than read books. Cilkbration urged their authors to Musicanada 2000 is a product of this "avoid the odour of the academic style" new era, and as such it shows the (p. 5), while the editorial committee for triumph of style over substance. Musicanada 2000 wanted the tone of Numerous names are misspelled - their book "to be informative while Alexander Brott (p. 169), Calixa avoiding academic stufliness" (p. 16). Lavallke (p. 165), Keith Campbell Nevertheless, Ridout and Kenins wanted MacMillan (p. 169), Ben McPeek, Colin their essays to be "anecdotal, combative, McPhee (both p. 166), and James Rolfe personal and provocative" (p. S), (p. 158) among them - and a major whereas the Musicanada 2000 team donor, the Department of Foreign asked only for "factual accuracy" (p. 16) Affairs and International Trade, is cited rather than strong opinions. The eleven incorrectly (p. 125). But the book does essays in Cilibration have an average look nice, in a glossy magazine sort of length of over 6,000 words, which way. Musicanada 2000 is in three exceptions, the unilingual French sections. The first contains the foreword articles deal solely with Quebec, and the (by Elisabeth Bihl), the preface (S. unilingual English articles cover the rest Timothy Maloney), and an account of of Canada. The perhaps unintended but technological projects of the CMC nevertheless clear message is that it is (Simone Auger). The second section is assumed that Quebeckers speak French, titled "The CMC's Regional Offices," the ROC speaks English, and neither has and includes brief accounts of the a great interest in the particulars of what activities of the CMC offices in British the other is up to. I am puzzled as to the Columbia (Colin Miles), the Prairies rationale for this feature of the book: (John C. Reid), Ontario (David G.H. was it a cost-saving measure, or were Parsons), Quebec (Mireille GagnC, the there no contributors who were able to only author who also contributed to write with equal authority about music Cilibration), and Atlantic Canada (Peter in Quebec and the rest of Canada? In Higham), followed by a survey article on either case, it is a sad commentary about "The State of Canadian Music and the perceived state of bilingualism and Culture at the Mikmium" (Maloney). national unity. The last section, "Prevailing Aesthetic Trends," includes five survey articles Moving from the medium to the about composition in different parts of message, I find that the book consists, Canada (by, from east to west, Alasdair for the most part, of boosterism and MacLean, Serge Provost, Gary Kulesha, propaganda. There are recurring John Estacio and Owen Underhill), as complaints about finding cutbacks and a well as two essays on music education lack of respect for, appreciation of, (Glen Carruthers and Nicole Carignan), andlor knowledge about Canadian two on women composers (Mary composers. But none of the essays deals Gardiner and Sophie Galaise), two on with issues of context, value, or identity, broadcasting (Lary Lake and Sylvia which might shed some light on this L'Ecu~~~),and one each on the perceived lack of status. I longed for a recording industry (Richard Truhlar), closely reasoned account such as electroacoustic music (Jean-Fraqois Raymond Deane has provided for the Denis), orchestral music (jointly situation of contemporary composers in authored by Reid and Bob Clark), and Ireland.' The many factors which have opera (Parsons). Also included are lists led to the fading of the privileged of CMC presidents, executive directors, position of composers in Western associate composers, honorary members, society, such as the proliferation of and major donors. popular music (which values the performer as much as, or more than, the Seven articles appear in both French creator of music), a broader knowledge and English, ten are in English only of the music of other times and places, (three of these include a brief prCcis in French), and five are in French only (one ' Raymond Deane, "The Honour of Non-Existence: with (a brief precis in English). The Classical Composers in Irish Society," Irish Musical Studies 3: Music and Irish Cultural bilingual articles are in sections one and History, eds. Gerard Gillen and Hany White two of the book. With. one or two (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1995): 199-2 1 1. and the rise of new critical moreover, has reasoned that anti- methodologies which have called into canonization is a characteristically question the supposedly timeless and Canadian phenomenon that distinguishes transcendent qualities of the western art music and music scholarship in this music canon are, by and large, not even country from that elsewhere (particularly acknowledged here, never mind the United States), and she specifically addressed. cites the CMC as an advocate of anti- canoni~ation.~What we have here, then, Canadian composers find themselves is an article published by the CMC in its ' in an unenviable position: trading on the own commemorative volume that (rapidly fading) prestige of Beethoven advocates a stance that is diametrically and Brahms to argue for their privileged opposed to the CMC's mission. status in society, while at the same time complaining about the stranglehold that It is perhaps unfair to single out this this European repertoire has in the article for criticism though, as it is concert hall. In a misguided effort to characteristic of the book as a whole. To counter this European monopoly, Reid this reader, at least, what is most evident and Clark in their article on orchestral in Musicanada 2000 is that the CMC is music (pp. 143-50) provide a list of 120 no longer clear about its mandate, or Canadian orchestral works that they even its own strengths. It is a pity that propose for canonic status. John this celebratory publication was not the Beckwith has provided a detailed and occasion for a more thorough and passionate rebuttal of this article and of insightful account of the recent activities the very concept of a Canadian and future plans of this fine institution. orchestral canon.' Beverley Diamond, Robin Elliott is the newly appointed Chalmers Chair of Music at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. * John Beckwith, "Letter to the Editor," Prairie Sounds no. 51 (Spring 2002): 3. The editor of Prairie Sounds is John Reid, one of the authors of the article under consideration here. (Incidentally, Beckwith questions whether Schafer's No Longer "What's the Difference? Reflections on Than Ten Minutes was ever performed again after Discourses of Morality, Modernism, and Mosaics the premiere; it was, at least once: I recall playing in the Study of Music in Canada," Canadian in a performance of it in a concert given by the University Music Review /Revue de musique des Kingston Symphony.) universith canadiennes 21, no. 1 (2000): 72. .

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