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A “League Against Willan”? The Early Years of the Canadian League of Composers, 1951–1960

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2011

BENITA WOLTERS-FREDLUND
BENITA WOLTERS-FREDLUND*
Affiliation:
bw24@calvin.edu
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Abstract

The founders of the Canadian League of Composers were young modernists who resented the conservative musical climate in Canada epitomized by the traditional British style of Canada's most famous composer, Healey Willan. In their first decade (1951–60), during which their membership grew from eight to more than forty and they presented dozens of concerts of new Canadian music, they struggled to find a balance between two competing goals: championing the cause of all Canadian composers, regardless of style, and promoting modern and avant-garde styles, which had been virtually ignored by the older Canadian musical establishment. This article probes how those tensions played out in two of the league's early activities: membership decisions and concert programming. Although the league did admit composers and feature works representing a wide variety of stylistic influences, its membership and concerts were nonetheless dominated by younger composers interested in modern styles, especially the group of composers in John Weinzweig's circle in Toronto. The group earned a reputation as young radicals because of their modernistic programming choices and a controversial policy that limited membership to composers younger than sixty. Although its members may not have been entirely successful in their efforts at inclusivity, the league's ground-breaking activities in the 1950s did help to establish a place for composition generally and musical modernism in particular in the postwar Canadian cultural landscape.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Society for American Music , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , November 2011 , pp. 445 - 480
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Music 2011

