Canadian Works Written For The Toronto International Festival

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
CANADIAN WORKS WRITTEN FOR THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL GUITAR
FESTIVAL
By
CHRISTOPHER BOSTON
A Treatise submitted to the

College of Music
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Music
2020
Christopher Boston defended this treatise on November 10, 2020.
The members of the supervisory committee are:
Bruce Holzman
Professor Directing Treatise
Jane Piper Clendinning

University Representative
Mary Roman
Member
Corinne Stillwell
Member
The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and
certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv
List of Musical Examples ............................................................................................................... v
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER 2 JOHN WEINZWEIG ............................................................................................. 16
CHAPTER 3 HARRY FREEDMAN .......................................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 4 HARRY SOMERS ................................................................................................ 49
CHAPTER 5 R. MURRAY SCHAFER ...................................................................................... 75
CHAPTER 6 SRUL IRVING GLICK ....................................................................................... 102
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................... 118
APPENDIX A COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR JOHN WEINZWEIG’S CONTRASTS AND

EIGHTEEN PIECES FOR GUITAR.......................................................................................... 120
APPENDIX B COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR SRUL IRVING GLICK’S DANCE SUITE

FOR TWO GUITARS ................................................................................................................ 121
APPENDIX C COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR R. MURRAY SCHAFER’S LE CRI DE

MERLIN AND GUITAR CONCERTO ..................................................................................... 122
APPENDIX D COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY SOMERS’ CONCERTO FOR

GUITAR AND ORCHESTRA AND SONATA FOR GUITAR ............................................... 123
APPENDIX E COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY FREEDMAN’S IMPROMPTUS

FOR MEZZO-SOPRANO AND GUITAR ................................................................................ 124
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 125
Biographical Sketch .................................................................................................................... 130
iii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1 Complete Toronto Guitar Festivals Overview ................................................................ 4
Table 1.2 Guitar ‘75 ........................................................................................................................ 5
Table 1.3 Guitar ‘78 ........................................................................................................................ 7
Table 1.4 Guitar ‘81 ........................................................................................................................ 8
Table 1.5 Guitar ‘84 ...................................................................................................................... 10
Table 1.6 Guitar ‘87 ...................................................................................................................... 12
Table 5.1 The Organization of Motives in Le Cri de Merlin ........................................................ 78
iv
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
Example 2.1 Source, Elaine Keillor, John Weinzweig, and his Music: The Radical Romantic of
Canada, pg. 228. Example XII: 1. Six motifs used in Contrasts: First Piece. .............................. 19
Example 2.2 Contrasts. Middle of system 1. ................................................................................ 19
Example 2.3 Contrasts, movement I, the first half of system 13.................................................. 19
Example 2.4 Contrasts, movement II, m.1 ................................................................................... 20
Example 2.5 Contrasts, movement III, the first half of system 1 ................................................. 20
Canada, pg. 229. Example XII: 3. Basic motifs of Contrasts: third movement. .......................... 21
Example 2.7 Contrasts, movement IV, the second half of the 9th system .................................... 21
Example 2.8 Contrasts, movement V, the first half of the first system ........................................ 22
Example 2.9 Contrasts, movement VI, last quarter of system 3 .................................................. 22
Example 2.10 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 3 ............................................................. 24
Example 2.11 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 1 ............................................................. 24
Example 2.12 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 22 ........................................................... 24
Example 2.13 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Glissade, m. 1 ............................................................ 25
Example 2.14 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Promenade, m. 1 ....................................................... 25
Example 2.15 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, mm. 1-4 .................................................. 25
Example 2.16 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, m. 5 ........................................................ 25
Example 2.17 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, mm. 6-9 .................................................. 26
Example 2.18 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, mm. 41-42 .............................................. 26
Example 2.19 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, mm. 1-2 ................................................. 26
Example 2.20 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, mm. 4-5 ................................................. 27
Example 2.21 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, m. 6 ....................................................... 27
Example 2.22 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Carillon, m. 3 ............................................................ 27
Example 2.23 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Strumming, m. 17 ...................................................... 28
Example 2.24 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Strumming, m. 1 ........................................................ 28
Example 2.25 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Strumming, m. 15 ...................................................... 28
Example 2.26 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Oscillation, mm. 90-91 .............................................. 29
Example 2.27 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Manor Road Blues, mm. 1-2 ..................................... 29
Example 2.28 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Manor Road Blues, mm. 5-7 ..................................... 30
Example 2.29 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Dialogues, mm. 1-2 ................................................... 30
v
Example 2.30 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Arioso, m. 1 ............................................................... 30
Example 2.31 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Questions-Answers, mm. 1-2..................................... 31
Example 2.32 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Questions-Answers, m. 23 ......................................... 31
Example 2.33 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Fragments, first system ............................................. 31
Example 2.34 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Soliloquy, m. 4 ........................................................... 32
Example 2.35 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Soliloquy, m. 7 ........................................................... 32
Example 2.36 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, City Blues, mm. 13-14 ............................................... 32
Example 2.37 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, first quarter of system 1 ................................ 33
Example 2.38 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, first half of system 3 ..................................... 33
Example 2.39 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, second half of system 5 ................................ 33
Example 2.40 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Lamentation, first system .......................................... 34
Example 3.1 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, mm. 35-36 ................... 38
Example 3.2 Source Gail Dixon The Music of Harry Freedman, pg. 154 ................................... 38
Example 3.3 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, m. 3 ............................. 39
Example 3.4 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, m. 75 ........................... 39
Example 3.5 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, mm. 1-3 ....................... 40
Example 3.6 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, mm. 9-10 ..................... 40
Example 3.10 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, mm. 10-11 ................. 42
Example 3.11 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, m. 75 ......................... 42
Example 3.14 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, m. 1 .......................... 43
Example 3.15 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, m. 2 .......................... 43
Example 3.16 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, mm. 3-4 ................... 43
Example 3.17 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, mm. 12-14 ............... 44
Example 3.18 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, m. 1 motive 1: voice
and guitar measure 1 ..................................................................................................................... 44
Example 3.19 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 8-10 motive 2:
Voice, measures 8-10 .................................................................................................................... 45
vi
Guitar, mm. 12-13 ......................................................................................................................... 45
Example 3.21 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 1-4 .................. 45
Example 3.22 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 64-67 .............. 46
Example 3.23 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 68-70 .............. 46
Example 3.25 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 110-111 .......... 47
Example 3.26 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, m. 2 ........................... 47
Example 4.1 Sonata for Guitar, movement I, m. 1 ....................................................................... 52
Example 4.2 Sonata for Guitar, movement I, m. 10 ..................................................................... 52
Example 4.3 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, mm. 1-7 ............................................................... 53
Example 4.4 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, mm. 34-36 ........................................................... 53
Example 4.7 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, m. 85 .................................................................... 54
Example 4.8 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, mm. 99-104 ......................................................... 54
Example 4.9 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 1-5 antecedent phrase................................. 55
Example 4.10 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 6-8 consequent phrase .............................. 55
Example 4.11 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, m. 4................................................................... 55
Example 4.12 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 11-13 ........................................................ 55
Example 4.13 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, m. 41................................................................. 56
Example 4.14 Sonata for Guitar, movement IV, mm. 1-2 ............................................................ 57
Example 4.15 Sonata for Guitar, movement IV, mm. 10-11 ........................................................ 57
Example 4.17 Sonata for Guitar, movement IV, m. 17 ................................................................ 57
Example 4.19 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 1-4 ......................................................... 61
Example 4.20 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 1 ............................................ 61
Example 4.21 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, m. 11 ............................................................. 62
Example 4.22 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 9 ............................................ 62
Example 4.23 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 10, measure 88. .................... 62
vii
Example 4.24 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 10 .......................................... 63
Example 4.25 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 12, measures 107-109........... 63
Example 4.26 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, m. 119 ........................................................... 64
Example 4.27 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 120-122 ................................................ 64
Example 4.28 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 152-156 ................................................. 64
Example 4.36 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 487- 489 – rehearsal mark 51 ............... 67
Example 4.40 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, measure 630-634/rehearsal mark 69 ............. 69
Example 4.42 Diagram indicating the location of the upper face, side, and lower face............... 70
Example 4.43 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, Preface .......................................................... 70
Example 4.45 Diagram indicating the location of the lower face, lower side, upper side, upper
face ................................................................................................................................................ 71
Example 4.46 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 893 ........................................................ 71
Example 4.50 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 1079-1080, time signature: 2/2. ............ 73
Example 4.51 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 1047-1051 ............................................. 73
Example 5.1 Le Cri de Merlin, overview of essential motives in the work ................................. 79
Example 5.2 Le Cri de Merlin, movement I, page 4/mm. 19-20 .................................................. 80
viii
Example 5.3 Le Cri de Merlin, movement I, page 3/m. 1 ............................................................ 81
Example 5.4 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 5/mm. 11-12................................................. 81
Example 5.5 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 5/m. 21 ......................................................... 81
Example 5.6 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 6 m. 6 ........................................................... 82
Example 5.7 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 7/m. 5 .......................................................... 82
Example 5.8 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 8/m. 11 ........................................................ 83
Example 5.9 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 8/m. 19 ........................................................ 83
Example 5.10 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 9 m. 6 ........................................................ 83
Example 5.11 Le Cri de Merlin, movement IV, page. 9 mm. 11-14 ............................................ 84
Example 5.12 Le Cri de Merlin, movement IV, page. 11 m. 2..................................................... 84
Example 5.13 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 14 first half of system 5 ............................. 86
Example 5.14 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 13 m. 11 ..................................................... 86
Example 5.15 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 14 middle of system 5 ............................... 86
Example 5.16 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, Rehearsal Mark G, page 38 mm. 2-5 ................. 88
Example 5.17 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, page 39 system 2 ................................................ 90
Example 5.18 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 44 last system ............................................ 90
Example 5.19 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, page 29 mm. 1-3 ................................................ 90
Example 5.20 Guitar Concerto, movement I, page 1 mm. 1-2 ..................................................... 91
Example 5.21 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 21 middle of the first system ...................... 91
Example 5.22 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 25 m. 4 ........................................................ 92
Example 5.23 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 24 mm. 10-11 .............................................. 92
Example 5.24 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 26 mm. 1-2 .................................................. 92
Example 5.25 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 32 mm. 1-2 ................................................ 93
Example 5.26 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 33 system 2. ends with the night music
theme played by the guitar in harmonics. ..................................................................................... 93
Example 5.27 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 35 last system ............................................ 93
Example 5.28 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 36 first system ........................................... 94
Example 5.29 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 46 m. 3 ....................................................... 95
Example 5.30 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 48 mm. 4-6.................................................. 96
Example 5.31 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 49 mm. 2-3 rehearsal mark 15 .................... 96
Example 5.32 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 50 mm. 1-3 rehearsal mark 20 .................... 96
ix
Example 5.33 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 m. 1 ........................................................ 97
Example 5.34 Guitar Concerto, movement V, system 3............................................................... 97
Example 5.37 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 first half of system 3 .............................. 98
Example 5.38 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 last system ............................................. 98
Example 5.39 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 68 mm. 1-2 ................................................ 98
Example 5.40 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 56 m. 1 ....................................................... 99
Example 5.41 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 65 m. 3 ....................................................... 99
Example 5.42 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 65 mm. 2-3 ................................................ 99
Example 5.43 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 70 mm. 2-3 .............................................. 100
Example 6.1 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, mm. 1-3 ................................. 105
Example 6.2 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, mm. 11-12 ............................. 105
Example 6.3 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, m. 24 ...................................... 106
Example 6.6 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, m. 40 ...................................... 107
Example 6.10 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, m. 106 .................................. 108
Example 6.11 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Love Dance, mm. 15-16 ...................................... 109
Example 6.12 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Love Dance, mm. 23-24 ...................................... 109
Example 6.13 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 1-2 ........................................ 110
Example 6.14 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, m. 30............................................. 110
Example 6.15 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, m. 37 ............................................. 111
Example 6.18 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 76-77 .................................... 112
x
Example 6.22 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 117-118 ................................ 113
Example 6.28 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 178 ....................................... 115
xi
ABSTRACT
Guitar works were written by significant Canadian composers for the Toronto International
Guitar Festival during its existence in the 1970s to the late 1980s. These works have not yet been
included in academic study and are generally unknown in the Classical Guitar community. This
treatise presents historical information on and compositional analysis of guitar compositions
written during these twenty years, and gives detailed information about the festival, which was
the first of its kind and the precursor to the Guitar Foundation of America Festival.
The composers whose scores are examined are John Weinzweig and four of his students:
R. Murray Schafer, Harry Freedman, Harry Somers, and Srul Irving Glick. Each of these
composers has a chapter devoted to him and includes biographical information, analysis, and
historical information regarding the composition in question. The works studied are Contrasts,
and Eighteen Pieces for Guitar by John Weinzweig; Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar
by Harry Freedman; Sonata for Guitar, and Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra by Harry Somers;
Le Cri de Merlin, and Guitar Concerto by R. Murray Schafer; Dance Suite for Two Guitars by
Srul Irving Glick. Each chapter assists the performer in understanding the complexity of each
piece and allows the guitarist to see the work’s place in the oeuvre of that composer. The study is
intended to promote the performance of these works, and to draw attention to their composers,
and the history of the festival.
xii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This treatise examines the guitar compositions of a small group of Canadian composers
who have had a lasting, but often unrecognized, impact on the development of guitar in Canada.
The influence of these composers on guitar was facilitated by their participation in the Toronto
International Guitar Festival which was held five times during the 1970s and 1980s. At that time,
John Weinzweig and his students R. Murray Schafer, Harry Freedman, Srul Irving Glick, and
Harry Somers all lived in the area of Toronto. These composers took part in the founding and
development of the Toronto International Guitar Festival, writing a number of works for the
guitar that were commissioned and performed at that festival. This treatise will investigate how
these works came into existence. It will also examine several of these works in detail. These
works are generally little known in the Classical Guitar repertoire, and hopefully this treatise will
encourage more guitarists to play them.
In examining the influence of these composers and their compositions, it is helpful to
consider their country of origin. Canada is a country with a vast geography, but with a relatively
small population that for the most part is spread out in a narrow band along its southern border
with the United States. This population characteristic has resulted in a country that presents
challenges for Canadian society and Canadian culture.
One challenge is that larger Canadian cities have direct access only to a limited number of
other Canadian cities, and the distances between these cities is often vast. Toronto is more than
500 km from Montreal. Winnipeg is almost 600 km to Regina. Vancouver is almost a thousand
kilometers from Calgary. These distances mean that cultural communities are isolated and have
struggled to survive. Another challenge for Canadian culture is the proximity of most of the
Canadian population to the United States. In broadcasting, the facile access to US programming
has always been an obstacle for the creation and maintenance of Canadian culture.
In response to these challenges, the Canadian government has historically seen national
institutions as resources for the development of national culture, and in the early 1950s, the
government began actively using Canadian institutions to develop and support the Canadian arts
community. At that time, with that governmental objective in mind, the Canadian Broadcasting
1
Corporation saw itself as a creator of Canadian culture and produced programs dedicated to
classical music. The CBC also believed it had a role to play in the development and broadcasting
of Canadian contemporary composers and performers. Additionally, in 1957 the Canadian
government created the Canada Council of the Arts to provide funding for cultural groups,
artists, and performers who were considered to be culturally significant, but without the mass
public appeal that can provide more popular performers with income. Most individual provinces
had similar funding organizations.
In this social context, a cultural environment conducive to the emergence of an event such
as the Toronto International Guitar Festival was developing. There was great interest in the
Classical Guitar in the Toronto area. Eli Kassner founded the Guitar Society of Toronto in 1956,
and the organization held meetings every few weeks. The meetings quickly became kind of a
“cultural club”, and John Weinzweig and approximately 10 of his students, including the young
Harry Freedman, were often in regular attendance. Harry Somers gave lectures on basic
musicianship skills. Many of these young composers went on to become the leading composers
of Canada.1
The idea of creating and hosting a guitar festival arose at one of these Guitar Society of
Toronto meetings in 1973, and it was not long before that discussion developed into a plan for
the first International Guitar Festival. That festival was such a success that it was held four more
times every three years. 2
One of the most prominent themes of these festivals was "The Quest for New Music,”
which focused on the creation of new works for the guitar. The result of the five festivals over
fifteen years is a body of distinctly Canadian guitar works. None of which have entered the
standard repertoire.
Distinct Canadian influences are evident in the compositions in this treatise. R. Murray
Schafer attempted to portray the Canadian wilderness through mimicking forest sounds in his
piece Le Cri de Merlin. He incorporated the environment, the Canadian soundscape in his works,
including the bird sounds in Le Cri de Merlin. Harry Somers wrote North Country for string
orchestra, which depicted the northern landscape. Several of Harry Freedman's compositions
drew inspiration from paintings by Canadian artists who had been inspired by the Canadian
1
Eli Kassner and Jack Silver, Allegro Vivace Con Brio: The Life of Eli Kassner (Jack Silver, 2016), 101.
2
Ibid.
2
landscape. Weinzweig was very Canadian in his sparse mode of composition, evinced in
Contrasts, Eighteen pieces for Guitar, and many of his other works that often reflect the
expansiveness of the Canadian landscape. In Glick's writing for the guitar, unlike the works of
the composers in which the listener hears the northern landscape, one can hear Canadian urban
life, particularly Toronto city life. For example, the first movement perhaps recalls the traffic in
an early commute to work in busy downtown Toronto.
Harry Somers, R. Murray Schafer, and Harry Freedman had the same unconventional way
of writing for the voice, as found in Harry Freedman’s Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and
Guitar. Freedman used the voice in a way that avoided all use of actual words.
The two most significant works examined in this treatise are the two guitar concertos,
which share some commonalities. They both make extensive use of percussion. Harry Somers
Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra is based on Indian Ragas, while R. Murray Schafer’s
Concerto exhibits elements of North African Music in its final movement. The Weinzweig
Eighteen Pieces for Guitar are modern etudes, the Canadian equivalent to the Brouwer studies,
and there is a lot to be gained from the study of these by the young guitarist because they expose
the student to modern ways of playing the guitar.
The Toronto International Guitar Festival

