Evening star., 1953-08-16
News of Music NaS 77s@ssEsssaS@
Concert for Canada
October Program Is Port Of Plan
To Develop National Idiom
News of Music
By EIeno de Soyn

Canadian composers will re-
ceive a fresh impetus for their
creative work during the
1953-54 season by events
planned for their advance
ment. A concert of Canadian
music on october 16, in New
York's Carnegie Hall, with
Leopold StokoWski conduct
ing, will be the first measure
taken to focus the attention
of the music world on their
work. The 1853 Student
Composers Radio Awards
Contest will be the second
event.
The committee includes rep
resentative American and
Canadian musicians. OF the
latter, Sir Ernest Mcmillan,
Wilfred Pelletier, Boyd Neel
and Claude Champagne are
prominently featured in con-
nection with the concert. To-
gether with William Schuman,
president of the Juilhard
School of Music, Walter Pts
ton and Henry Cowell, presi-
dent of the American Com
posers Alliance, they will Sc
lect the works for the pro-
gram. The choice will be made
on the basis of national char
acteristicS inherent in the mu-
sic. The objective of the con-
cert is to make it representa-
tive of Canada'S past and
present achievements. More
than 100 compositions will be
analyZed by the committee
and submitted to Mr.. Stokow-
ski, with comments by the
judges for final appraisal
upon his return from Europe.
The 1853 Student Composers
Radio Awards. Originally
known as Young Composers
Radio Awards, is sponsored
by radio broadcaSterS BMI and
HMI Canada. Nine prizes
amounting to $500 will be
distributed among the winners
in April, 1854. The first three
awards are $4,000, $500, and
81 900. The remaining six total
$4,000. The American judges
for the contest will be MIR.
Schumann. Earl v. Moore,
Dean of the School of Music,
University of Michigan, and
Mr.. Cowell. on the faculty of
the Peabody Conservatory.
Canada is represented by Mr..
Champagne, assistant director
Of LIE Conservatoire de Music
ct Fart Dramatique de la Prov
tnce de Quebec. The group will
be augmented by leading COM
posers. publishers and inter-
prefers OF music.
Far r-Seeinq Spokesman
One of the most far-seeing
spokesmen for Canada, intent
on its musical development. is
Sir Ernest Macmillan. His
special studies on the National
Development in the Arts, Let
ters and Science, prepared by
him for the Royal Commission,
have covered minutely every
phase of the country's musical
activity. He is set on seeing
Canada develop a national
idiom and looks toward the
United States for help. He
believes that Canada. with its
racially diversified anG nj
lingual community, re-. =
sentS a force which. if en-
ordinated and merped. could
result in the creation of a
positive character in music,
recognizable by other nations
as characteristic of Canada.
He thinks that while much
has been done already to en-
courage the development Of
national traits in Canadian
compositions they still lack a
national expression. French
Canada is the only section Of
the country at the present
where there Is evidence of re-
action in the direction of ma
tionalism, although tinged by
the peoples French origin.
Sir Ernest attributes this to
the strong influence Of French
folklore spread among the
French Canadians and be-
means the fact that Canada
lacks characteristic dance
rhythms which lend such a
distinctive flavor to the music
of other nations.
Follow Others
Although collection of folk
songs has been encouraged,
because folk music is the
foundation of musical culture
in any country, the majority
of Canadian composers follow
German, English and Russian
traditions. Those who have
been educated in the United
States show it's influence. It
was found that Sea Songs of
English origin, collected in
Newfoundland. have often
served as a basis for larger
compositions as we'll as ma
terial gathered from French
Canadian and Indian sources.
Some composers have drawn
inspiration from Canadian
landscape, but title and music
here, have, more often than
not, little in common. Others
have shown ingenuity in COM
posing backgrounds for films
and radio. Yet the root for
creation is non-existent and
the majority of modern Cana
dian compositions show the
need of a unifying influence.
History tells us of the part
such an influence has played
in the molding of great COM
posers and on their produc-
tivity. Although nationalism
in music and other arts Is now
AAi~ - &In .annk ,aArArkIn