Music Canada
Encyclopedia
Music Canada was a Canadian
music television miniseries
which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television
from 1966 to 1967.
Music Canada returned to CBC Television in 1985 featuring a similar concept.
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
music television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
from 1966 to 1967.
Premise
This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.Scheduling
The eight episodes of this hour-long series was broadcast on occasional Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) from 19 October 1966 to 24 May 1967.Music Canada returned to CBC Television in 1985 featuring a similar concept.
Episodes
- 19 October 1966: "Prelude to Expo", a Montreal concert featuring the Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
Trio, Marcel Carignan, Jean-Pierre FerlandJean-Pierre FerlandJean-Pierre Ferland, OC, CQ is a Canadian singer and songwriter.-Life and career:Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began taking guitar lessons with Stephen Fentock and began to fall in love with music, writing his...
, Pauline JulienPauline JulienPauline Julien, CQ was a singer, songwriter, actress, feminist activist and Quebec sovereigntist.Born in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Julien was the companion of the poet and Québec provincial MLA Gérald Godin, another Trifluvian and sovereigntist. She also worked with Gilles Vigneault and recorded...
, Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
, Aldor Morin and Miriam MakebaMiriam MakebaMiriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
. Jimmy DaleJimmy Dale (musician)Jimmy Dale is a Canadian arranger, composer, conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He was active as a music director for both Canadian and United States television during the 1970s and 1980s. He has also composed several film and television scores and written a number of tv theme...
conducted the orchestra. The broadcast included Vincent Warren of Les Grands Ballets CanadiensLes Grands Ballets CanadiensLes Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal is a Canadian ballet company based in Montreal, Quebec.It was founded in 1957 by Ludmilla Chiriaeff. Conductor and composer Michel Perrault served as the organization's first music director. In 2000, Gradimir Pankov became Artistic Director...
with choreography by Suzanne Verdal. The Expo 67Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
site was seen in the background which was under construction at that time. Paddy Sampson produced this broadcast, with writer Barry Callaghan. - 2 November 1966: "Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
: Off the Record", dedicated to the bandleader and composer. The broadcast featured Elwood GloverElwood GloverWilliam Elwood Glover was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster who was best known as the host of Elwood Glover's Luncheon Date....
's interviews with Faith and scenes of Faith's conducting work. Also performing here were Shirley Harmer (singer), Martine van Hamel (dancer) and the National Ballet of CanadaNational Ballet of CanadaThe National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
's Kristine Sealander and Gunter Pick. Norman Campbell produced this broadcast and Grant Strate was the choreographer. - 7 December 1966: Quebec musicians such as Colette BokyColette BokyColette Boky is a French-Canadian operatic soprano, particularly associated with lyric roles in the French, Italian, and German repertories.- Life and career :...
, Joseph RouleauJoseph RouleauJoseph A. Rouleau, is a French-Canadian bass opera singer, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories....
, Robert SavoieRobert SavoieRobert Savoie, was a French-Canadian operatic baritone.-Career:Savoie studied for five years with Pauline Donalda, and made his debut in 1948 with the Montreal Opera Guild, as the second Philistine...
and André TurpAndré TurpAndré Turp was a Canadian tenor, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.- Life and career :...
performed selections from four operas. Pierre Morin was producer. - 4 January 1967: Beethoven's Ninth SymphonySymphony No. 9 (Beethoven)The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
was performed by the Toronto Symphony OrchestraToronto Symphony OrchestraThe Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
(conducted by Seiji OzawaSeiji Ozawais a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
), the Festival Singers of TorontoFestival Singers of CanadaThe Festival Singers of Canada was a professional choir located in Toronto, Canada from 1954-1979. Founded in 1954 by Elmer Iseler as the Festival Singers of Toronto, the choir was heard first heard on CBC radio in a 1955 Good Friday broadcast of Bach's Christ lag in Todesbanden...
, the Mendelssohn Choir, joined by singers Donald Bell, Maureen ForresterMaureen ForresterMaureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, was a Canadian operatic contralto.-Life and career:Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in a poor section of Montreal, Quebec. She was one of four children to Thomas Forrester, a Scottish cabinetmaker, and his Irish-born wife, the former May Arnold. She...
, Lois MarshallLois MarshallLois Catherine Marshall, CC was a Canadian soprano.In 1967, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. She was a Graduate of the University of Toronto....
and Léopold SimoneauLéopold SimoneauLéopold Simoneau, CC, CQ was a French-Canadian lyric tenor, one of the outstanding Mozarteans of his time. In 1959 he became the first recipient of the Calixa-Lavallée Award.-Life and career:...
. Franz Kraemer produced this episode on location at Toronto's Massey HallMassey HallMassey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
. - 8 February 1967: "And Then We Wrote" aka "And The Music We Wrote", hosted by Max FergusonMax FergusonMax Ferguson, OC is a Canadian radio personality and satirist, best known for his long-running programs Rawhide and The Max Ferguson Show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ....
, featured selections from Canadian opera, musicals and ballet. Various musicians were joined by dancers Jeremy Blanton and Veronica TennantVeronica TennantVeronica Tennant, CC, FRSC is a Canadian dance and performance film producer and director, and former ballet dancer.She was born in London, England and moved to Canada with her parents and sister in 1955...
. Norman Campbell produced and directed this broadcast with Stan Daniels as writer and Don Gillies as choreographer. - 22 February 1967: "The Thirties" featured host Patrick Watson narrated music selections concerning the Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The Mart Kenney Orchestra was joined by featured guest Norma Locke and various vocalists. Arrangement was handled by Jimmy DaleJimmy Dale (musician)Jimmy Dale is a Canadian arranger, composer, conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He was active as a music director for both Canadian and United States television during the 1970s and 1980s. He has also composed several film and television scores and written a number of tv theme...
(music) and Billy VanBilly VanWilliam Allan Van Evera, , known by the stage name Billy Van, was a Canadian comedian, actor and singer.-Biography:...
(vocals). Paddy Sampson was the broadcast's producer with Watson and Stan Daniels as writers. - 12 April 1967: Rose Latulippe, performed by the Royal Winnipeg BalletRoyal Winnipeg BalletThe Royal Winnipeg Ballet, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America....
, was a work created specially for the Canadian CentennialCanadian CentennialThe Canadian Centennial was a year long celebration held in 1967 when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. Celebrations occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. 1967 coins were different from previous years' issues, with animals on each...
by Harry FreedmanHarry FreedmanHarry Freedman , was a Canadian composer, english hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphonic works, including several film scores, and also composed a substantial amount of chamber music...
(composer) and Brian MacdonaldBrian MacdonaldBrian Macdonald, CC is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, director of opera, theatre and musical theatre.Born in Montreal, Macdonald was an original member of the National Ballet of Canada...
(choreographer) and opened the previous year at the Stratford Festival. Pierre Morin produced this colour broadcast for a 90 minute time slot. Costumes and decoration were handled by Robert Prevost. - 24 May 1967: "Hello Delhi!" was hosted by Gordie TappGordie TappGordon Robert "Gordie" Tapp, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian entertainer.Tapp studied at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts. He was the host for Main Street Jamboree, a radio program broadcast from Hamilton during the 1950s. Tapp later hosted the CBC television show Country Hoedown...
and featured world music.