The Toronto International Guitar Festival was the first significant guitar festival in North
America. It set a precedent for all guitar festivals that followed by its format: one week devoted
to concerts, lectures, and a competition.
There were many guitar societies across North America, but there had not yet been much
communication between them. With a growing interest in the Classical Guitar, there was an
interest in connecting with other guitar societies. A concrete idea for the festival emerged during
one meeting of the Toronto Guitar Society in Fall 1973.3
The Toronto Guitar Society held the first festival in 1975. Subsequent festivals ensued in
1978, 1981, 1984, and 1987. The festivals were held at the University of Toronto, in the Edward
Johnson Building, faculty of music, with concerts in the University’s Macmillan Theatre, and the
Roy Thompson Hall. The president of the festivals was Joan York. In addition to the many
volunteers, the festival’s organizers consisted of Eli Kassner, Michael Kehoe, Harold Smith, and
3
“Guitar ’75,” Soundboard Vol 2 Issue 3, 1975, 37.
3
many others of the Toronto Guitar Society. The success and significance of the festival is evident
from the sheer number of attendees, as shown in Table 1.1. One can see from the attendee’s
column that there were a high number of attendees in the first three festivals, with the most
significant festival, 1981, with 700 attendees. Many of the finalists of all the competitions now
have internationally successful careers.
The festival was given support by the University, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation, and the Canada Council.
Complete Toronto Guitar Festivals Overview
Table 1.1. Complete Toronto Guitar Festivals Overview
Festival Competitors Attendees Prize Winners Relevant Premiers

75+4 6
No Relevant Premieres
contestants 1st: Sharon Isbin
sent in tapes 2nd: Manuel
Guitar
only 16 were 570+5 Barrueco and
’75
chosen to David Leisner
play in (tied)
Toronto 3rd: Eliot Fisk
8
John Weinzweig – Contrasts
1st: John performed by Leo Brouwer.
Holmquist
Guitar
unknown 6007 2nd: David
’78
Tannenbaum
3rd. Michael
Newman
10
Harry Freedman – Impromptus
st
1 : William for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar
Kanengiser performed by Judy Garich
Guitar 2nd: Robert (voice) and Dominic Ashworth
unknown 7009
’81 Squires (guitar)
3rd: Adam
Holzman
4
5
“Guitar ’75,” Soundboard Vol 2 Issue 3, August 1975, 37.
6
7
Loretta R. Koscak, “Guitar ’78,” Soundboard Vol 5 Issue 3, 1978, 73.
8
9
Matanya Ophee “Matanya Ophee Reviewing Guitar ‘84,” Guitar International, December 1984, 15.
10
Alan Rinehart, “Guitar ’81,” Soundboard Vol 8 Issue 3, August 1981, 184.
4
Table 1.1 - Continued
Festival Competitors Attendees Prize Winners Relevant Premiers
13
Harry Somers – “Concerto for
1st: Marcelo Guitar and Orchestra”
Kayath Leo Brouwer – “Concerto No.2”
Guitar 2nd: Tania
80 +11 45012
’84 Chagnot/ Scott
Tennant
3rd: Eduardo
Bernanzando
16
R. Murray Schafer - Le Cri de
1st: Carlos Trepat Merlin performed by Norbert
Guitar 2nd: Nicola Hall Kraft.
8714 26015
’87 3rd: Fabio Zanon Leo Brouwer’s Concerto No.4.
4th: Joaquin “Concerto de Toronto”
Clerch performed by John Williams.
Guitar ’75 (June 23-28)
Table 1.2 Guitar ‘75
Concerts Workshops, Seminars17
Major Concerts18 • Teacher’s Symposium – John Duarte

• Carlos Barbosa Lima • Guitar Makers Workshop – David Rubio
• Leo Brouwer • Duo-Class – Gilbert Biberian
• John Mills • Contemporary Music Workshop – Leo Brouwer
• Oscar Ghiglia • Lute Workshop – Lyle Nordstrom
• Alirio Diaz • Seminar for Composers – John Duarte
• Henry Dorigny and Ako Ito
11
Matanya Ophee “Matanya Ophee Reviewing Guitar ‘84,” Guitar International, December 1984, 19.
12
Ibid, 15.
13
14
Alison Bert, “Toronto Report,” Soundboard, 1987, 206.
15
16
Ibid, 126.
17
“Guitar ’75,” Soundboard Vol 2 Issue 3, August 1975, 37 - 39
18
5
Noon Hour Concerts Featuring

Masterclasses:20
Canadian Guitarists19
Liona Boyd, Harold Micay, Lynne Gangbar, Alan • Aaron Shearer
Torok, Danny Beckerman, Davis Joachim, • Gilbert Biberian
Norbert Kraft,
Ray Sealy, Peter Mccutcheon, Pierre Auge, Paul
Andre Gagnon
The first festival, Guitar ’75, took place during the week of June 23-28. This festival was
much more successful than the organizers had initially planned, partly due to the diligent work of
Joan York, who hand wrote 200 letters to different guitar societies in North America. The
festival attracted 570 attendees, shown in Table 1.1.
There were six workshops offered, shown in Table 1.2. Noon hour recitals showcased
Canadian artists, and international names of the day gave concerts. Each day ended with an
evening concert. There were also six seminars and workshops; a list of these activities can be
found in Table 1.2. Participants came from all over America, but also from South America,
France, Germany, and Italy. At this festival, 500 promotional copies of Soundboard Vol. II No.2
(the magazine of the Guitar Foundation of America) were handed out. This is significant because
it indicates the GFA was present from the very beginning.21
Guitar ’75 made a profit, which the Toronto Guitar Society was able to put toward the next
guitar festival.22 Because of the number of participants, the festival required competitors to send
in a taped audition for the preliminary round. This was a requirement for the rest of the festival’s
competitions.
There was much controversy surrounding the competition results at Guitar ’75. Many of
the audience members were anticipating the first prize to be awarded to Manuel Barrueco,
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid.
21
“Guitar ’75,” Soundboard Vol 2 Issue 3, August 1975, 40.
22
Eli Kassner and Jack Silver, Allegro Vivace Con Brio: The Life of Eli Kassner (Jack Silver, 2016), 119-120
6
however, Sharon Isbin won in part because she played the required piece so well from memory,
while the other contestants’ efforts in performing the piece were questionable. The five finalists
performed 30 minutes of music each. Lacking experience with competitions, the jury selected by
the Guitar Society, which consisted of John Beckwith, Alirio Diaz, and Jack Duarte, did not have
enough members. Despite these controversies, the competition at Guitar ‘75 is legendary because
its contestants are well known today.
Guitar ’78 (June 19 – 24)23
Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events
Evening Concerts Workshops

• Richard Stover • Contemporary Music Workshop – Leo Brouwer
• Liona Boyd • Composer’s Seminar – Stephen Dodgson
• Leo Brouwer • Chamber Music – Gilbert Biberian
• Turibio Santos • Guitar in Latin America – Richard Stover
• Abel Carlevarlo (Replacing • Aaron Skitri – Music of the Baroque
Narciso Yepes who was • Concert Careers as Business – Joseph Pastore
scheduled but unable to • Luthiers’ Workshop – David Rubio
attend) • Panel Discussion on Teaching Methods
• American Guitarists of the 1800s and Their
Noon Hour Concerts Featuring Music – Ronald Purcell and Dr. Peter Danner
Canadian Guitarists • Performance of Sor, Giuliani, and other music of
• Alan Torok the early 19th Century - Dr. Thomas Heck and
• Norbert Kraft & Bonnie Dr. Brian Jeffery
Silver
• Laval Trio Films
• Lynne Gangbar • Segovia
• Wilson-McAllister Duo • John Williams
• Dan Beckerman • Julian Bream
• Robert Feuerstein
• Phil Candelaria Masterclasses
• Peter McCutcheon • Abel Carlevaro
• Davis Joachim • Turibio Santos
• Gordon O’Brien • Alice Artzt
23
Loretta R. Koscak, “Guitar ’78,” Soundboard Vol 5 Issue 3, 1978, 73-75.
7
Guitar ’78 took place during the week of June 19th- 24th. The success of Guitar ‘75 created
optimism and enthusiasm among those organizing Guitar ‘78 and allowed them to promote the
new festival to various guitar societies all over the world. This festival drew approximately 600
attendees, a small increase in attendance compared with the previous festival. At this festival, the
Guitar Society of Toronto was once again able to make a profit. 24
The festival followed the same design as the previous festival, but this time was more
substantial and had more events, as shown in Table 1.3. The competition jury was more
extensive this year and was comprised of Alice Artzt, Gilbert Biberian, Turibio Santos, Aaron
Shearer, Abel Carlevarlo, and Sophocles Papas. John Holmquist won the first prize, David
Tannenbaum took second place, and third place was taken by Michael Newman, as shown in
Table 1.1. The final evening concert consisted of award-winning works of the International
Composition Concours: A Quest for New Music. Five winning works were selected from
seventy-five entries. The composers of the five winning works each received $1000.
Guitar ’81 (June 22-27)25
Major Concerts Workshops and Seminars,

• David Russell • Improvisation Workshop – Janet Marlow and Joe
• Sharon Isbin Pass
• Turibio Santos • Guitar in Ensemble – David Russell
• Narciso Yepes • Duo Classes – Joanne Castellani and Michael
• Sergio Abreu Andriaccio
• Toyohiko Satoh and Paul • Renaissance and Baroque Lute – Paul O’dette
O’dette and Toyohiko Satoh
• Lynne Gangbar / John Mills • Teachers Seminar – Aaron Shearer, Charles
Duncan, Eli Kassner
24
Eli Kassner and Jack Silver, Allegro Vivace Con Brio: The Life of Eli Kassner (Jack Silver, 2016), 122-
123.
25
“Guitar ’81,” Soundboard Vol 8 Issue 3, August 1981, 181-190.
8
Noon Hour Concerts by Workshops and Seminars (Cont)

Canadian Artists • Ensemble Workshop – Paul Gerrits
• Enlarging the Repertoire – Panel from GFA
• Robert and Sarah Feuerstein • History of the Guitar – Paul Cox and Thomas
Stephen Wingfield Heck
• Michael Strutt • Practical Guide for Guitarists – Ed Honeywell
• Philip Candelaria • Composers Workshop – Stephen Dodgson and
• Tom and Lynn West Reginald Smith-Brindle
• Alan Rinehart
• Peter McCutcheon Masterclasses
• Dominic Ashworth • Narciso Yepes
• Gordon O’Brien • Sergio Abreu
• Norbert Kraft • John Mills
• Wilson/McAllister Duo • Turibio Santos.
Guitar ’81 was held in June during the week of the 22nd to 27th. This festival had 700
participants, the largest number of participants of all the festivals. This festival took place early
in David Russell’s career and marked one of his first significant appearances on the Classical
Guitar scene. Many of the audience members were awed by his modern style of musicianship
and technique.
The financial circumstances of the Toronto Guitar Festival began to change at the 1981
festival. One significant development was that the University decided to no longer provide the
rooms for free. Two factors caused this change: the university administration had changed, and
the government was less able to support the festival and university.
After Guitar '81, GFA began holding its festivals every year, though they lacked the scope
of the Toronto Festival.26 Americans went to the GFA festivals because of travel considerations,
instead of the Toronto Festival. The GFA board members demanded that one of their members
be on the competition Jury for the Toronto Festival.27 The GFA festival had a competition and
masterclasses given by the judges of the competition.
26
27
Ibid.
9
The judges of the competition at Guitar ’81 were Narciso Yepes, Eli Kassner, Sergio
Abreu, David Russell, Sharon Isbin, Paul O’Dette, Toyohiko Satoh, Juan Mercadal, John Mills,
Dr. Peter Danner, Ronald Purcell, and Aaron Shearer.28 William Kannegiser took first place,
second place by Robert Squires, and third place was taken by Adam Holzman, as shown in Table
1.1. Guitar ’81 was the only Toronto festival that Leo Brouwer did not attend.29
The concerts at this festival were categorized. There were the “Discovery Series Concerts,”
the “Canadian Showcase series,” and the “Quest for New Music” series. Guitar ‘81 had 12 world
premieres. The obligatory piece for the competition was “Etude Caprice” by Stephen Dodgson.
Guitar ’84 (June 22- 30)30
Major Concerts Workshops

• Liona Boyd • Guido Santarsola: Harmony as applied to the
• David Russell guitar
• Jeffrey Van: Teaching perspectives
• Paul O’dette
• Ray Nurse: Lute construction
• Toyohiko Satoh
• Brian Jeffery: English songs
• Paco de Lucia • Ron Purcell: on Vahdah Olcott Bickford,
• Leo Brouwer • Thomas Heck: Finding rare guitar music
• George Sakellariou • Ed Honeywell: Working with the music
• Kazuhito Yamashita business,
• Joe Pass • How to review printed music and recordings
Peter Danner and Alice Artzt:
Noon Hour Concerts by • Ensembles – Paul Gerrits
Canadian Artists • Duos – Wilson/McAllistar
• Chamber Music – Norbert Kraft
• Wilson/McAllister Duo
• Jazz for Classical Guitarists – Charlie Byrd
• Norbert Kraft • Luthiers’ Workshop – Jose Romanillos and Grit
• Dominic Ashworth Laskin
• Physiology for Guitarists – Pat O’Brien
28
Alan Rinehart, “Guitar ’81,” Soundboard Vol 8 Issue 3, August 1981, 184.
29
Christoph Harlan, “Guitar ’81,” Soundboard Vol 8 Issue 3, August 1981, 186-187.
30
Eli Kassner and Jack Silver, Allegro Vivace Con Brio: The Life of Eli Kassner (Jack Silver, 2016), 124-125.
10
Lute festival Masterclasses

• Paul O’dette • Leo Brouwer
• Toyohiko Satoh • David Russell
• Jurgen Huebscher
• Ray Nurse Film
Vidal showed a film and discussed Segovia
• Pat O’Brien
Guitar ’84 was held during the week of June 22-30. The festival was the most ambitious of
all. This time, there was a lute festival in addition to the guitar festival. This lute festival featured
Paul O’Dette, Toyohikoh Satoh, Jurgen Huebscher, Ray Nurse, and Pat O’Brien. Roberto Barto
won the lute competition.31
At the 1984 festival, Kazuhito Yamashita made his debut in the West, playing his
transcription of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. His playing of this piece and many
others transcended technical levels of playing at that time to such a degree that Matanya Ophee,
the controversial Classical Guitar historian and music publisher, wrote that it was the most
incredible thing that he had ever heard.32
Interestingly, John Williams made the decision not to attend this festival. His manager
asked for a fee of $24,000. Williams was unhappy with his manager asking for such a large sum
of money because he did not believe the festival could afford it, so he canceled the concert.33
The activities of this festival were very similar to previous festivals, shown in Table 1.5.
The theme of Guitar ’84 was the Guitar Concerto. There were nine concertos performed. Some
of the notable concertos played were Maurice Ohana’s Tres Graphicos, Santorsola’s Third
Concerto, Chiereghin’s Concerto for two Guitars, Somers’s Concerto No.1 and Brouwer’s
Concerto No.2, Douglas Jamieson’s Guitar Concerto and Radames Gnatalli’s Concerto.34
31
Ibid.
32
Ibid.
33
34
11
With a festival this large and ambitious, there were, of course, its critics. In his review of
the festival, Matanya Ophee wrote that at Guitar ’84, there were fewer registrants than Guitar ’81
because of the increase in registration fees and room and board charges. There was a consensus
among many festival participants that the lute and concerto focus of the festival was
inappropriate. Matanya Ophee also commented that there was an over-emphasis on Canadian
guitarists; there were eight non-Canadian guitarists, while there were nine concerts of Canadian
guitarists in which 20 Canadians took part. The design of the festival centered on the concert
featuring the premiere of Harry Somers Guitar Concerto No.1 and Leo Brouwer’s Concerto.35
In the guitar competition, Marcelo Kayath took first place, while Tania Chagnot and Scott
Tennant tied with second place, and Eduardo Bernanzando took third place.
Guitar ’87 (June 22-27)36
Concerts Workshops and Seminars
“Celebrity Series” Workshops and Seminars