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References

References

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Weinzweig, John. “A Composer Looks at the Teaching of Theory.” Royal Conservatory of Music Bulletin (November 1949): 2–3.Google Scholar
Weinzweig, John. “The New Music.” Canadian Review of Music and Art 5/5 (June 1942): 5–6, 16.Google Scholar
Weinzweig, John. “Vancouver Symposium 1950.” Canadian League of Composers Newsletter 1 (September 1980): 1–2.Google Scholar
Wolters, Benita. “The Early Years of the Canadian League of Composers.” M.A. thesis, University of British Columbia, 1999.Google Scholar
Woodcock, George. A Social History of Canada. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada, 1989.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Canada Music Forum Proved Miserable Flop.” Toronto Daily Star, 15 March 1958, 29.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 5 February 1955, 16.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 3 April 1955, 12.Google Scholar
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Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 2 March 1957, 19.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “OK, Here's Why It's ‘Extremely Bad.’” Toronto Daily Star, 22 March 1958, 22.Google Scholar
“Composers Form League.” The Globe and Mail, 10 May 1951, Editorials, 1.Google Scholar
Downes, Olin. “Stokowski Offers 5 [sic] Canadian Works.” New York Times, 17 October 1953, 10.Google Scholar
Kraglund, John. “Music in Toronto: League of Composers’ First Program Shows Good Balance in Canadian Music.” The Globe and Mail, 30 November 1953, 9.Google Scholar
Kraglund, John. “Music in Toronto: New Works of Eight Composers Prove Interesting but Demanding.” The Globe and Mail, 13 April 1953, 12.Google Scholar
Purser, Mona. “Most League Members Started Music in Teens.” The Globe and Mail, 22 March 1952, 8.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “All-Canadian Composers Concert Is on March 26.” Toronto Daily Star, 19 March 1952, 41A.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “Boost Canadian Composers: One Must Drive Cab to Live.” Toronto Daily Star, 15 March 1952, 12.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “‘From Roots of Soil’: Music of Canadians Said Very Distinctive.” Toronto Daily Star, 7 March 1952, 15.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Canadian Composers Gain Ground, Praise Morawetz.” Toronto Daily Star, 30 November 1953, 8.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Canadian Composers Get Hearing by Top Artists.” Toronto Daily Star, 12 December 1952, 13.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Pentland Piano Concerto Most Disagreeable, Irritating to Hear.” Toronto Daily Star, 13 March 1958, 15.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Wild Applause, Cheering at All-Canadian Concert.” Toronto Daily Star, 27 March 1952, 14.Google Scholar
Watson, John L. “TSO Features Canadian Composers.” The Globe and Mail, 27 March 1952, 10.Google Scholar
Canadian League of Composers. Archival Scrapbooks, Collection of Programs, Newspaper Clippings and Memorabilia, 1951–61.Google Scholar
Library and Archives Canada, Canadian League of Composers fonds, MUS 84.Google Scholar
Stratford Shakespeare Festival Archives.Google Scholar
York University Library Archives. Louis Applebaum fonds, F0253.Google Scholar
Adaskin, Murray. Letter to the author, 16 January 1999.Google Scholar
Applebaum, Louis. Letter to the author, 25 January 1999.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John. Letter to the author, 14 October 1998.Google Scholar
Freedman, Harry. Telephone interview with the author, 3 February 1999.Google Scholar
George, Graham. Letter to John Beckwith, 11 May 1955.Google Scholar
Twa, Andrew. Letter to the author, 16 January 1999.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John. “Canadian Music in the 1950s, Summary of a Symposium.” In Music Papers: Articles and Talks by a Canadian Composer 1961–94, 64–71. Ottawa: Golden Dog Press, 1997.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John. “Memories, and a Few Red-Neck Opinions.” In Music Papers: Articles and Talks by a Canadian Composer 1961–94, 197–203. Ottawa: Golden Dog Press, 1997.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John. “Music.” In The Culture of Contemporary Canada, ed. Julian, Park, 143–62. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1957.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John. Music at Toronto: A Personal Account. Toronto: Institute for Canadian Music, 1995.Google Scholar
Beckwith, John, and Kasemets, Udo, eds. The Modern Composer and His World: International Conference of Composer. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1961.Google Scholar
Bruneau, William, and Gordon Duke, David. Jean Coulthard: A Life in Music. Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2005.Google Scholar
Canadian Music at Carnegie Hall: A Report. [Toronto?]: BMI Canada, [1953?].Google Scholar
Cluderay, Lawrence, Gooch, Bryan N. S., and Ware, Evan. “Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.” In Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com.Google Scholar
Eastman, Sheila, and McGee, Timothy J.. Barbara Pentland. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983.Google Scholar
Elliott, Robin. “Solo Instrumental and Chamber Works.” In István Anhalt: Pathways and Memory, ed. Elliott, Robin and Smith, Gordon E., 95–110. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flohil, Richard. “The League of Composers: How Hard Work Paid Off.” Canadian Composer (March 1977): 4–10.Google Scholar
Ford, Clifford, and Betty Nygaard King. “George, Graham.” In Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com.Google Scholar
