Mapping Canada's Music

``All of the essays address various aspects of Canadian music, making them significant for the scholar. Particularly useful are the half- to full-page introductions by the editors that contextualize each essay.... This book is far more than a collection of essays. The various chapters provide perspectives on a vast range of topics by Canada's seminal music historian. At the same time, the book vividly reinforces what is both unique and vital about Canada's musical culture.'' -- Edward Jurkowski, University of Lethbridge -- Canadian Association of Music Libraries Review, 41, no. 3, November 2013
``Kallmann's methodology as a historican is an interesting mix of old and new approaches.... He realized early on ... that in the absence of âcreative giantsâ like Bach or Mozart, Canadian music history would be focused primarily on social and cultural aspects of musical activity, and less on âartistic aspectsâ (p. 44). He did not bemoan this fact (as some might have during this era) but embraced it, continually asking what meaning music held for Canadians over the centuries rather than searching for Canada's Beethoven.... In coediting the EMC , he insisted that classical, popular, and folk traditions all be included. Given the pioneering role Kallmann played, these methodological decisions had an enormous effect on the shape and scope of the field; the âmapâ of Canada's musical past that he created had a place for the musical activities of just about everyone.... If it was his goal to lay foundations for future scholars, he was undoubtedly successful. In the first place, his own writing (the full list of his writings given at the end of the book is impressively vast and diverse) showed us that Canadian music history research was possible and whetted our appetites to learn more. Indeed, one reason for those in the field to read this collection is to stimulate ideas for new paths of research. But more profoundly, because of his involvement in the huge pioneering projects described above (the History , the EMC , and his work as archivist at the National Library in particualar) it is now difficult to explore a topic in Canadian music history without using a source that has been touched (directly or indirectly) by Kallmann's initial efforts.... This book ... is essential reading for those interested in Canadian music history but will also appeal to those with an interest in music librarianship, historiography, North American colonial and cultural history, and biography.... The overall picture of a new field being born in the hands of a man with a fascinating life story will have wide appeal.'' -- Benita Wolters-Fredlund, Calvin College -- Notes (Music Library Association), Volume 70, No. 2, December 2013