• Abel Carlevarlo • Contemporary Music – Leo Brouwer:
• Norbert Kraft • Composers’ Seminar – Stephen Dodgson
• Vladimir Mikulka • Concert Careers as Business –
• Turibio Santos • Teaching Guitar – Aaron Shearer:
• John Williams • Baroque Guitar – Michael Lorime
• Flamenco Guitar – Robert Vidal
“Past Winners Series” • Composers’ Forum – John Weinzweig
• Bill Kanengiser • Luthiers Workshop – John Gilbert
• Scott Tennant with the • Rock Guitar Workshop – Rick Emmeritt
LAGQ • Ensemble Class – Paul Gerrits and Duos
• Marcelo Kayath Castellani/ Adriaccio and Wilson/McAllister
• Tanya Chagnot • Teachers’ Workshops – Aaron Shearer,
Carl Van Feggelen, Richard Provost,
Note: John Wiesenthal, Clare Callahan,
• Soprano, Victoria de Los Aaron Shearer,
Angeles gave a concert with
the guitarist Ichiro Suzuki
35
Matanya Ophee “Matanya Ophee Reviewing Guitar ‘84,” Guitar International, December 1984, 13-19.
36
126.
12
Noon Hour Concerts Featuring Canadian Masterclasses:

Guitarists • Abel Carlevaro
• Robert Feuerstein • Turibio Santos
• Davis Joachim • Hubert Kappel
• Phil Candelaria • Vladimir Mikulka
• Wilson-McAllistar Duo
• Rachael Gauk (the second Films
performance of Harry Somers’s • Segovia
Concerto No.1 for Guitar and • John Williams
Orchestra • Julian Bream
Guitar ’87 was held during the week of June 22-27. Although the 1987 festival exhibited
the improvements in musicianship and technique guitarists had achieved by the end of the 1980s,
the festival had significantly fewer participants than in the previous years, with just 260 people
attending. Matanya Ophee wrote an article about the extent to which the attendance of this
festival had declined, and he also brought attention to the absence of Kazuhito Yamashita.37
Despite this sharp decrease in the number of attendees, the festival still had many
premieres and events. Rachael Gauk gave the second performance of Harry Somers’s “Concerto
No.1 for Guitar and Orchestra” at a noon-hour concert. Norbert Kraft premiered Le Cri de
Merlin. John Williams premiered Leo Brouwer’s “Guitar Concerto No.4 Concerto de Toronto."
John Weinzweig's composition, Conversations for Three Guitars, was also premiered.38 This
festival had a “celebrity series,” a series of concerts given by well-known artists, including the
soprano Victoria de Los Angeles. It was the first time the guitar society was able to engage a
non-guitarist musician of such stature. The festival also featured a “past winners series” where
finalists from the previous festivals performed concerts.
The competition had 87 entries. The judges of the competition were Aaron Shearer, Robert
Vidal, Hubert Kappel, Michael Lorimer, Vladimir Mikulka, Mario Nardelli, Turibio Santos, and
Gareth Walters. The winners were from first to fourth place: Carlos Trepat, Nicola Hall, Fabio
Zanon, and Joaquin Clerch.
37
Matanya Ophee, “Toronto Report,” Soundboard, 1987, 206.
38
“Guitar ’87 has a String of Classical Concerts,” Toronto Star, June 19, 1987.
13
The 1987 festival was the last International Guitar Festival held in Toronto. Various factors
contributed to its demise, but the lack of funding was the most significant reason. The change of
government from Liberal to Conservative was another influence. The Conservative Prime
Minister Brian Mulroney was opposed to arts funding.
Debt was a significant problem for the festival in its later years.39 At the 1984 festival, the
University of Toronto began to charge by the minute for each room used, because the university
was having significant financial difficulties. As a result of these charges and reduced attendance,
the festival went into debt.40 The Guitar Society had to hold a gala concert in 1985 to pay off the
debt.41 In 1987, the debt the society acquired was paid later with a concert by Yamashita. A
member of the Guitar Society who was very enthusiastic about Yamashita’s playing sponsored
the concert.42
Another factor influencing the Toronto festival’s decline was that the Guitar Foundation of
America, formed in 1973, held its first festival in 1982, and began promoting its festival in the
United States. It was apparent that funding was not as significant an issue for the GFA festival.
The GFA was able to offer the winners large prizes as well as lucrative performing and recording
opportunities. Its first competition took place in 1982, as part of the first festival. As a travel
destination, the United States proved to be more attractive than Canada.43
Guitar ‘90
Planning for Guitar '90 was begun but never finished. The guitar society intended that this
festival would be devoted to the idea of the Guitar Duo. Norbert Kraft commissioned a guitar
concerto from R. Murray Schafer, with its premiere planned for Guitar '90. Pepe Romero and
other members of the guitar quartet "Los Romeros," were scheduled to play. 44
39
126.
40
Ibid.
41
Ibid.
42
Ibid.
43
Ibid.
44
Ibid, 127.
14
Conclusion
The Toronto Guitar Festival was held five times between 1975 and 1987 and grew directly
from discussions that began in 1973 within the Toronto Guitar Society. The TGF was the first of
the major guitar festivals, and its week-long format of workshops and concerts established a
standard for guitar festivals that followed in other locations.
The unusual cultural environment in Toronto and Canada facilitated and supported the
development of the festival. As a relatively isolated cultural community, there was great interest
among Torontonian guitarists in forming connections with guitarists in other communities. Also,
the Canadian government was providing financial support for the development of Canadian
cultural institutions and programs. The relative isolation and small size of the Toronto guitar
community helped make the Toronto Guitar Society an association that welcomed musicians of
various disciplines. This helped form the immense scope of the festival.
The festivals existed during a time when the Classical Guitar was gaining acceptance in
universities, the classical music world, and the concert hall. The standards of technique and
musicianship were developing. The festival served as a forum for the development of guitar
teaching, composition, and guitar building. Funding for the festival, and interest generated by the
festival, directly supported the composition of new guitar works.
The series of festivals ended due to several factors including political changes that
provided less funding to the arts, as well as competition from other festivals, particularly the
Guitar Foundation of America festival and competition.
15
CHAPTER 2
JOHN WEINZWEIG
Biography
John Weinzweig was born in Toronto in 1913 to Polish emigres. He began mandolin
lessons at elementary school and became so adept on that instrument that the high school
orchestra asked him to play violin parts on his mandolin. He also learned to play the tuba,
saxophone, and bass. From 1934 to 1937, he studied composition at the University of Toronto.
While there, he founded and conducted the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 45
After examining Weinzweig’s scores, the director of the Eastman School of Music
recommended that Weinzweig enroll at Eastman because it offered courses in 20th-century
music. While at Eastman, Weinzweig gained exposure to music not accepted at the University of
Toronto. The rhythmic potency of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Berg's use of the 12-tone row
in his Lyric Suite invigorated Weinzweig.46
After returning to Toronto, he composed incidental music for the CBC and wrote film
scores for the National Film Board, allowing him to expose Canadian audiences and musicians to
contemporary music they would have opposed in other contexts. In 1952 he was appointed to the
music faculty of the University of Toronto. With the security of a post at a University beginning
in the 1960s, he was able to be more particular about which projects he chose.47
Weinzweig's life’s work was promoting contemporary music in Canada. He and his
colleagues formed the League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre, organizations that
are of the utmost importance today in Canada.48
Weinzweig's compositional output consists of types of compositions standard for a major
composer: a violin concerto, a piano concerto, and Eleven Divertimenti for different
combinations of instruments, ranging from various solo instruments and orchestra to full
orchestra.49
45
John Weinzweig. John Weinzweig. Centrediscs. CMCCD8002, 2008, compact disc.
46
Ibid.
47
Ibid.
48
Elaine Keillor, John Weinzweig, and His Music: The Radical Romantic of Canada (Metuchen: Scarecrow
Press, 1994), 46.
49
John Beckwith, Richard Henninger, Krista L. Roberts, “John Weinzweig,”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-weinzweig-emc (accessed February 4, 2019)
16
Style
John Weinzweig is known as "The First Canadian Serialist." Weinzweig's use of serialism
developed throughout his career.50 He was influenced by the rhythms of Stravinsky and Bartok,
modifying their ideas with rhythmic patterns taken from jazz and swing.51 In the early years,
Weinzweig tried to keep his classical academic side separate from the jazz influences of his
youth, but in the 1960s, he recognized the relevance of both of these to his style. He wrote free
pieces with jazz or blues “inflections.” He used the terms “jazz blues” or “jazz swing,” as he
avoided the formal patterns of jazz. Aaron Copland, a composer who made extensive use of jazz
in his work predicted that it was the rhythmic aspect of jazz that would become the residual
element in serious music. John Beckwith commented on Copland’s prediction in his essay
entitled “Jazz Swing” and “Jazz Blues,” stating that perhaps John Weinzweig had fulfilled this
prophecy.52
Weinzweig’s student and biographer, Elaine Keillor, divided his compositional output into
four different periods. In the first period, he replaced elements of tonality with a chromatic style
that he controlled with a serial technique using cells. Two works from this first period are his
Violin Concerto and his early Divertimentos.
Weinzweig’s second period, which began in 1959, is marked by a “technical formalization
based on serial principles.”53
In his third period, beginning in the 1960s, Weinzweig resolves the inherent conflict
between serialism and rhythm by incorporating elements of jazz and swing.54 In this period, he
adheres more strictly to serial techniques but also incorporates more jazz-like conversational
elements.55 His Piano Concerto from this period has many short gestures that are passed back
50
John Weinzweig. John Weinzweig. Centrediscs. CMCCD8002, 2008, compact disc.
51
Press, 1994), 101.
52
John Beckwith, Weinzweig: Essays on His Life and Music (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press,
2011), 208.
53
Elaine Keillor, John Weinzweig and His Music: The Radical Romantic of Canada (Metuchen: Scarecrow
Press, 1994), 102.
54
Ibid.
55
“Weinzweig profile documentary produced by Eitan Cornfield: In that third compositional period …”
17
and forth between the piano and orchestra. In this third period, too, he explored unusual
sonorities and techniques in performance.56
During his fourth period, Weinzweig was finding it increasingly difficult to get the
orchestral music that he was writing performed, so he turned his attention to composing for
smaller mediums. From the mid-1970s until his death in 2006, Weinzweig compositions became
less calculated and more balanced as he drew more freely from the range of various
compositional techniques he had developed over the years.57
Weinzweig took care to consider the medium he was composing for and paid attention to
the characteristics of the instruments involved. He tailored his musical ideas to fit that medium
and to express the nature of the instruments. When composing, Weinzweig would come up with
12 pitch classes for his row, then write these out in every form on a manuscript. He would then
go through all the different forms of the row and play them looking for combinations of pitch
classes, perhaps 5 or 6, and that would then become the core of the material he used. In deciding
on these combinations, he also considered the duration of the work.
Although Weinzweig’s interest in serialism and jazz was not unique among North
American composers of the time, many of his compositions also seem to evoke a sense of
solitude, which is considered expressive of the emptiness of much Canadian geography. He
composed “with a very spare framework, placing a few well-chosen sounds in silence.”58
Contrasts
Leo Brouwer commissioned Contrasts in 1976 for the 1978 Toronto International Guitar
Festival. The premiere took place on June 20, 1978. Eli Kassner is the dedicatee of Contrasts.
This composition employs serial techniques. Contrasts is musically challenging as opposed to
technically challenging. There are many slow, sparse, and often repetitious melodies; each note
must be intentional and appropriately expressed.59 Although the Canadian guitarist Phil
YouTube,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVr_GiaSGaE&list=OLAK5uy_lM17N_A4TNEfr0IkUQ4l2Ic3TqAN1XHms
&index=8 (accessed February 08, 2020)
56
Ibid.
57
Ibid.
58
John Beckwith, Richard Henninger, Krista L. Roberts, “John Weinzweig,”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-weinzweig-emc (accessed February 4, 2019)
59
Alexa Woloshyn, “Contrasts for Guitar” http://www.johnweinzweig.com/works/contrasts-for-guitar/
(accessed February 4, 2019)
18
Candelaria played Contrasts many times in his concerts during the 1980s, this work has never
made it into the standard repertory.
I - Freely
The first movement of Contrasts exhibits six different ideas, shown in Example 2.2. The
tonal center of this first movement is emphasized by a frequently repeating artificial harmonic on
G#, shown in Example 2.1. All twelve tones appear in a fast-ascending scalar passage, shown in
Example 2.3.60
Canada, pg. 228. Example XII: 1. Six motifs used in Contrasts: First Piece.
Example 2.2 Contrasts. Middle of system 1.
Example 2.3 Contrasts, movement I, the first half of system 13
60
Ibid.
19
II - Fast
This movement consists of an ostinato pattern, shown in Example 2.4, that is punctuated by
a Bartok pizzicato on F sharp. In the first half of the movement, the intervals of seconds and
thirds expand. The second half exhibits “octave displacement” after a free section based on E#-
F#-G-E. The movement ends with rasgueado chords based on two perfect fourths.61
Example 2.4 Contrasts, movement II, m.1
III - Slow
The slow third movement is the most musically challenging in Contrasts, exhibiting sparse
blues-inflected lines, as shown in Example 2.5.62 It is the only movement in Contrasts that has a
meter. The basic motives are shown in Example 2.6. Motive c happens 11 times, serving as a
refrain. Artificial harmonics and a tremolo on a minor third bring back elements from the first
movement. 63
Example 2.5 Contrasts, movement III, the first half of system 1
61
Press, 1994), 229.
62
(accessed February 4, 2019)
63
Press, 1994), 229.
20
Canada, pg. 229. Example XII: 3. Basic motifs of Contrasts: third movement.
IV – Fast with Nervous Agitation

In this movement, there are five pairs of systems. The first system of each pair explores
various musical lines, while the second system is always a tremolo “shifting” 10th over A. In the
movement’s first half (the first page), there are sections based on dyads and semitones. The
second half (second page), employs various timbres.64
Of special interest in this movement, Weinzweig instructs the performer to “muffle the
string with the little finger pressed on the bridge,” something he termed “La Goya” pizzicato,
and is to the author’s knowledge, unique to works of Weinzweig. Throughout the Classical
Guitar repertoire there have been different types of pizzicato used by composers to achieve
different effects on the guitar. Examples include Fernando Sor’s pizzicato, which he termed
“Etouffe,” and the “Carlevaro” pizzicato. In this pizzicato the thumb is immobile during the
attack and then immediately afterwards the string is dampened with the palm of the string just
plucked. Many guitarists have used the Carlevaro pizzicato to play the beginning of “La Maya de
Goya,” by Enrique Granados.65
Example 2.7 Contrasts, movement IV, the second half of the 9th system
64
Press, 1994), 229.
65
Douglas Niedt, “How to Play Pizzicato on the Classical Guitar: A Comprehensive Guide,”
https://douglasniedt.com/pizzicato.html
21
V – Slow
The fifth movement opens with a chromatically shifting chord shown in Example 2.8. A
percussive tapping on the guitar from the bridge down to the rim and back answers this chord.
There are lyrical sections between repetitions of the opening gesture, which is repeated 16 times
throughout the piece. Microtonal intervals end melodic phrases. An emphasis on E, A, and B
creates a tonal center around E.66
Example 2.8 Contrasts, movement V, the first half of the first system
VI – Fast
The sixth and longest movement of Contrasts summarizes and expands the ideas explored
in the first five movements. In this sixth movement, the percussive effect from the fifth
movement67 reappears, as well as the rhythmic vitality of the second movement and a quotation
of the third movement’s opening phrase. The fragmented texture of the fourth movement is also
evident. The “La Goya” pizzicato is heard again. This movement is structured on 10-tones that
can be seen in a fast descending scale shown in Example 2.9 that happens 5 times throughout the
work, punctuating many of the small sections in this movement. The work ends aggressively
with rasgueados.68
Example 2.9 Contrasts, movement VI, last quarter of system 3
66
Ibid.
67
Elaine Keillor, John Weinzweig and His Music: The Radical Romantic of Canada (Metuchen: Scarecrow
Press, 1994), 228-230.
68
accessed February 4, 2019)
22
Recordings
In the recording of the premiere performance of Contrasts performed by Leo Brouwer at
Guitar '78, he takes much liberty with the interpretation, changing the right-hand placement,
thereby changing the timbre, and is very free with the rhythm. The only extant studio recording
of Contrasts is by Phil Candelaria. Norbert Kraft suggested that Phil Candelaria call up John
Weinzweig and offer to play his piece for him. That led to the recording of the work for the
Canadian Music Centre Project. In contrast with the Brouwer interpretation, Phil Candelaria
takes languid tempos and follows the score very carefully.
Eighteen Pieces for Guitar

The movements of Eighteen Pieces for Guitar are 18 small scale works written with
pedagogical intent. Eli Kassner asked Weinzweig to write a work applicable for teaching. These
eighteen pieces are short studies, with each movement focusing on a different concept. Many of
the movements are structured on the idea of call and response, often alternating two or three
ideas. The duration of the movements ranges from 45 seconds to 4 minutes and 30 seconds. The
beginner would benefit from the study of Eighteen Pieces for Guitar because they offer exposure
to extended techniques and serial influenced composition.
Weinzweig’s Eighteen Pieces for Guitar was written in 1980 but premiered in 1983 by the
Canadian guitarist Phil Candelaria at Weinzweig's 70th birthday celebration concert. Eli Kassner
commissioned the work with a grant from The Canada Council of the Arts. Each of the eighteen
pieces has a descriptive title. The extended techniques range from string bending to produce
quarter tones to placing a chopstick between two strings.69 John Weinzweig took lessons from
Eli Kassner and could play these pieces himself. 70
I - Rocking - Swaying Tempo

