tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post5171252807500666420..comments2024-03-18T14:05:44.909-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Forgotten Canadian ComposersBryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-82493164322597197412016-02-10T10:24:40.917-06:002016-02-10T10:24:40.917-06:00Good, yes, I should have mentioned Jean Coulthard....Good, yes, I should have mentioned Jean Coulthard. Canada seems to have had a significant number of women composers as we could also mention Barbara Pentland and Violet Archer. Sounds like I could do another post!<br /><br />I think I agree about the Canadian element: I'm not sure what it might be. Though perhaps Night Rain by Anthony Genge might qualify. I associate it very strongly with the landscapes of Vancouver Island.<br /><br />http://themusicsalon.blogspot.mx/2012/10/moment-form-mobile-and-night-rain.html<br /><br />Maybe some of my music might contain Canadian elements as well, though others should speak to that.<br /><br />I don't think much about my identity, but I guess I don't consider myself a Mexican composer! Canadian-composer-in-exile, that's me!Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-81143013647188198912016-02-10T09:16:56.398-06:002016-02-10T09:16:56.398-06:00Bryan, another candidate for consideration in this...Bryan, another candidate for consideration in this category is Jean Coulthard (1908-2000). bio: http://www.musiccentre.ca/node/37190/biography<br /><br />Thanks to YouTube, I have stumbled onto her Piano Sonata #1 which is quite enjoyable. Dating from 1947, apparently it was her first composition to be performed in Carnegie Hall.<br /><br />I don't seek out a specifically Canadian character in Canadian compositions. I think the redeeming feature of good music is its inherent universal appeal that will persist despite the efforts of musical nationalists. Having said that, I will confess that Russian composers do sound "Russian" and composers that show a folk music influence bring a national flavour to their sound (eg: Spanish, Czech and Scandinavian music). Perhaps it is Canada's short history as a nation that dictates the lack of a "Canadian" sound. I suppose I would be able to identify the Canuck influence in a piece titled "Variations on I's the B'y".<br /><br />By the way, do you identify as a Canadian composer (of the non-resident type)?Davidnoreply@blogger.com