George, Graham. “Canada's Music—1955.” Culture 16 (1955): 51–65.Google Scholar
Granatstein, J. L. “Culture and Scholarship: The First Ten Years of the Canada Council.” In Canadian Music: Issues of Hegemony and Identity, ed.Diamond, Beverly and Witmer, Robert, 87–121. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 1994.Google Scholar
Hayes, Florence. “Meeting John Weinzweig.” Variations 5 (1978): 36–37.Google Scholar
Henninger, Richard, ed. “Writings by John Weinzweig.” Les Cahiers canadiens de musique/The Canadian Music Book 6 (1973): 41–75.Google Scholar
Kallmann, Helmut. “The Canadian League of Composers in the 1950s: The Heroic Years.” In Célébration: Essays on Aspects of Canadian Music Published in Honour of the 25th Anniversary of the Canadian Music Centre, ed. Godfrey, Ridout and Talivaldis, Kenins, 99–107. Toronto: Canadian Music Centre, 1984.Google Scholar
Keillor, Elaine. John Weinzweig and His Music: The Radical Romantic of Canada. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994.Google Scholar
Keillor, Elaine. Music in Canada: Capturing Landscape and Diversity. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006.Google Scholar
Kieser, Karen. “The Canadian Music Centre: A History.” In Célébration: Essays on Aspects of Canadian Music Published in Honour of the 25th Anniversary of the Canadian Music Centre, ed. Ridout, Godfrey and Kenins, Talivaldis, 7–26. Toronto: Canadian Music Centre, 1984.Google Scholar
Lazarevich, Gordana. The Musical World of Frances James and Murray Adaskin. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988.Google Scholar
Metzer, David. “The League of Composers: The Initial Years.” American Music 15/1 (Spring 1997): 45–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, Leta E. “ONCE and Again: The Evolution of a Legendary Festival.” Liner notes to Music from the ONCE Festival, 1961–66, 13–95. New World Records 80567 (5 CDs), 2003.Google Scholar
Morey, Carl et al. , “Canada.” Grove Music Online, ed. Macy, Laura. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.Google Scholar
Pentland, Barbara. “Canadian Music 1950.” Northern Review 3 (February–March 1950): 43–46.Google Scholar
Pitman, Walter. Louis Applebaum: A Passion for Culture. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2002.Google Scholar
Proctor, George A.Canadian Music of the Twentieth Century. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ridout, Godfrey. “Documentary.” In Anthology of Canadian Music: Healey Willan. Montreal: Radio Canada International, 1982.Google Scholar
Rochberg, George. “Canada.” Musical Quarterly 47 (1961): 103–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saminsky, Lazare. Living Music of the Americas. New York: Howell, Soskin and Crown, 1949.Google Scholar
Such, Peter. “One Score and Five Years Later.” Canadian Forum 56/667 (December-January 1976–77): 6–10.Google Scholar
Weinzweig, John. “A Composer Looks at the Teaching of Theory.” Royal Conservatory of Music Bulletin (November 1949): 2–3.Google Scholar
Weinzweig, John. “The New Music.” Canadian Review of Music and Art 5/5 (June 1942): 5–6, 16.Google Scholar
Weinzweig, John. “Vancouver Symposium 1950.” Canadian League of Composers Newsletter 1 (September 1980): 1–2.Google Scholar
Wolters, Benita. “The Early Years of the Canadian League of Composers.” M.A. thesis, University of British Columbia, 1999.Google Scholar
Woodcock, George. A Social History of Canada. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada, 1989.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Canada Music Forum Proved Miserable Flop.” Toronto Daily Star, 15 March 1958, 29.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 5 February 1955, 16.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 3 April 1955, 12.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 23 February 1957, 12.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “Musically Speaking.” Toronto Daily Star, 2 March 1957, 19.Google Scholar
Bell, Leslie. “OK, Here's Why It's ‘Extremely Bad.’” Toronto Daily Star, 22 March 1958, 22.Google Scholar
“Composers Form League.” The Globe and Mail, 10 May 1951, Editorials, 1.Google Scholar
Downes, Olin. “Stokowski Offers 5 [sic] Canadian Works.” New York Times, 17 October 1953, 10.Google Scholar
Kraglund, John. “Music in Toronto: League of Composers’ First Program Shows Good Balance in Canadian Music.” The Globe and Mail, 30 November 1953, 9.Google Scholar
Kraglund, John. “Music in Toronto: New Works of Eight Composers Prove Interesting but Demanding.” The Globe and Mail, 13 April 1953, 12.Google Scholar
Purser, Mona. “Most League Members Started Music in Teens.” The Globe and Mail, 22 March 1952, 8.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “All-Canadian Composers Concert Is on March 26.” Toronto Daily Star, 19 March 1952, 41A.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “Boost Canadian Composers: One Must Drive Cab to Live.” Toronto Daily Star, 15 March 1952, 12.Google Scholar
Ryder, Dick. “‘From Roots of Soil’: Music of Canadians Said Very Distinctive.” Toronto Daily Star, 7 March 1952, 15.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Canadian Composers Gain Ground, Praise Morawetz.” Toronto Daily Star, 30 November 1953, 8.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Canadian Composers Get Hearing by Top Artists.” Toronto Daily Star, 12 December 1952, 13.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Pentland Piano Concerto Most Disagreeable, Irritating to Hear.” Toronto Daily Star, 13 March 1958, 15.Google Scholar
Thomson, Hugh. “Wild Applause, Cheering at All-Canadian Concert.” Toronto Daily Star, 27 March 1952, 14.Google Scholar
Watson, John L. “TSO Features Canadian Composers.” The Globe and Mail, 27 March 1952, 10.Google Scholar