The first of the eighteen pieces is in the first position, employing a bar at the first fret.
Interesting to note is the use of a closed F on the 6th string for most of the movement, as shown
69
Alexa Woloshyn, “Eighteen Pieces for Guitar” http://www.johnweinzweig.com/works/eighteen-pieces-for-
guitar/
70
." John Weinzweig, Pieces for Guitar Twelve of Eighteen (1983), CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with
Philip Candelaria, Guitar, March 11, 1983,
https://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1402 (accessed May 26, 2019)
23
in Example 2.10, which is an unusual practice in a simple work directed toward beginners, as
usually the bass strings are played in the open position. The influence of blues is evident both
melodically and rhythmically.
Example 2.10 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 3

There are two extended techniques used in this movement. In performing the first extended
technique, the guitarist slides the right-hand fingers from the middle of the neck along the wound
bass strings towards the bridge of the guitar creating a whistling noise. The notation for this is
shown in Example 2.11. The second extended technique is called “tamburo.” In this piece, the
guitarist must slap the thumb rapidly from ff to pp, moving from the bridge in the direction
towards the sound hole. The notation for this is shown in Example 2.12.
II - Glissade
Glissade is a brief movement without bar lines to indicate measures. It is the shortest
movement, lasting only 45 seconds. The last system is comprised of an atonal melodic line that
consists of intervals larger than two octaves. This movement is supposed to give the impression
of glissando between groups of notes, and there are phrasing marks throughout as seen in
Example 2.13.
24
Example 2.13 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Glissade, m. 1
III - Promenade
Promenade is so called because of the walking bass figure it opens with. The opening
phrase, as shown in Example 2.14, is repeated four times. At the middle of the movement, in
measure 12, the opening motive is separated into a chord figure and a melodic line figure,
resulting in the opening phrase becoming two separate elements. In measures 29-32, the melodic
element of the opening motive is repeated 4 times.
Example 2.14 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Promenade, m. 1
IV - Meditation - Slow
Meditation is a slow atmospheric movement. This movement is based on a phrase that
consists of 3 subphrases we will refer to as X, Y, and Z, shown in Examples 2.15, 2.16, and 2.17.
Example 2.15 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, mm. 1-4
Example 2.16 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, m. 5
25
Z

The whole phrase, consisting of XYZ, is stated 4 times. The general shape of X and Y remain
consistent throughout, but the X and Y pitches are varied; Z remains the same each time.
At the very end of the movement there are four measures serving as a Coda, measures 39-
42. The first two measures of the Coda continue the Z motive, while the second two measures
instruct the player to strike the guitar while damping the strings with the left hand. The composer
indicates the exact location where the performer is to hit the guitar with a drawing of its body
beneath the stave, as shown in Example 2.18.
V – Incantation
This movement is based on a phrase that has three parts, X, Y, and Z. X consists of an E
in the bass followed by a chord alternating between the interval of a perfect 5th and tritone, either
C# to G# or C# to G natural (see Example 2.19.) The Y part of the phrase is also a pedal point,
shown in Example 2.20. The Z part of the statement is a small afterthought, see Example 2.21.
There are variations to the pitches of the Y and Z segments of the phrase, but the X idea remains
consistent throughout.
Example 2.19 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, mm. 1-2
26
Y
Example 2.20 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, mm. 4-5
Example 2.21 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Incantation, m. 6
VI - Carillon
This movement imitates a Carillon, an instrument usually housed in a bell tower. A
Carillon has “batons” which are laid out in the same manner as a keyboard. The player strikes the
batons with loosely closed fists, and this causes the bell clapper to strike the bell to produce the
sounds.71 This movement is slow, and is in 5/4 time, further emulating the carillon because this
time signature gives the movement a feeling of a grouping of 2+3. The rhythm does not change
for the duration of the movement, and the writing seems inflexible, further emulating the
carillon. This movement tends to use dissonant intervals on the third beat in each measure, and
the treble and bass strings complement each other creating a bell-like sonorous effect, as shown
in Example 2.22.
Example 2.22 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Carillon, m. 3
71
Luc Rombouts, "Carillon," https://www-oxfordmusiconline-
com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-
0000004929 (accessed March 20, 2020)
27
VII - Strumming
Strumming consists of rasgueados with the i and m fingers, as well as backward strokes
with the thumb, shown in Example 2.23. This is an unusual technique in the Classical Guitar
repertoire, and this movement could be used to introduce the student to rasgueado techniques
from the very early stages of playing.
Example 2.23 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Strumming, m. 17
The chords here are separated on either the treble strings, played using m, or on the bass
strings played using i. Measure 11 is the first instance of the bass strings played with a
backstroke of the thumb instead of using i. Weinzweig indicates that when playing the rasgueado
on the treble strings p should rest on the 4th string, and when playing the bass strings, a should
rest on the third string. These are insightful suggestions for the guitarist.
The movement is based on the first measure, shown in Example 2.24. In various places the
first measure reappears in variation, with an augmentation in 8th notes, played with back strokes
with the thumb, one example of this variation is shown in Example 2.25. The use of 16th notes
becomes more prevalent near the end, naturally creating more volume and the feeling of
heightened intensity. The time signature changes in nearly every measure, with the rhythmic
28
patterns changing continuously. Playing this work from memory would be a challenge even for
the experienced performer, as it is also a study in rhythm.
VIII - Oscillation – Fast

This is an energetic movement serving as an arpeggio study. Two phrases in this
movement are repeatedly interchanged between measures 28-91. The first phrase (measures 1-
17) remains the same throughout. In the second phrase (measures 18-27), the last two bars have a
small variation each time the second phrase reappears. The seventh phrase of this movement,
beginning at measure 82, is different. This phrase combines both the second half of the first
phrase and elements of the second phrase. This seventh phrase is punctuated by both chords (see
Example 2.26.) The closing phrase at measures 92-97 is unrelated to either of these phrases.
Example 2.26 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Oscillation, mm. 90-91
IX - Manor Road Blues

This movement consists of 5 phrases : phrase 1 mm. 1-7 (shown in Example 2.27), phrase
2 mm. 8-17, phrase 3 mm. 18-27, phrase 4 mm. 28-38, phrase 5 mm. 39-61. Each of the phrases
is interrupted by the concluding three measures, shown in Example 2.28. The phrases are for the
most part a single melodic line, but occasionally the interval of a 6th supports the line. The last
phrase, phrase 5 however, begins at measure 39, but is different from the previous phrases. In
phrase 5 the melodic line is interrupted by a 7th and 6th, interjecting between the melodic lines. It
is also the longest phrase.
Example 2.27 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Manor Road Blues, mm. 1-2
29
Example 2.28 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Manor Road Blues, mm. 5-7
X - Dialogues - Fast
This movement is a slur study. Dialogues alternates with left-hand slurring answered by
tapping on the Guitar, as shown in Example 2.29. The composer indicates in the score to “Lift
finger [of the left hand] rather than pluck [with the right hand]”. Interestingly, the composer
indicates the fingers used for tapping, and indicates specifically where on the Guitar the guitarist
must tap. The locations include the bridge, top, and bridge saddle. At measure 13-15, the
guitarist arpeggiates the strings behind the nut with the nail on the left-hand thumb from the 6th
string to the 1st string, instead of slurring with the left hand.
Example 2.29 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Dialogues, mm. 1-2
XI - Arioso - Slow
Arioso is a lyrical movement with defined arpeggiations supporting a prominent melodic
line as shown in Example 2.30. This movement could be used to teach the student about
accentuating the melodic line. The guitarist could use rest stroke on the melodic line to help
accentuate the melody. The structure of this movement is ABA with a small Coda. The A section
spans measures 1-4. The B sections spans measures 5-10, and the returning A section spans
measures 11-14. The Coda is found in the last system and interestingly, has no bar lines.
Example 2.30 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Arioso, m. 1
30
XII - Question-Answers - Fast
This movement follows the question and answer format with the Question, a two-measure
phrase implying two voices, and the Answers repeated chords (see Example 2.31). Each time the
Answer is a different set of pitches while the Question remains the same. At the very end of the
movement p is dragged backwards (see Example 2.32).
Example 2.31 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Questions-Answers, mm. 1-2
Example 2.32 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Questions-Answers, m. 23
XIII - Fragments - Freely

Fragments consists of fragments of ideas utilizing rasgueados, left-hand slurs, and
arpeggiated materials, slides, and double string trills. The first system is shown in Example 2.33,
which shows the rasgueados, pizzicatos, slurs, and glissandos.
Example 2.33 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Fragments, first system
XIV - Soliloquy - Slow

Soliloquy is a slow and lyrical movement. There are four statements, each of which is 7
measures in length. The statements are atonal in the first four measures of the first phrase, as
shown in Example 2.34. Each phrase is punctuated by a chromatic motive, as shown in Example
2.35. At the very end of the movement, the chromatic motive is repeated 3 times. Each time the
motive is reduced in length.
31
Example 2.34 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Soliloquy, m. 4
Example 2.35 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Soliloquy, m. 7
XV - City Blues
City Blues is in ABAʹ form. The A section, spans measures 1-12 and consists of two
phrases, each 6 measures long. Each phrase is punctuated by a single pitch tremolo with the i
finger.
The B section, which spans measures 13-26, is centered around a repeated melodic line in
eighth notes supported by a minor 10th A-C; the melodic phrase is shown in Example 2.36.
Example 2.36 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, City Blues, mm. 13-14
The Aʹ section begins at measure 27, and repeats elements from the A section. The opening
six measures are condensed, then further condensed. The resulting highly condensed version is
then presented 3 times, then followed by a rasgueado figure/scalar fragment that is repeated three
more times. This brings the movement to an end.
XVI – Sparks
Sparks imitates the sounds of electrical sparks using fast 32nd notes. Although there are
no bar lines in this movement, it is still divided into three sections. The first section consists of 4
gestures of the opening idea which is shown in Example 2.37. In the third system, a scalar idea
replaces the opening motive, as shown in Example 2.38.
32
The second section begins in the middle of system 5. The idea is very similar to the first
section however the intervals are inverted, as shown in Example 2.39.
The third section begins at system 9 with rasgueados taking the place of the opening idea.
The second half of this section is not completed.
Example 2.37 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, first quarter of system 1
Example 2.38 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, first half of system 3
Example 2.39 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Sparks, second half of system 5
XVII - Lamentation - Slow

There are no bar lines in this movement. The movement uses only the low E string for
support throughout. Much of this movement, including the entire lyrical line, is played on the
bass strings. This can create challenges for many guitarists because it is sometimes difficult to
avoid producing extraneous noise when playing on the bass strings. Weinzweig has indicated
both dotted slur marks and slide marks in the score, as shown in Example 2.40. Weinzweig
emphasized the importance of legato when playing these slurs. He also indicates in the score that
the player should use the underside of the palm to dampen the bass at the bridge of the guitar,
thus muting the low E string.
In systems 6-9 the line deviates from the main motive exhibiting two short melodic
phrases, which return to the opening motive, occasionally interrupted by string bending. The
33
final two systems of the movement utilize string bending, consisting of ¼ tone up, ½ tone and ¾
tone. This movement could be used to teach the student how to play pitches that are smaller than
the standard semitone, improving the young students’ awareness of pitch, thereby serving as ear
training.
Example 2.40 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Lamentation, first system
XVIII - Birds
This movement is so named because it mimics the sounds of birds. Birds requires the
guitarist to use a Japanese chopstick (or pencil tip). The guitarist places the chopstick/pencil tip
between the strings and lets it rattle between the 5th/6th strings. There are 3 gestures and each one
is 3 systems in length. The chopstick is used in the first system of every gesture. The remaining
two systems are played in an orthodox manner, except for the very last system of the movement.
In the last system the chopstick is used in the right hand as a percussive tool to hit the strings and
sound a chord. In the final line of the movement, the guitarist presses the notes down with the
left hand on the first string letting the chopstick/pencil tip rebound on the first string with the
right hand creating a percussive rattle.
Recordings
There are two recordings of Eighteen Pieces for Guitar. The first recording is of the
premiere performance by Phil Candelaria at Weinzweig's 70th birthday celebration at Roy
Thomson Hall in Toronto in 1983. The second recording is a studio recording which appears on
Phil Candelaria's album, Progressions.72
Performance Considerations
Although Contrasts is not a technically demanding work, it is musically demanding. While
the 6 movements can be played separately, Contrasts relies on a hearing of the entire work to
72
Candelaria, Philp. Progression. Palladium Records. CD-PAL 01110, January 1st 1993, compact disc.
34
create a cogent entity; the final movement is a summation of the entire work. Movements I and
VI present difficulties because of their fragmentary structure. For example, in movement I, the
six opening ideas which the movement is based on each employ different textures and switching
between them can be a great difficulty on the guitar. These two outer movements also present a
challenge for the guitarist because there are many places where the composer indicates
accelerando, which could cause the player to lose a sense of pulse and rush the music.
Throughout the work, Weinzweig has made use of double string trills using aimp, which could
also cause the guitarist to lose a sense of rhythmic pulse, because of the implied accelerando. All
movements except movement III take a very percussive approach to the guitar. In thinking about
how to perform this music, one should examine the performance style of Leo Brouwer.
Weinzweig had this guitarist/composer in mind when he wrote the work. The performance style
of Leo Brouwer lacked the technical fluency of many contemporary players, and was mainly
focused on achieving diverse colors, evident in his performance of this work. The third and fifth
movements might be the simplest for an intermediate guitarist, while the first, second and sixth
movements are the most technically demanding.
Eighteen Pieces for Guitar was written at the request of Eli Kassner, a guitarist who
dedicated his life to teaching the guitar. In line with Eli Kassner’s renown pedagogical expertise,
this is a work intended for students. The total duration of the entire work is over 30 minutes, and
movements vary in difficulty. John Weinzweig indicates in the performance notes that, “Any
number of pieces may be performed in any order which will be musically effective.” The pieces
structures are often simple employing just 2- 3 ideas. Each of the eighteen pieces focus on a
various musical aspect/technique and unusual approaches to playing the guitar. Each of these
works focuses on a different aspect of playing, melody, trills, slides, slurs, even using a
chopstick, pizzicato using the palm to mute at the bridge, arpeggios, while teaching the student
how to read different notation. The descriptive titles make the work more attractive and give the
student a clearer idea about what they are trying to achieve in the movement. Compared with his
earlier work, Contrasts, it is evident that in Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Weinzweig has taken a
more jazz/blues influenced, less serious approach.
35
Chapter Summary
John Weinzweig was a composer of international recognition who played a significant
role in the development of music in Canada. Weinzweig developed his interest in serialism while
studying at the Eastman School of Music and was the first Canadian composer to make serialism
an integral part of his musical language. He modified serialism with rhythmic patterns from jazz
and swing. Weinzweig’s compositional output can be divided into four periods. In the first three
periods he developed his use of serialism which was the use of serialist techniques to control
extreme chromaticism. In the fourth period he turned to smaller mediums and was able to draw
on compositional techniques he had honed throughout his compositional career.Weinzweig
played an important role in the development of guitar in Canada through the works he wrote for
the instrument, but also with his influence on a number of his composition students who also
wrote for guitar.
36
CHAPTER 3
HARRY FREEDMAN
Biography
Harry Freedman was born in April 1922 in Poland. At the age of three, he moved to
Canada with his family. At 13, Freedman enrolled at the Winnipeg School of Art to study
painting. Inspired by the Bennie Goodman Band, Freedman began clarinet lessons at the age of
18 with the leading clarinetist in Winnipeg, Arthur Hart, who went on to become the principal
clarinetist for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. During WWII he spent four years playing in
the military band, allowing him to develop his skills as a jazzman and arranger. Freedman began
his formal music education in composition with John Weinzweig in 1945. In 1946, he began
playing English horn in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a position he would keep for 25 years.
After 1967, Canada’s centennial year, he began receiving many commissions as a composer,
prompting him to leave the orchestra in 1971. One of his most notable contributions to Canadian
arts was when he worked closely with Brian MacDonald, a choreographer. The ballets they
created together, were the first full-length Canadian ballet commissions for the Winnipeg Ballet.
Harry Freedman and Brian McDonald presented seven ballets together. 73
Style
Over the course of his compositional career, Freedman experimented with different
approaches to composition, which can be seen in a few significant works of his oeuvre, spanning
the years 1947 to 1964. Freedman’s first work was Divertimento for Oboe and Strings, which
was influenced by his teacher, Weinzweig. The first evidence of a distinct style is shown in
Tableau, the first of several compositions inspired by Canadian paintings, revealing his
education in the visual arts. The work employs the 12-tone method of composition. While
writing his Symphony No.1, he lost interest in the limitations of serialism and used it less strictly.
After Symphony No.1 he abandoned 12-tone technique and did not use it again until he composed
53 Stations of the Tokaido, which was inspired by a series of fifty-three prints by Japanese artist,
73
John Beckwith, Betty Nygaard King, Linda Litwack, "Harry Freedman,"
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/harry-freedman-emc (accessed May 28, 2019)
37
Utagawa Hiroshige. Freedman set to music nineteen of the fifty-three poems that accompany the
prints. Freedman’s knowledge of the strict brushwork required by Sumi painting, influenced the
music, inspiring him to begin once again to use the 12-tone method. Although he wrote strict
serial works after Tokaido, in most of his music elements of serialism were used for efficiency.
Further aspects of Freedman’s style can be found directly in and are applicable to Impromptus
for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, the work examined in this chapter. 74 Freedman’s wife, Mary
Morrison, was a voice professor at the University of Toronto, influencing his approach to writing
for voice. He believed the music was more important than the words. He thought of the voice as
an instrument. Throughout the work, the text for the voice uses no real words, but is made up of
vocables, as used in jazz “Scat” singing, shown in Example 3.1.75
Example 3.1 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, mm. 35-36
Gail Dixon, a musicologist, found that one of Freedman’s most used melodic phrases was a
rising 4th and a half step, which could, for example, be the pitches B-E-F. In an interview, Harry
Freedman stated that if the F is transposed down an octave, the pitches would be F-B-E, which
are the three upper notes of Freedman’s favorite jazz chord. This jazz chord, based on C, is
shown in measure 1, Example 3.2. Freedman had a penchant for “the prime and inverted forms
of the pc set class 3-5”, the five possibilities available from this set shown in Example 3.2,
measure 2.76
Example 3.2 Source Gail Dixon The Music of Harry Freedman, pg. 154
74
Ibid.
75
76
Gail Dixon, The Music of Harry Freedman (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004), 154.
38
The F-B-E chord that Harry Freedman spoke of in his interview can be found directly in
the first measures of movement I of Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar (see Example
3.3) and at the return of the opening material at the A` Section of the movement as in Example
3.4. Interestingly, Freedman’s first significant work, Tableau, uses this intervallic collection at
the beginning, and this intervallic collection happens in many other works in his oeuvre.77
Example 3.3 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement I, m. 3
Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar

