Evening star., 1951-11-11
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Win the VlSlG OF Princess Eliza
beth and the Duke of Edinburgh
under the sponsorship of the Ca
madam government, cementing
the warm relations between that
country and the United States,
a review of a recent report on mu-
sic conditions there by Sir Ernest
MacMillen is timely. Sir Ernest
dean of the Faculty of Music of
the University of Toronto and
conductor of the Toronto Sym
phony Orchestra, prepared a spe-
cial study of the subject for the
Royal Commission on National
Development in the Arts, Letters
and Sciences. Many of the prob
lens confronting the Canadians
are the same as those found here
and Sir Ernest's recommendations
for bettering them are in line
with those proposed in this
country.
He is immensely proud of the
growth of interest in serious mu-
sic within the last Is years. Con-
cert schedules have expanded,
standards of performance i'm
proved and music in the schools
is being taken more seriously by
many educational authorities. The
number of symphony orchestras in
Canada has increased considerably
over the 18 listed two years ago
and, with the performing sched-
ule enlarged, the quality has been
improved. The activity of choral
music in Canada he regards as
q healthy sign and even opera
has taken on new life by the es-
tablishment of an opera school
in the Royal Conservatory in To-
ronto. He has much praise for
the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
as "the greatest single factor of
recent years in making Canada
conscious of it's nationhood."
Standards i'm Teaching.
While all this forms the bright
side of the picture. he finds much
to be changed in other respects.
The standards of private teaching
leave much to be desired. The
Canadian Music Teachers Fed
Grafton has been active. but zone
could wish that, for the protection
of the public. at least minimum
standard such as obtains in many
professions could be imposed on
any one wishing to take a living
In this field" and "it is to be hoped
that the public will come to de-
mand some form of teachers
registration and that such re-
gistration will be a guarantee
of the teachers qualification"
This is-o one of the great problems
In the United States. In some OF
the provincial legislatures in
Canada bills have been passed
establishing form of registration
and in the leading musical insti-
tutions the examination system
is used.
In citing his own orchestra, the
Toronto Symphony. as an ex-
ample of what is being done. he
points out that 80 per cent of its
S29L,964 budget for 1949-50 was
earned revenue. There were 79
concerts. This was equaled by
three other major orchestras,
those of Montreal, Vancouver, and
Winnipeg. One of the troubles
confronting Canadian musicians
is to obtain good instruments.
"the tools of their trade" Tariff
on instruments more than a
hundred years old was removed
Is years ago but duty on imported
instruments of recent make is
high. The first harpist of his
orchestra had to pay $672.28 IN
duty and taxes on a new Lyon
and Healy harp.
Creative activity lags behind
performances" in Canada, as in
the United States. Sir Erpest
would like to see a more "distinc-
lively national idiom" in the work
of Canadian composers and de-
plores that the rich sources Of the
EDr1ic1, orl 1ndion fnlK-