On June 23, 1981, at Guitar '81, 11:30 a.m., in the Macmillan Theatre, Dominic Ashworth
(guitar) and Judy Garich (voice) performed Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar by Harry
Freedman. The program notes state that this was the world premiere performance and that the
Guitar Society of Toronto commissioned the work for Guitar '81.78
The writing for the guitar uses many single lines, especially in the third movement.
Motivic ideas form the basis of this work, and many elements of Harry Freedman’s style are
evident. In fast tempos, Freedman often resorted to fugato. This is evident in the third movement.
77
“Freedman Documentary: If you listen to the First Symphony, the echo of Bela Bartok is there.” YouTube,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjj7-eYiuiY&list=LL-Nj4QR3vmzZZ_hLQFfo9LA&index=2&t=0s (accessed
May 29, 2019)
78
Jack Silver, e-mail message to author, June 23, 2018.
39
Movement I
This first movement is in ABA` form. In this movement, one can see examples of Harry
Freedman's contrapuntal style of writing. There are many time-signature changes; this movement
is very rhythmically active.
A section - Measures 1-25

The A section begins with an introduction played by the guitar, which makes use of Harry
Freedman’s signature F-B-E chord, see Example 3.5. The voice enters at measure 8, and the
guitar plays an arpeggiated figure, see Example 3.6.
In measures 24-25, which lead to the B section, the voice uses two measures of a
transposed version of measures 5-6 from the guitar’s introduction.
B section - Measures 26-74

A few phrase groups create the structure of the B section. In this context, the phrase group
consists of three phrases: phrase X, Y, and Z, shown in Examples 3.7, 3.8, 3.9.
40
Phrase X – mm. 26-28:
Phrase Y – mm. 30-34:
Phrase Z - mm. 35--39:
There are two phrase groups presented with X, Y, and Z, followed by two reiterations of
Phrase Z. The third gesture with Idea C is made, but not completed. The music moves back into
the A` section.
41
A` section - Measures 75-96
This section is structured on a motive first appearing in the voice part shown in Example
3.11. This motive, derived from the descending interval at measures 10-11, is shown in Example
3.10. The guitar accompaniment uses material taken from the introduction.
At measure 84, the voice part appears notated with stems and beams, but no note heads.
The composer indicates for this section “Stage Whisper,” which means that the voice whispers
the vocables audibly enough so that the sound still projects to fill a hall. These whispers alternate
with the guitar now playing the figure shown in Example 3.12 which was previously sung by the
voice.
The movement ends with a motive in the voice (Example 3.13). This motive reappears in
varied form as the opening motive of movement III (Example 3.18).
42
Movement II
Movement II is a brief movement that builds upon a gradually expanding opening motive,
G-B. The gradual expansion of this motive is shown in Example 3.14, 3.15, 3.16.
Example 3.14 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, m. 1
Example 3.15 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, m. 2
Example 3.16 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, mm. 3-4
The guitar accompaniment style in this movement is almost lute-like, and alternates
between Ooh and Ah. The Ooh is reserved for more tranquil moments. At the movement’s
climax, the singer changes the vowel to “Ah” in the higher register of the voice. This moment is
shown in Example 3.17.
43
Example 3.17 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement II, mm. 12-14
In the last section of the movement, the guitar builds a very long line towards another “Ah”
moment, accompanied by a full six-string chord played by the guitar. The movement closes off
with variations of the same motive that opened the movement.
Movement III
Overview
This movement is in ABA` form; the A section spans measures 1-23, the B section spans
measures 24-68, and the A` section spans measures 68-120.
A Section measures 1-23

The A Section introduces three critical motives, shown in Examples 3.18, 3.19, 3.20. These
motives are the basis for the rest of the movement. The movement begins with two four-measure
phrases using motive 1. At measure 8, motive 2 makes its first appearance. Shortly thereafter,
motive 3 appears in measure 12.
Example 3.18 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, m. 1 motive 1: voice
and guitar measure 1
44
Voice, measures 8-10
Guitar, mm. 12-13
B Section measures 24-68

This section first makes use of Motive 3, deploying it canonically in measures 24-47.
Harry Freedman’s “predilection for fugato in fast tempi”79 is evident here.
Immediately after the canonic section, an entry of motive 1 (see Example 3.21) evokes the
return of the A section; this motive is manipulated for ten measures, thereafter, motive 2 is
presented twice in two separate phrases in measures 58-64.
Example 3.21 Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar, movement III, mm. 1-4
Motives 1 and 2 are the basis of a deceptive episode ending with the first three intervals of
motive I repeated by both the voice and guitar in conversation, measures 64-67, shown in
Example 3.22.
79
45
A Section measures 68-120

Section A` begins at measure 68 with motive 1 in the voice, while the guitar plays a jazz-
like walking-bass accompaniment, shown in Example 3.23. The A` section is different from the
A section evident from the predominantly rising lines, heightening the sense of excitement. The
rising lines in the bass in the guitar found in the A` Section of the movement are reminiscent of
the first movement measures 54-58, shown in Example 3.24.
Motive 2 becomes the focus again at measure 81. Measures 93-105 employ motive 1. This
section is essentially canonic; the voice and guitar mirror each other.
46
In measures 107-120, descending intervallic interjections in both the voice and guitar,
shown in Example 3.25, form the basis of the ending of movement III, which derives from the
second two notes of the opening motive of the second movement, shown in Example 3.26. The
ending of the A` section is similar to the ending of the B section; compare Example 3.26 to
Example 3.22.
Impromptus for Mezzo-Soprano and Guitar is an intermediate level work. The writing for
the guitar does not present great difficulties, often consisting of single lines. There are elements
of this piece that create challenges, however. One difficulty in this work lies in the ensemble
aspect. The guitar part works in conjunction with the voice to create contrapuntal textures,
evident in the first and second movements. In movement II, the voice has a more soloistic role,
with the guitar taking on the accompaniment role. In movement III, the ending is challenging
because of the counting required by the duo. The fact that there is no recording of the work will
also make its performance more difficult for the guitarist. Single movements from this work
could be chosen for performance, perhaps movements I and II, or movements II and III.
Conclusion
Harry Freedman had a serious interest in the visual arts, studying art formally until the age
of 18, thereafter beginning to study the clarinet. Around this time, WWII began, and he played in
47
the military band for four years. After the war, he obtained a place as English hornist in the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which he kept for 25 years. After leaving the TSO he made his
living entirely from commissions, one of the few Canadian composers able to do so. His earliest
work used the 12-tone technique founded in the Weinzweig approach; however, Freedman’s real
inspiration was the visual arts, and his first work was based on 3 different paintings. In
Symphony No. 1 he grew wary of serialism because it limited him in his symphonic writing and
his was inclined towards flowing melodies. However, he returned to 12-tone serialism again
when he wrote Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, a work inspired by the strict brushwork of the
Japanese sumi painting style. He found that by manipulating the 12-tone row he was able to use
it expressively.
48
CHAPTER 4
HARRY SOMERS
Biography
Harry Somers was born in Toronto in 1925. Two of his early experiences with music were
hearing his mother playing piano and singing in the school choir. He did not take much interest
in music until the summer of 1939, when he was introduced to the piano music of Brahms,
Beethoven, and Mozart. Somers began composing in the Fall of 1939 after he began piano
lessons.80
Somers began to study with John Weinzweig in 1943. Weinzweig recognized that Somers
had an exceptional talent and set up an intensive program of study for him. After covering
traditional harmony in about five months, he proceeded with analysis and creative exercises. The
analysis covered Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Berg, Bartok.
Weinzweig focused on teaching him how to build a good line, catalyzing Somers’ preoccupation
with the line.81 He acquired work as a music copyist which improved his ability to notate music,
evident in his exceptionally clean scores. 82
Somers was fortunate to receive monetary assistance throughout his career, improving his
ability as a composer. He received a scholarship from the Canadian Amateur Hockey
Association to study composition in Paris, where he studied with Milhaud. Somers returned to
Paris for a second time in 1960 after receiving a grant. During his second visit, he spent a short
time at a Benedictine monastery in 1961, where he studied Gregorian chant, listening to and
absorbing subtle inflections and contours of plainsong.83 He received an $18,000 grant from the
Canadian Government to study in Italy. In 1977 he visited the USSR, where he attended
performances of his works, met Soviet composers, and spoke about contemporary Canadian
music.
80
Brian Cherney, Harry Somers (Toronto: University of Toronto University Press, 1975), 6.
81
Ibid, 10-11.
82
Ibid, 31.
83
Ibid, 84.
49
The performance of Somers’ opera, Louis Riel was one of the most notable achievements
in his career. Louis Riel was the first Canadian opera to be commissioned, and Somers’ was, for
a time, a household name in Canada.
Harry Somers had three different categories for the creation of his music. The first category
was “community music”: music for amateurs and to be used in public schools. The second
category was “functional music,”: music for television, films, and theatre, where the composition
must work with another medium. The third category avoided limitations and was sometimes
completely experimental.84
Compositional Style and Development

Somers was composing in an individual style even before he began his compositional
studies. His works had descriptive titles such as Northern Lights, Rain, and Twilight. The formal
structure was primitive; traditional notions of chord progressions and cadence were absent. There
was an interest in coloristic possibilities of chords, for example, the non-functional juxtaposition
of simple triads, and the parallel progressions of seventh, ninth, or eleventh chords.85 His String
Quartet No.1, which was his first significant work written under Weinzweig's direction, shows
many emerging elements of his style.
In his first significant composition, North Country, a distinctive style is evident, and his
attention to the line is one of the most striking aspects. There are two types of lines in Somers’
works: 1) The first unfolds slowly within a small pitch range, often accompanied by short
rhythmic interjections such as a falling minor second in a long-short rhythm that creates sharp,
dynamic fluctuations in otherwise sustained elements or other short melodic segments. 2) The
second type of line is more rhythmic, formed from wider intervals and ranges, usually
accompanied by one or more continuous voices. The guitar concerto exhibits both types of lines.
The use of long lines helped to create a certain intensity and continuity in his music.
Somers also created tension through the juxtaposition of contrasting styles. He used jazz to
mitigate the inflexibility that an academic approach might impose on a work.86
84
“Harry Somers: Biography,” Canadian Music Centre, https://www.musiccentre.ca/node/37296/biography
(accessed January 29, 2019)
85
Brian Cherney, Harry Somers (Toronto: University of Toronto University Press, 1975), 6-7
86
Ibid, 63.
50
Somers made use of sudden dynamic changes to create a sense of "dynamic unrest."
“Dynamic unrest” is found in the guitar concerto but is not implemented in the guitar sonata
because that medium is unsuitable to this kind of treatment.87
Another aspect of Somers’ style was his interest in the voice, which began in 1963. He
approached the voice in a modern way using “phonetic sounds and timbral inflections.”88
Somers and the Guitar

Somers became interested in the guitar after he attended a concert performed by Segovia in
the 1950s. Harry Somers took lessons from Eli Kassner in 1957.89 He became proficient enough
to play background music on radio programs as well as in costume on stage at the Stratford
Festival in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where he performed music he wrote himself.90
Guitar Sonata
The Somers Guitar Sonata, written in 1959, was commissioned by the Guitar Society of
Toronto. Peter Acker gave the premiere in 1964.91 In 1969, during masterclasses given in
Stratford, Ontario, Julian Bream recommended this work.92
This work represents Somers’ juxtaposition of styles and is an excellent introduction to
Harry Somers’ compositional style. At once idiomatic, but at the same time a departure from the
standard repertoire of the guitar, the work consists of 4 movements: Prelude, Scherzo, Molto
Lento, Finale. Many of the chords used throughout the piece utilize a barre, or a half barre.
87
John Beckwith, Brian Cherney, Betty Nygaard King, Mabel H. Laine, “Harry Somers,”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/harry-stewart-somers (accessed February 11, 2019)
88
Ibid.
89
Darcy Greaves, “Guitar,” https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guitar (accessed January 29,
2019)
90
Brian Cherney, Harry Somers (Toronto: University of Toronto University Press, 1975), 59.
91
Christopher Moore, Donald Sedgewick, “Guitar Society of Toronto,”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guitar-society-of-toronto-emc (accessed January 29, 2019)
92
Michael Laucke, “Growth of the Guitar in Canada,” Guitar & Lute Magazine September, no. 24 (1982):
35.
51
1. Prelude – Maestoso
The form of this movement is ABA`. The B section is marked “Cadenza.” The A section
spans measures 1-9. The Cadenza is in measure 10, but is unmeasured, and spans three systems.
The A` section spans measure 11-19.
The A section begins with the opening melodic material supported by a barre chord,
creating quartal harmony. This is shown in Example 4.1. The opening six measures are in the
form of a sentence.
Example 4.1 Sonata for Guitar, movement I, m. 1
In measure 7, after the opening sentence, the opening two measures of melodic material
appear in the bass. This ends abruptly however, when the movement moves into the cadenza
section a few measures later in measure 10. The melody of the opening two-measure phrase of
the A section is the basis of the cadenza. The cadenza is highly ornamented, with trills in
quintuplets, sextuplets, and septuplets, as shown in the Example 4.2. This Cadenza is useful for
students developing slur techniques, especially those employing the first finger and fingers 3-4,
and is also useful for teaching the student how to play these different tuplet rhythmic groupings.
The A` section, which ends the movement, is almost coda-like and much briefer than the opening
A section.
Example 4.2 Sonata for Guitar, movement I, m. 10
52
2. Scherzo – Allegro
There are two sections in this movement. The first section spans measures 1-37, and the
second section spans from measure 37 to the end of the movement.
The Scherzo movement is the most extended and technically challenging in the Sonata. It
begins with a Bb ostinato. The Bb ostinato touches on C and C#, shown in Example 4.3, after
which a melody emerges.
Example 4.3 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, mm. 1-7
The intensity heightens at measure 31 with triplet arpeggiations of an E diminished

seventh. Thereafter the pitches shift chromatically around the E on the third string, leading to the
closing descending figure based on the interval of a perfect fourth that ends the first section,
shown in Example 4.4. The second section begins at measure 37 and follows in the same manner
as the first section, but with the ostinato on the 6th string, shown in Example 4.5.
The second section of this movement is more developed and has more material added to it. A
quartal harmonic trichord is chromatically planing against an E pedal on the 6th string, as shown
in Example 4.6. This type of figure appears in his guitar concerto as well.
53
A challenging scale (see Example 4.7), unusual for a guitar work of this time, leads into a
passage (measures 86-91) that develops the quartal planing idea and the arpeggiated climax
material previously heard in measures 31-34. This reappears in measures 96-98. At measure 99,
there is a descending line, shown in Example 4.8. Each note of this line is repeated twice. This
descending line is an idea pervasive in the guitar works of Joaquin Rodrigo.
The coda is a simplification of the first seven measures of the movement. These measures
are separated into two different entities in the coda. The first is the ostinato, the open B/2nd
string. The second is the entity attempting to break away from the ostinato into a melody.
Example 4.7 Sonata for Guitar, movement II, m. 85
54
3. Molto Lento
This movement has three sections. The opening section spans measures 1-8, the middle
spans 8-30, and the closing section spans measures 32-41. The third movement begins with a
period measures 1-8, having both an antecedent phrase and a consequent phrase. The antecedent
and consequent phrases are shown in Example, 4.9 and 4.10.
Example 4.9 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 1-5 antecedent phrase
Example 4.10 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 6-8 consequent phrase
In the middle of the movement, measures 8-30, the consequent phrase acts as the basis. It is
in the lower voice and treated with rhythmic augmentation, while the upper melodic line derives
from measure 4 of the antecedent phrase, this motive is shown in Example 4.11.
Example 4.11 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, m. 4
Example 4.12 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, mm. 11-13
55
The antecedent phrase derives its structure from the very last chord in the movement C-E-
Bb-Eb, shown in Example 4.13. Throughout the movement, the perfect fifth, A-E, appears giving
parts of the movement the melodic repose seen at the beginning of Example 4.12 above. The
middle section, measures 8-30, ends with a contrary motion passage, followed by two measures
of silence.
The opening antecedent phrase reappears at measures 32-37, although it is not identical to
the opening. The movement ends with a major 9th chord, shown in Example 4.13.
Example 4.13 Sonata for Guitar, movement III, m. 41
4. Finale – Allegro Con Spirito

Movement IV is relatively easy because it relies on repetitive chord shapes in the left hand.
There is an A and a B section. The B section is a variation of the A section. The A section spans
measures 1-17, while the B section spans measures 21-43. This movement is structured on the
intervals of a major second, and perfect fourth, found throughout the movement. The main
figures in which these intervals appear are shown in Examples 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, and 4.17. The A
section is separated from the B section by three measures of major/minor seconds from measures
18-20, shown in Example 4.16. In the B section, the major second is presented utilizing a variety
of pitch classes and is more adventurous than the A section. The solo line passages employ
elements of the blues, exhibited by the three chromatic pitches in succession, shown in Example
4.15. The movement ends with the reappearnce of chord shapes shown in Example 4.18, which
feature a major second.
56
Example 4.14 Sonata for Guitar, movement IV, mm. 1-2
Example 4.17 Sonata for Guitar, movement IV, m. 17
57
Recordings
There are three recordings of the Sonata for Guitar. The first two recordings are live: Peter
Acker’s recording is from 1964,93 and the other is of Davis Joachim in 1974.94 These recordings
are available streaming on the Canadian Music Centre site. Joachim’s recording provides only
the first and third movements. One feature that stands out in Joachim’s performance is the
rhythmic drive he gives the work. There is also a recording performed by Vincea McClelland on
a CD called Guitar Originals.95 [Somers’ work is the only obscure composition listed on the
CD.]
Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra

The Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, written in the summer, fall, and winter of 1983,
was completed on March 5th, 1984, and premiered on Thursday, June 28th, 1984. Guitarist
George Sakellariou performed this piece in the Macmillan Theatre at Guitar ’84 with Leo
Brouwer conducting the festival orchestra.
John Williams had been scheduled to premiere both Harry Somers’ Concerto No. 1 and
Leo Brouwer's Concerto No. 2 in Toronto at Guitar ’84. In April 1984 however, Williams
canceled both these Toronto performances. Eli Kassner received that information while he was at
the Festival Internacional de Guitarra de La Habana, Cuba. Needing to find a replacement for
Williams, Kassner asked Sakellariou, who was also attending the festival in Cuba, if he would be
willing to take William’s place in Toronto. Sakellariou agreed, and in May, a month before the
performance, the music was sent to him. The 150-page Somers’ score had intricate rhythms.
Sakellariou worked on it for four weeks, focusing on the complex rhythms sometimes 8 or 9
hours per day. He stayed with Eli Kassner while working with Leo Brouwer and Harry Somers.
There was one rehearsal with the orchestra before the performance. 96
93
Harry Somers, Sonata for Guitar, CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with Peter Acker, guitar,
https://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1235 (accessed January 1, 2020)
94
Harry Somers, Sonata for Guitar, CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with Davis Joachim, guitar, April
25, 1974, Université du Québec à Montréal,
https://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1235 (accessed January 1, 2020)
95
Harry Somers. Guitar Originals. Coda Productions. CD-CODA 9402-1, 1994, compact disc.
96
George Sakellariou, mp3 file explaining the history of Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra to the author,
June 30th, 2018.
58
Somers used “subtle sounds”97 in his Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. He wrestled with
the difficulty of combining the intimate sonority of the guitar with the overpowering sound of the
orchestra. There was a limitation in how he could approach writing for the guitar to solve this
problem and he resolved it with the use of amplification. Although Segovia was against using
amplification in his concerts, he used amplification in his recordings. Somers used this example
to justify the use of amplification in his guitar concerto. 98
Elements of the Work

In an interview with the composer before the premiere performance, broadcast on the CBC,
Harry Somers gave details about his new guitar concerto. Having traveled in India, he had a keen
interest in North Indian Raga Music. Somers used the concept of the 5-note scale derived the
Indian raga as the framework for his Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. The 5-note scale is the
basis “from which the whole work is spun out in an endless series of extensions and
variations.”99 Various melodic features characterize ragas, including a basic scale, and sequences
of ascending and descending notes.100 Ragas fall into three separate classes based on the number
of notes present in the scale in question. The first class is called Sumpurna, consisting of seven
notes. The second class is the Khadav category exhibiting a six-note scale. The third class is
called Odav and has five notes.101 Somers’ five notes make this raga an Odav raga.
Somers states in the preface to the score, “The concerto is made up of clearly discernible
sections which follow each other without a break.”102 To the average musical listener and even
the experienced performer, this concerto is abnormally long and complicated. The music is not
easily understandable on first hearing and may not be even after many hearings. The difficulty
arises because the concerto is distant in form from the traditional concerto. It has three cadenzas
and a section in which the guitar becomes a percussion instrument in combination with, at times,
97
Pamela Margles, “Harry Somers’ Voyage of Discovery,” Music Magazine, May/June, 1984, 9.
98
Pamela Margles, “Harry Somers’ Voyage of Discovery,” Music Magazine, May/June, 1984, 9.
99
Harry Somers, Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with George
Sakellariou, guitar, and the Festival Orchestra, conducted by Leo Brouwer, June 28, 1984,
https://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1235 (accessed September 29,
2018)
100
Richard Widdess, “Raga,”
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/om
o-9781561592630-e-0000048150 (accessed January 29, 2019)
101
William Jones and N. Augustus Willard, Music of India (Nabajiban Press, 1962), 41-42.
102
Somers, Harry. Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. (Toronto: CMC, 1984), iii.
59
up to three percussionists. The orchestration of this concerto is likewise very complex, with
many instruments and untraditional types of orchestration. In order to simplify the explanation of
this work’s form, the author has divided it into five parts. Each tempo marking exhibits a distinct
musical characteristic. Interestingly, cadenzas and guitar solos punctuate sections.
The concerto begins with the orchestra playing high harmonics and sustained intervals in
the strings. Part I of the concerto alternates between Lento and Allegro, ending with a guitar
cadenza.
Part I – Lento – Allegro – Lento – Allegro- Lento – Allegro – Lento – Allegro – Lento- Allegro
– Lento-Allegro Vivace - Lento – Allegro – Lento – Guitar Cadenza
The work begins with a drone in the strings, shown in Example 4.19. The drone is an idea
related to Indian music, and in approaching this music it is helpful for the guitarist to understand
that. There are two drone effects in Indian music. The first is created by the tanpura, an
instrument that provides a drone in the background for the sitar. The tanpura has four strings, and
the tonic and fourth (or fifth, depending on the raga) are played repeatedly. The second drone
effect is created by the sitar itself. The strings on the sitar consist of the main strings, on which
the melody is played, the (baj and jod) the drone strings (chikari) and several resonating strings
(tarb).103 The drone is achieved by plucking the chikari strings “strategically” in between playing
the main melody on the baj string.104
The drone effect applied to Somers’ guitar concerto is always in the lower string section
except at the very beginning of the concerto and is always present while the guitar is playing
improvisatory lines. In Part I, the guitar has many bent pitches, similar to the sitar in raga music.
The bent pitches in raga music are called “meend” and are produced when the sitar player pulls
on a string creating microtonal pitches.105
The guitar makes its first appearance by playing the long lines of the lento sections at
rehearsal mark 1, shown in Example 4.20.
103
Punita G. Singh, “Perception and orchestration of melody, harmony, and rhythm on instruments with
‘chikari’ strings,” Acoustical Society of America, Vol 19, 2013, 1.
104
Ibid, 4.
105
Ibid, 3.
60
Example 4.19 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 1-4
Example 4.20 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 1
The written-out ornamentation in the Allegro sections in Part I is slurred with dotted lines,
as can be seen in Example 4.21. This slurring indicates that it is optional for the player to use
either left-hand slurs, or to pluck each note with the right-hand fingers. The dotted line slur
passages center around a small pitch range. Throughout the concerto feathered beamings indicate
to the performer that they must either accelerando (as in Example 4.21) or ritardando if the
beaming expands in the opposite direction. The use of the feathered beaming gives the music a
more improvisatory character.
61
Example 4.21 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, m. 11
There are two categories of guitar solo in this concerto. There are a number of “short
unaccompanied solos,” and a second group of “accompanied solos.” Somers had Leo Brouwer’s
La Espiral Eterna in mind when he wrote the “unaccompanied solos” of this concerto. Evidence
of this is seen in Cadenza #3, where Somers instructs the performer to refer to page 7 of
Brouwer’s La Espiral Eterna. The idea is simple (shown in Example 4.23), consisting of three-
string, p-i-m arpeggios using either an open 2nd string or open 1st string. These unaccompanied
solos are found at rehearsal mark 4, 10, 49, and Cadenza #3.
At rehearsal mark 35 and 89 the “accompanied solos” exist independently of the main
sections. These solos exhibit the traditional role of soloist supported by the orchestra.
Another essential element in this work is the ascending lines that reintroduce Lento
sections, shown in Example 4.22. They appear in many variations at measures 18, 70, 80, 97, and
681.
Example 4.23 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 10, measure 88.
62
At rehearsal mark 10, the strings play a sustained chord that appeared earlier at the
beginning of the piece: a perfect 5th in the bass and cellos together with harmonics in the violins.
This sustained trichord with the two intervals in the bass and harmonics in the violins reappear,
shown in Example 4.24. The three chords in the orchestra at rehearsal mark 12, measure 107, is
another harmonic motive of the concerto seen throughout the work, shown in Example 4.25.
Example 4.25 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, rehearsal mark 12, measures 107-109
Part I ends with Guitar Cadenza #1, which begins with sweeping arpeggiation very similar
to the ending of the Cadenza in the second movement of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de
Aranjuez, page. 32 system 2.
63
Example 4.26 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, m. 119
The first guitar cadenza is brief, only 27 measures long. It is slow and melodic, elaborating
material already heard, shown in Example 4.27. This cadenza ends Part I. The cadenzas in this
concerto depart from the classical conception of the concerto because these cadenzas are not
virtuosic.
Part II - Lento Con Moto - Allegro - (Lento Con Moto)

This section begins with a melody in the Flute. The Guitar answers the Flute melody with a
more elaborate variation, shown in Example 4.28. This figure is significant because a variation
of it appears in Part V. This exchange of the melody between the guitar and the flute happens a
few more times.
64
After the flute and guitar finish the Lento Con Moto melody, the three chords from
rehearsal mark 12 in the orchestra return at rehearsal mark 18, but this time with the first violin
playing melodic material over these chords.
(Lento Con Moto)

For the majority of this section, the orchestra plays the “sustained drone effect.” The guitar
part is a variation of the opening Lento Con Moto, shown in Example 4.30. It increases in
intensity as it leads up to the Andante section.
Part III – Andante measures 267/rehearsal mark 29

Following the (Lento Con Moto) section is the Andante section, which begins with the
guitarist playing a passage of parallel fourths with a partial barre, fitting naturally underneath the
guitarist's left-hand fingers, shown in Example 4.31. This passage in fourths is expanded on in
the last section of the concerto at rehearsal mark 92, spanning measures 941-963.
65
In the Andante section, the intensity builds in the orchestra. There is an orchestral tutti; this
increases the dynamic level, and a melody emerges. The melody consists of large leaps, such as a
major 7th, shown in Example 4.32. This type of melody is scarce in the Concerto and leads into
the next section, Allegro Vivace.
Part IV – Allegro Vivace - (Cadenza #2)

This section begins with the guitar playing a duet with the bassoon shown in Example 4.33.
Although this section has its relative (Allegro Vivace), the author divided it into a separate part
because of the lengthy solo (see page 50 “small solos”) leading into (Allegro Vivace) and also
because of the difference in character between the two sections, even though they have the same
name.
66
At rehearsal mark 35, the guitar has a solo that continues until rehearsal mark 38, shown in
Example 4.34. (Please see page 79 “accompanied solos.”) After the Solo, at rehearsal mark 38,
the Orchestra takes over in the second orchestral Tutti (the previous one in the Andante section);
this is one of the climaxes of the work, especially in terms of the orchestral writing.
Guitar Cadenza #2 consists of triplet arpeggiated textures, shown in Example 4.35. At

rehearsal mark 49, another unaccompanied solo leads into the (Allegro Vivace) section.
Part V – (Allegro Vivace) – (Percussion and Guitar Section) – (Cadenza #3)

Part V is recapitulatory, with distinct phrases from different sections beginning to reappear.
The guitar and bassoon play a variation of the material which opened the first Allegro Vivace
section, shown in Example 4.36.
Example 4.36 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 487- 489 – rehearsal mark 51
At rehearsal mark 54 (measure 511), the guitar material that opened the Lento Con Moto
section reappears but is elaborated. Here the figure is faster and spans 14 measures, whereas, in
the Lento Con Moto section, it is only a few measures. In its original appearance (see Example
67
4.28 on page 76), it is slow and melodic. The linking feature between these two parts is the B
played on the sixth string (the pitches with the beams pointing down), and a melody above.
While the guitar plays Lento Con Moto material, there is, at measure 521, the first instance of the
rising motion in the orchestra shown in Example 4.38, which will be the repeated idea in the
entire orchestra at the end of the work.
The guitar plays chords while the orchestra becomes more active than before. At
rehearsal mark 60-61, the guitar plays material from the Allegro Vivace section that the listener
has just heard, shown in Example 4.39. Compare this example with the Example 4.36.
At rehearsal mark 64, the orchestra has a lengthy interlude, an undulating section using the
flute, oboe clarinet, bassoon, viola, and cello, that has groups of septuplets, sextuplets, and
quintuplets, spanning 36 measures. It is dreamy and leads to rehearsal mark 69 (measure 630), at
which point the guitar plays a line very similar to the opening of the concerto. It is similar to the
68
beginning of the concerto because of the way it starts, (compare with Example 4.20 on page 73)
with example 4.40 below. From rehearsal mark 69 to the percussion and guitar section at
rehearsal mark 79, the material is reminiscent of the alternating Lento-Allegro material from the
opening of the concerto. The music is very serene because the orchestration is very sparse
compared with the orchestration in the rest of the work.
Example 4.40 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, measure 630-634/rehearsal mark 69
The percussion/guitar section is essentially a duo between percussion and the guitar, with
the guitar becoming a percussion instrument. The guitarist must be as precise as the percussionist
in playing the triplets. Harry Somers invented his own notation for this section, the staff
consisting of three lines, shown in Example 4.41. The three lines of the staff indicate where on
the body of the guitar one must strike (the location of the places indicated is shown in Example
4.42), as well as indicating rhythmic value. The different right-hand strokes used in this section
are shown in Example 4.43.
69
Example 4.42 Diagram indicating the location of the upper face, side, and lower face106
Example 4.43 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, Preface

When the duet ends, the notation changes, the guitar taking on the role of both a
percussion and a melodic instrument, shown in Example 4.44. The guitar part is written on two
staves. One staff indicates pitch, while the other consists of four lines indicating where to strike
the guitar. Example 4.45 is a drawing that accompanies Example 4.44, to indicate the location of
the places the performer is to strike on the body of the guitar.
106
Diagram by C. Boston.
70
Example 4.45 Diagram indicating the location of the lower face, lower side, upper side, upper
face107
After the percussion section is the third guitar cadenza, just four measures in length. The
first of these measures is shown in Example 4.46. As noted earlier, the performer should be
familiar with the 7th page of Leo Brouwer’s solo guitar work, La Espiral Eterna. Another
unaccompanied guitar solo appears rehearsal mark 89, measure 916. The beginning of that is
Example 4.46 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 893
107
Diagram by C. Boston.
71
At measure 941 (rehearsal mark 92), the Andante section guitar solo expands and
transforms into 23 measures of challenging guitar material, shown in Example 4.48. The original
material from the opening of the Andante section was only five measures long. It uses the
planing 4ths idea from his Sonata for Guitar (see Example 4.6 on page 66.) Lento con Moto
material reappears at measure 985, Rehearsal mark 97, shown in Example 4.49, while the
orchestra has the drone effect.
The guitar continues to play strummed chords for the remainder of the concerto serving as
an accompaniment to the tutti orchestra, which plays the ascending five pitches E-G#-A-B-D
repeatedly. George Sakellariou commented that this was one of the most difficult parts of the
concerto because of its fast chords and extremely intricate rhythms; part of this section is shown
in Example 4.51. The rising pitches are orchestrated in various ways, beginning at measure 1034,
until the end of the concerto.
72
Example 4.50 Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, mm. 1079-1080, time signature: 2/2.
Sonata for Guitar is a work consisting of four separate movements. Its idiomatic writing,
especially evident in the chord shapes in the first and fourth movements, makes it accessible to
the intermediate guitarist. One of the difficulties in performing this work is that sometimes the
style of writing can cause the it to sound as if it is disjointed, moving abruptly from one idea to
the next, particularly in the fourth movement.
73
The second movement is the most technically difficult. The difficulty of this movement is
created by its length, its two scales, the repeated ostinato throughout, and its quick arpeggios.
The quartal harmonies towards the end of the movement can also cause some difficulty because
they require rapid shifts against the open E bass string. The third movement exhibits
counterpoint that guitarists might find challenging because of the need to make the simultaneous
voices clear.
Conclusion
The Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra is an extremely difficult work. The movements
cannot be played separately because there are no clear breaks between them. There is no piano
reduction, so this work would be more appropriate for the seasoned guitarist in concert with
orchestra. The rhythm is all encompassing throughout and requires much focused work between
the guitarist and conductor. Sections of this work such as the guitar and percussion section,
however, could be used to improve a student’s rhythm. This work would be arduous to perform
from memory because of the rhythmic intricacies. There are many opportunities for guitarists to
improve their playing of slow melodic lines, with extended phrases. Nevertheless, the author
believes this work deserves performance only by an extremely skilled guitarist and musician.
74
CHAPTER 5
R. MURRAY SCHAFER
Biography
R. Murray Schafer was born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1933. As a modern-day Renaissance
man, he has attained a high level of competence in a wide range of disciplines, including:
“composer, educator, environmentalist, literary scholar, and visual artist.” 108 R. Murray
Schafer’s broad interests arose from his attempt at overcoming hindrances in his life. As a
teenager, he excelled in both visual arts and literature. The piano was an interest, but he had not
yet started composing. Discouraged from pursuing post-secondary art training due to an eye
defect, he turned to music, studying composition with John Weinzweig at the University of
Toronto. R. Murray Schafer was expelled from the university because he could not get along
with the “musical reactionaries.”109 Travels through Europe in the late 1950s led him to acquire
knowledge of Medieval German. The result of this was his first significant work, “Minnelieder,”
and journalistic work on the lives of British composers, which subsequently lead to his work on
Ezra Pound.
For three years, from 1963 to 1966, he taught at Memorial University in St. John’s,
Newfoundland, while the next decade was spent at Simon Fraser University in British
Columbia.110 While he was at Simon Fraser University, R. Murray Schafer developed his idea of
soundscape, his most notable achievement. His interest in the environment is first evident in his
work Music for Wilderness Lake, composed in 1979.111
108
Betty Nygaard King, Alan M. Gilmour, Kirk Mackenzie, “R. Murray Schafer,”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/r-murray-schafer-emc (accessed September 29, 2018)
109
Youtube, “Schafer couldn’t get along with the musical reactionaries,”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQjoaMsvh-8, 0:00-0:15.
110
111
Ibid.
75
Style
R. Murray Schafer was active as a composer between the 1950s and the 1980s. His
compositions divide into four periods.112 His early compositions, from the 1950s, are influenced
by his teacher Weinzweig, as well as by Stravinsky and the French composers of Les Six. Two
works from this period include the Concerto for Harpsichord and Eight Wind Instruments (1954)
and the Sonatina for Flute and Harpsichord (1958).113
During the 1960s, Schafer’s music used serialism, foreign languages, literature, and
philosophies of various cultures ranging from ancient times to more modern ones in his
compositions. His most well-known work from this period is “Requiem for the Party Girl” for
Mezzo-Soprano, a part of the Patria Cycle. “Requiem for the Party Girl” grew out of visits R.
Murray Schafer made to a mental institution. This work deals with the problems of
communication that occur in a society in which many languages are spoken.114 Throughout the
1970s, Schafer drew on a wider selection of languages, diverse styles of music, and exotic
instrumentation. He was inclined toward mysticism and religion, and became dissatisfied with
aspects of modern living. His work on the World Soundscape Project, which was “a study of the
relationships between people and their acoustic environment," encouraged him to move to a
farmhouse in Ontario.115
In the 1980s, he received requests for concertos for instruments including the flute, harp,
and guitar. These concertos fall into his mature style, which used “20th century avant-garde
techniques infused with a Romantic spirit,” as can be heard in his Guitar Concerto.116 In an
interview that took place before a radio broadcast of his Accordion Concerto, he said it is
challenging to write commissioned pieces because the composer has to be careful that people
will still want to listen to and perform the music even though as an artist he is trying to
experiment. 117
112
Ibid.
113
114
R. Murray Schafer, Requiems for the Party Girl, CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, broadcast on CBC’s
“Two New Hours,” October 17, 1993,
https://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1916
115
116
Ibid.
117
R. Murray Schafer, Accordion Concerto (1993), CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with Norbert Kraft,
guitar, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis, March 21, 1990,
76
Le Cri de Merlin
R. Murray Schafer was hesitant to write for the guitar when Norbert Kraft first approached
him. Norbert Kraft hoped that the composer would write a piece that was for “a much greater
instrument than a mere guitar."118 Schafer wanted to become acquainted with the performer he
was going to write for, so they stayed together for one week in Schafer’s country home, far from
any distractions.119 The result of this friendship between Schafer and Kraft was Schafer’s first
guitar work, Le Cri de Merlin (1987).
Le Cri de Merlin derives from the legend of Merlin, who was a wizard from Arthurian
Legend. Legend has it that Merlin’s powers become less useful due to advances in medicine and
civilization, and Merlin responded by "retreating into the forest" where he cried out with
frustration at the loss to himself and society. Jung said that today, "his cries cannot be heard, but
man can still interpret them."120
The work premiered on June 23rd, during the Tuesday evening concert of the 1987 Toronto
Guitar Festival. Kraft performed this work along with two others: Benjamin Britten’s
“Nocturnal” and Michael Tippet's "Blue Guitar." According to Matanya Ophee, in his review of
Guitar ’87, the performance was the “highlight” of the festival.121
This work uses motifs that repeat, develop, and transform to mimic the auditory experience
that one would experience if he or she were in the secluded wilderness. There are many extended
techniques, and toward the middle of the work, there is the introduction of bird sounds which the
performer must go out and collect via recording.122 In his review of Norbert Kraft's recording of
"Le Cri de Merlin," Robert Everett-Green states that the tape of birds is more successful on the
recording by way of digital editing than how it sounded at the premiere performance.123
http://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1916 (accessed September 29,

2018)
118
Norbert Kraft, Liner Notes, “20th Century Guitar Music”, Chandos 8784.
119
Ibid.
120
R. Murray Schafer, Le Cri de Merlin (1987) CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with Norbert Kraft,
guitar, June 23, 1987, http://www.musiccentre.ca/centrestreams/swf?mode=play_by&opt=composer&id=1916
(accessed September 29, 2018)
121
Matanya Ophee, “Toronto Report,” Soundboard 14, no. 3 (1987): 209.
122
Ibid.
123
Robert Everett- Green, “INSIDE THE SLEEVE CLASSICAL R. Murray Schafer Le Cri de Merlin,”
Globe and Mail, March 19, 1990.
77
Le Cri de Merlin is a work structured on motives emulating the soundscape of a forest. A
table (Example 5.1) shows the motives in the order that they appear in each movement. During
the analysis, the reader may refer to the chart, which shows the most critical motives in the work.
The table reads down the column, with the number and title of each movement at the top. Each
column represents one of the six movements. In Norbert Kraft’s premiere performance of the
piece, at the very end of the last movement, he mistakenly plays a measure from the beginning of
the work. This error in memory shows the effectiveness of R. Murray Schafer’s auditory
representation of the forest. The work does not have clear movement indications. The division of
the movements derives from Norbert Kraft’s studio recording of this work, which features six
tracks. The decision to divide this work into six-movements is corroborated by the fact that the
guitar concerto also has six movements. It is interesting to reflect that because the guitar has six
strings, perhaps the number of movements in both works was inspired by the guitar itself.
The Organization of Motives in Le Cri de Merlin

Notes: 1. Column headings identify each movement. 2. The sequence of motives can be seen
by reading down each column. 3. Columns extend onto two pages 4. All of the excerpts are for
the guitar and use the treble clef.
Table 5.1 The Organization of Motives in Le Cri de Merlin
III IV V
I II VI
Very With Slowly and
Violently Calmly Very Slowly
relaxed Movement Mysteriously
pg. 7 pg.12 m.6 Motive

pg. 1 m. 1 m .15 pg. 9 m. 11 7
pg. 5 m. 1 Motive Motive 4 pg.15 mm. 8-11
Motive 1 Motive 6
Motive 6 10
pg.12 system 6 m.
pg.1 m.7 pg. 8 m. 6 2
pg. 2 m. 14 pg. 10 m. pg. 15 m. 11
Motive 2 Motive Motive 6
Motive 2 12 Motive Motive 2
11
8
78
IV V
I II III VI
With Slowly and
Violently Calmly Very relaxed Very Slowly
Movement Mysteriously
pg.11 m.2
pg. 13 m. 5 pg. 15 m.12
pg. 3 m. 3 pg. 5 m. 8 pg.8 m.10 Motive 1
Motive 8 Motive 11
Motive 1 Motive 7 Motive 2
pg. 3 m. 8 pg.15 m.1 pg. 16 mm.2-3

pg. 6 m. 5 pg. 8 m. 11 pg.11 m.6
Motive 4
See “figure
a” below the
pg.11 m. pg.15 m.1
chart
pg.7 m.2 pg.9 m.10 14 Motive 11 pg.16 m.6
Motive 9 Motive 9 Motive 11 Motive 11
pg.7 m.2 pg.12 m.2 pg.16 m.7

pg. 4 m.11 pg.15 m.7
Motive 1 Motive 3
pg. 4 m. 21 pg.12 m.5

Motive 5 Motive 2
*figure a.*
Example 5.1 Le Cri de Merlin, overview of essential motives in the work
79
The most important motives in the work are motive 4 and motive 7; they reappear the most
throughout this work. These motives are shown in Example 5.1.
Movement I Violently
The first movement presents many motives and episodes that will return rearranged
throughout the remainder of the work. The first movement features three sections. The first
section is from page 2/m. 1 - page 2/m. 14, and begins with motive 1, the Eb-D motive, one of
the most critical motives in the work. It is an exciting beginning with percussive slaps with the
right hand and expansive lines that go from the lower register up to the higher register turning
into harmonics. The section is punctuated with motive 2, the tapping motive, another important
motive because it reappears in the first five movements of the work and punctuates movements
IV and V.
The second section spans page 2/m. 15 - page 3/m. 13. This section uses the i finger to
sweep through the strings playing a descending arpeggiation, shown in Example 5.2. The Eb-D
makes a few appearances in this section, and an example of this motive in this form is shown in
the third box of the motive chart for movement I. This second section ends with Motive 4, which
will become the basis of an entire episode in movement IV.
The third section spans measures 1 to 21 on page 4. This third section consists of the most
lyrical material in the work, as shown in Example 5.2. The Eb-D motive is found in its original
form in the third section.
Example 5.2 Le Cri de Merlin, movement I, page 4/mm. 19-20
80
Example 5.3 Le Cri de Merlin, movement I, page 3/m. 1
Movement II Calmly
This movement begins with motive 6, harmonics in 4ths, refer to the first box for
movement II. This movement is the most difficult of all the movements. It presents two tremolo
episodes. The first tremolo episode uses the thumb, a highly unusual technique in the Classical
Guitar repertoire. The first episode is 11 measures in length and uses motive 7; see Example 5.4.
Example 5.4 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 5/mm. 11-12
The figure shown in Example 5.5 is challenging because of the extended cross-string
trilling, appearing three times in the episode. This figure returns in movement IV, without the
rasgueado figure accompanying it in this movement.
Example 5.5 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 5/m. 21
Movement II also features a sub-section called "Rough and Furious," which is another one
of the most technically challenging parts of the work requiring much technical fluidity in both
right and left hands. In the score, R. Murray Schafer directs the performer on which right hand
81
fingering to use, this episode extends into the uppermost register of the guitar, and even reaches
past the fretboard where the composer asks the performer to play the highest pitches possible,
which means moving the left-hand over the soundboard, past the soundhole. The beginning of
one of these passages is shown in the Example, 5.6.
Example 5.6 Le Cri de Merlin, movement II, page 6/ m. 6
Movement III – Very Relaxed

This movement reuses many of the episodes and figures previously presented. This
movement has a lyrical atmosphere and uses much of the lyrical material from the second
movement.
A significant point in this piece, tonal repose, is created by an E major chord starting at the
first fret using the open strings, shown in Example 5.7. It is a very significant point in the piece
because this is a simple chord and one of the first chords that most guitarists will learn to play
when they begin to study the guitar. Harmonics follow, along with free-flowing single-line
phrases.
Example 5.7 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 7/m. 5
The episode spans from page 8/m. 11, to page 8/m. 18, and references the tambura section
in Francisco Tarrega’s well known solo guitar work, Gran Jota measures 308-337. Here, as in the
tambura section of Gran Jota, the guitarist must pull the 6th string over the 5th string so that they
82
cross over each other. The two strings are held in place with the left hand while the guitarist
plucks the pair with p creating a sound similar to a snare drum acting as accompaniment while
playing a melody, with the i-m-a fingers. This episode uses motive 7, as one can see from
Example 5.8.
The figure on page 8/m. 19 presents an inventive “pianistic” rasgueado flourish that
accelerates in tempo and dynamic level as it rapidly encompasses an increasing number of
strings and so naturally increases in volume.
Another flourish follows, beginning on the A string, swelling and decaying both in
dynamic level and the number of strings used. This flourish precedes three ascending arpeggiated
passages, all ending with pitches that are bent with the left hand while playing them tremolo with
the right hand. In playing this tremolo on a single pitch, it would be best to use p-a-m-i-p.
Example 5.10 Le Cri de Merlin, movement III, page 9 m. 6

83
Movement IV – With Movement
In this movement, the section "With Movement" builds on motive 4. This bass line
reappears with the guitarist indeterminately striking the fretboard with the indicated hand. The
striking is not continuous but is employed at intervals and as interjections against the bass,
shown in Example 5.11. After motive 4 is over, the guitarist then uses both hands to slap the
strings against the fretboard. This slapping gradually moves up the neck of the guitar.
Example 5.11 Le Cri de Merlin, movement IV, page. 9 mm. 11-14
The composer uses the notation, in the Example, 5.12, to indicate that the guitarist must
use his or her fingernail to scrape the full length of string 5 and 6.
Example 5.12 Le Cri de Merlin, movement IV, page. 11 m. 2
The lyrical section from the third section of movement I returns in movement IV, however
this time, it is much more lyrical than before, and the line is not frequently interrupted by
arpeggiations. The movement ends with the tapping motive, motive 2.
84
Movement V - Very Slowly and Mysteriously
This movement begins with another tremolo-thumb episode using motive 7 in the same
manner as in movement II. This challenging episode is expanded to 5 systems in length and
encompasses, at times, up to three strings.
This movement also features the second section from the first movement, highlighting the
Eb-D motive, in between this material, shown in Example 5.1. Following these two episodes is
the section with tape, which is the centerpiece of the entire work. The tape of birdsong begins on
page 13/measure 11. In the Performer’s Notes for Le Cri de Merlin, R. Murray Schafer indicates
that “The performer must make a tape of birdsong which will accompany the guitar from the
bottom of page 13 to the end of the piece. The tape fades in gradually to achieve a volume equal
to that of the guitar then slowly fades out again at the end of the piece.”124 This section utilizes
scordatura, the low E string tuned a whole step down to D. The chords gravitate around the
opening chord, which exhibit only the pitches D and A, as shown in Example 5.14. The
composer indicates that ff and fff dynamic markings are to be played as rasgueado with the nails.
It is essential to keep time with the tape, as the guitar part should be aligned with specific parts of
the birdsong. The duration for each chord is indicated in seconds. This section is about dynamic
changes, and these dynamic changes appear notated in the music.
A study of birds may be undertaken to find the right sound for the tape.125 The author
suggests that the guitarist see this section as representing Merlin’s agony. It is possible to
manipulate the birdsong to make it sound ominous electronically. One could also try to find a
species of bird that is suited to the character of the music, because this might more closely echo
Schafer’s interest in environmental sound. The tape could be manipulated with different layering,
to coincide with an intended interpretation.
Closing this section, the guitarist plucks the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings in random order with the
thumb while the guitarist picks up a spoon with their left hand, the notation for this is shown in
Example 5.15. The ostinato of the bass strings continues while the guitarist slides the spoon on
the strings playing the indicated pitches, as shown in example 5.13. At the end of this movement
on page 15 m. 3, the guitarist is instructed to retune the 6th string to E.
124
R. Murray Schafer, “Le Cri de Merlin," Toronto: Arcana, 1987.
125
Ibid.
85
Example 5.13 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 14 first half of system 5
Example 5.14 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 13 m. 11
Example 5.15 Le Cri de Merlin, movement V, page 14 middle of system 5
Movement VI – Very Slowly

This movement is the most recapitulatory of all the movements. At the top of page 15,
which has the ending of movement V, and the first half of movement VI, the composer indicates
that “from this point to the end, the tape of birdsong should be more or less equal in volume with
the guitar. The guitar passages become more episodic than before, with the continuity provided
by the birdsong. Suggested pause points are marked by commas.” This movement begins with
Motive 6, except that it uses a pencil with the right hand, vibrating it between the 1st and 2nd
strings instead of harmonics. The tapping motive, motive 2, is also treated in the same manner
with the pencil. An E is played by bouncing the pencil on strings, refer to the second box for
movement VI of the motive chart. One of the most striking things about the ending of this piece
is that finally, the Eb-D motive changes pitches, and the composer has the motive Db-C.
86
Guitar Concerto
R. Murray Schafer completed his "Guitar Concerto" in Indian River, Ontario, on October
16th, 1989. It was premiered on the 21st of March in 1990, with Norbert Kraft as guitarist and
Andrew Davis conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. This work grew out of the
completion of the first project, Le Cri de Merlin. The work is in six movements.
I – Very Fast and Energetic
II – Slowly and Expressively
III – Molto Latino
IV – Night Music: Very Delicate & Mysterious
V – Very Rhythmic and Nervous
VI – Fast and Energetic
In an interview on the radio show "Two New Hours," R. Murray Schafer explained the
challenge of placing the guitar in front of an orchestra. Because of the guitar’s intimate nature,
there is a problem in that the orchestra can create loud sounds, while the guitar creates soft
sounds. In writing this concerto, R. Murray Schafer attempted to bond the guitar and orchestra
together, evident in the writing and the use of amplification.126 The transitions between the guitar
and orchestra are often subtle, and this gives the illusion that these opposing entities are unified,
with the amplification lessening the volume disparity of the guitar.127 R. Murray Schafer often
added visual surprises into a performance. In the premiere performance of the Guitar Concerto,
the Darbuka player stood up and began moving towards the guitarist as the piece was ending. 128
R. Murray Schafer did this possibly because his music was difficult to understand, and he wanted
the audience to leave with a memory of the performance.
126
R. Murray Schafer, Guitar Concerto, CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with Norbert Kraft, guitar, and
the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis, March 21, 1990,
2018)
127
Robert Everett- Green, “Schafer’s Concerto a Love Song to Guitar,” Globe and Mail, March 23, 1990.
128
2018)
87
The Hungarian Influence
Three Hungarian Composers, György Ligeti, Béla Bartók, and Miklós Rózsa all influenced
this guitar concerto. We shall look at each of these in turn.
The influence of Ligeti appears in the first movement, which is constructed on the idea of
micropolyphony. György Ligeti invented the concept of micropolyphony, which is a
contrapuntal technique using many lines working together to create a larger polyphonic texture.
In joining the different lines together, he used various contrapuntal techniques of the composers
from the past. Many of Ligeti’s micropolyphonic compositions from 1965 and onwards can be
categorized as microcanonic.129 Microcanon is “a polyphonic texture formed from a pitch
succession set canonically in many voices at short time intervals.”130 The canonic entries of the
beginning pitches of the two-measure opening guitar theme in the strings create microcanon.
These canonic entries gradually increase in number, thereby increasing the density of the texture
by the number of independent voices.
Night Music is a style of music created by Bartók, and first seen in his piano work “Az
éjszaka zenéje”, the fourth movement of the suite for piano Szabadban. The musical style of this
movement went on to become a "Bartókian mode of expression," originating from Hungarian
national tradition drawing on inspiration from the Solos-Puszta region in Hungary.131
The influence of Miklós Rózsa is evident as this movement exhibits elements of science
fiction films. Indicated in the score is a part for musical saw; however, it is evident on hearing
the piece that it is supposed to call to mind the sounds of a theremin which were common in
science fiction films of the 1950s and 1960s. The joining of the musical saw into the orchestra
adds a new dimension to the atmosphere of the Schafer’s concerto; part of the musical saw
phrase is shown in Example 5.16.
Example 5.16 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, Rehearsal Mark G, page 38 mm. 2-5
129
Jane Piper Clendinning, “Structural Factors in the Microcanonic Composition of György Ligeti,” in
Concert Music, Rock, and Jazz Since 1945: Essays and Analytical Studies, ed. Elizabeth West Marvin and Richard
Hermann (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 1995), 229-230.
130
Ibid.
131
David E. Schneider, Bartok, Hungary, and the Renewal of Tradition: Case Studies in the Intersection of
Modernity and Nationality (Los Angeles: University of California Press), 81-86
88
Finding a musical saw player for Schafer’s work who was competent to perform under the
direction of a conductor was probably challenging. Instead, at the premier in March of 1990, a
synthesizer took the place of the musical saw.132
It was Miklós Rózsa’s idea to include the theremin in the score of Spellbound when he was
approached by Alfred Hitchcock and David Selznick, who were looking for something for
intense psychological scenes. The theremin’s evocation of eeriness in that film can be traced to
Samuel Hoffman, who was the first thereminist to bring the theremin to Hollywood movies.
Hoffman played in two other films and subsequently received an invitation to play on some
accessible listening albums, one of which was called "Music out of the Moon." The name of the
album was perhaps what gave the directors the idea to use the theremin to represent
extraterrestrials. The theremin went on to acquire its extraterrestrial connotation in Kurt
Neuman's film Rocketship X-M. 133
In his guitar concerto, R. Murray Schafer took the idea of Soundscape further than he did
in Le Cri de Merlin. This work expands on the idea of Soundscape, now capturing sounds from
outer space. The first is the “Satellite Motive," a term which the author uses to refer to three
pitches played by the xylophone, shown in Example 5.17. This motif sounds most like the
satellite recording of Oscar II, which was one of the early satellites launched by the United States
of America.134 One can find the sounds on the website, under the entry “Oscar II #00305”
http://www.dd1us.de/spacesounds%202a.html. Another example is the effect found in the last
system on page 44, where the orchestra emulates the sounds of the Aurora Borealis, as heard on
a radio transmission.135
132
2018)
133
James Wierzbicki, “Weird Vibrations: How the Theremin Gave Musical Voice to Hollywood's
Extraterrestrial," Journal of Popular Film & Television 30, no.3 (2002):125.
134
“Sounds from Amateur Radio Satellites” dd1us.com. http://www.dd1us.de/spacesounds%202a.html
135
“The Sound of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights),” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcef943eoiQ,
1:31-1:48 (accessed April 10, 2018)
89
Example 5.17 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, page 39 system 2
Example 5.18 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 44 last system
Latin Influence
Movement III Molto Latino pays homage to Latin composers. It begins with a guitar figure
(shown in Example 5.19) like the style of writing of a South American composer such as Villa-
Lobos.
Example 5.19 Guitar Concerto, movement IV, page 29 mm. 1-3
90
Guitar Concerto Movements I – VI
I Very Fast & Energetic
The Concerto begins with an arpeggiated figure, shown in Example 5.20. The first two measures
(main theme) reappear throughout the concerto in different forms, binding the concerto together.
The main theme is technically challenging. Possible fingerings for the guitar in movement I are
the use of i-m fingerings, which would require multiple strings crossings. Another possibility is
the use of i-m-a fingerings emphasizing the triplet groupings while the use of p-i-m would
encourage the use of free stroke. The use of free stroke would make the guitar part legato and
would highlight the arpeggiated nature of the motive.
Example 5.20 Guitar Concerto, movement I, page 1 mm. 1-2

II Slowly & Expressively
Movement II mixes improvisatory sections with measured sections. Two significant
motives make their first appearance in this movement. The first is the Satellite motive, played by
small maracas (refer to Example 5.21) just after rehearsal mark B. The second is the introduction
of the “oscillating motive,” shown in Example 5.22, which evokes the impression of science-
fiction film score, often supporting the improvisatory sections.
The main theme appears again at rehearsal mark E played by four bongos and four congas,
shown in Example 5.23. The movement ends with the “oscillating motive” becoming part of a
large texture in the orchestra shown in Example 5.24.
Example 5.21 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 21 middle of the first system
91
Example 5.22 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 25 m. 4
Example 5.23 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 24 mm. 10-11
Example 5.24 Guitar Concerto, movement II, page 26 mm. 1-2
92
III Molto Latino
The third movement begins with the guitar playing Latin American style guitar music. This
movement is very much structured on the idea of the “oscillating motive." The oscillating motive
is present throughout the movement. Playing material based on the oscillating motive, the
clarinets create a texture with descending 32nd notes, shown in Example 5.25. Also based on the
oscillating motive is a short improvisatory entrance on page 33 (shown in Example 5.26) played
by the guitar leading into the night music theme, shown in Example 5.27.
Example 5.25 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 32 mm. 1-2
Example 5.26 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 33 system 2. ends with the night music
theme played by the guitar in harmonics.
Example 5.27 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 35 last system
IV Night Music: Very Delicate & Mysterious

This movement begins with the guitar playing chords using the tambura technique, a
technique where the guitarist hits strings at the bridge perpendicular to the bridge with the
93
underside of the thumb. These tambura chords reoccur at different time intervals throughout the
movement. These tambura chords are related to the “satellite motive.”
Example 5.28 shows the beginning of the movement. The guitar plays the night music
theme in harmonics, while the strings of the orchestra play the night music theme in canon.
Although the night music theme is not readily discernable, this creates a large microcanonical
texture.
Example 5.28 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 36 first system
The guitarist plays material that assists with the cosmic musical atmosphere. On the second
page of this movement (page 37), at rehearsal mark F, the guitarist plays a phrase with a spoon,
sliding it over strings on the fretboard while plucking with the right hand. These two spoon
phrases come directly before and directly after (at rehearsal mark k) the entrance of the musical
saw. The orchestral writing in this movement focuses on effects different than those presented in
movement II and III. The oscillating motive is no longer present.
The movement closes with a string figure in tremolo, moving towards a sforzando
chromatically. This effect also emulates the sound of a science fiction film score.
94
Example 5.29 Guitar Concerto, movement III, page 46 m. 3
V Very Rhythmic and Nervous

This movement contrasts with the preceding three movements, which, except for the first
movement, have been tranquil and explorative. It gains the listener's attention with abrupt
aggressive chords played by the orchestra. These chords are answered by short interjections
made by the guitar, as shown in Example 5.30. These interjections require an improvisatory
spirit.
An inventive figure appears, which is a cross-string trill preceding a chord. The trill uses
p-a-i-m-p in the right hand, and the chord should be played with the i finger, shown in Example
5.31.
95
In this movement, a few of the main motives are further developed. An arpeggiated figure
in the guitar, which alludes to the main theme because it is arpeggiated and is in the same kind of
rhythmic grouping, acts as an accompaniment to the strings, shown in Example 5.32. A
significant development results when the oscillating motive previously using triplets now uses
quintuplets, shown in Example 5.33.
Example 5.30 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 48 mm. 4-6
Example 5.31 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 49 mm. 2-3 rehearsal mark 15
Example 5.32 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 50 mm. 1-3 rehearsal mark 20
96
Example 5.33 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 m. 1
Beginning at measure 49 is a cadenza that is occasionally supported by the transformed

“oscillating motive." The cadenza consists of material from 5 different sections of the Concerto.
It begins with material from movement II shown Example 5.34. In measure 51, the “night music”
harmonics from movement IV appear (refer to Example 5.35). The opening Latin American
influenced guitar part of movement III in measure 54, shown in Example 5.36. At measure 55,
the melodic two voice material from movement two appears, seen in Example 5.37. At measure
56, a reflective figure from movement II, moves into the movement VI, shown in Example 5.38.
Example 5.34 Guitar Concerto, movement V, system 3
97
Example 5.37 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 first half of system 3
Example 5.38 Guitar Concerto, movement V, page 55 last system
VI Fast and Energetic (Finale)

In this movement, the combination of the Guitar and Darabouka takes its inspiration from
the Middle Eastern combination of Oud and Darbouka. Further adding to this Middle Eastern
influence, are the strings of the orchestra glissando E-F-E, shown in Example 5.39. A few of the
main motives appear in this movement, including the trumpet motive from the Night Music
movement and the main theme. The main theme appears in the strings in a flurry of 32nd notes,
sporadically throughout the movement, as shown in Example 5.40. R. Murray Schafer enhanced
the Middle Eastern aspect of this movement by employing many percussion instruments. There
are two bongos, two congas, two temple blocks, two cowbells. These instruments all take turns
playing the trumpet motive. The darbouka plays this motive, but transforms into an eight-note
idea oscillating between an E and F a major seventh, refer to Example 5.41.
Example 5.39 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 68 mm. 1-2
98
Example 5.40 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 56 m. 1
Example 5.41 Guitar Concerto, movement VI, page 65 m. 3
The guitar has triadic triplet passages, glissandos, and many other effects that mirror the
music of the orchestra. Oud-like passages in the guitar begin at page 64, measure 4; one of these
passages is shown in Example 5.42. In these virtuosic passages, the guitarist should attempt to
produce the improvisatory spirit required. Closing the concerto, R. Murray Schafer pays homage
to many of the concertos already written by guitar composers such as Joaquin Rodrigo with the
strummed chords at the end of the work, shown in Example 5.43.
99
Le Cri de Merlin offers the advanced guitarist many opportunities to improve his or her
technique. Of special interest are the two types of tremolo exhibited in this work. The first is the
double string trill which is used at length in certain episodes, creating a texture rather than an
ornament. The second type of tremolo in the work incorporates the thumb and is similar to the
tremolo on bowed instruments. The use of the thumb in these sections is related to Alzapua, a
flamenco technique in which the guitarist plucks the bottom most pitch in a chord and then
strums the rest of the chord from the second bottom most pitch to the highest pitch and back,
proceeding to play the lowest pitch of following chord. Aside from the many percussive, flashy
100
moments that this work exhibits, it also offers moments of expansive melodic lyrical phrases. As
with most music exhibiting many accelerando indications, it is important that the performer
attempt to maintain a regular pulse and follow the time signatures in each measure; otherwise the
performance will lose its coherency. It is not possible to perform selected movements from this
work, but it would be possible to take difficult sections and use them as technical exercises, such
as the tremolo sections using the thumb.
The Guitar Concerto is a very difficult work not only technically but also ensemble wise.
The technical difficulties arise because of the first and sixth movements. The first movement is
challenging because the guitar part is moto perpetuo 16th notes. The sixth movement is difficult
because of the fast passages emulating an improvisatory scene accompanied by Darabuka. The
difficulty is heightened by the fact that there is no piano accompaniment for this work, and it
would be challenging, if not impossible, to create a piano reduction of the orchestral part because
of the various effects and the wide array of instruments that the composer employs in the
orchestral writing.
This is a work in which the performer could choose to play single movement selections.
In approaching the Guitar Concerto, it might be appropriate for the guitarist to examine Le
Cri de Merlin, before the guitar concerto. Aspects of Le Cri de Merlin, such as the incorporation
of the idea of soundscape, also appear in the Guitar Concerto. The approach to writing for the
guitar that R. Murray Schafer uses in Le Cri de Merlin is the same approach he uses in his Guitar
Concerto.
Conclusion
These two works retain an obscure place in the classical guitar oeuvre. This is because of
the extraneous requirements, Le Cri de Merlin requiring an adequate sound system for the tape,
and the orchestration of the concerto featuring several exotic instruments. However, if the
guitarist overcomes these performance difficulties, the unusual aspects of the two works would
make a performance of either, interesting.
101
CHAPTER 6
SRUL IRVING GLICK
Biography
Srul Irving Glick was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1934. His father, a Jewish Cantor, was
from Romania.136 His older brother was a clarinetist, and it was he who introduced him to music
outside his father’s traditional religious musical culture.137 At the age of 15, Glick decided that
he wanted to become a composer and began studying the piano. His exposure to music at the
synagogue influenced his first efforts.138 For the five years that he was at the University of
Toronto, he was a student of John Weinzweig. Weinzweig found that Srul Irving Glick's music
was too conservative.139 Through other teachers, Oskar Morawetz and John Beckwith, he found
more encouragement. Glick studied in Aspen with Darius Milhaud for two summers in the
1950s. Milhaud then invited him to study in Paris. While in Paris, he studied with Louis Saguer
and Max Deutsch.140 When Glick returned to Canada in 1962, the young composer began
working at the CBC as a radio producer. He worked with many great composers and
instrumentalists, making recordings. He began directing the Beth Tikvah Synagogue choir, in
1964. Unfortunately, around the mid-eighties, the demand for Glick’s expertise began to decline.
The CBC began to reflect the culture of the community, rather than creating culture. After losing
his job at the CBC, many negative experiences began to take place. He was later diagnosed with
cancer and passed away in 2002.141
136
Glick, Srul Irving. “Anthology of Canadian Music”. Radio Canada International. ACM 34,1989, compact
disc.
Srul Irving Glick. “Canadian Composer Portraits – Srul Irving Glick”. Centrediscs. CMCCD, 2006,
137
compact disc.
138
disc.
139
Ibid.
140
Srul Irving Glick. “Canadian Composer Portraits – Srul Irving Glick”. Centrediscs. CMCCD, 2006,
compact disc.
141
Ibid.
102
Style
Many of the influences on Glick's music were present in the musical traditions of his
childhood. As a child, he danced the Hora and other traditional Jewish dances. He heard the
music his father sang as a cantor and other music of the Jewish tradition both inside and outside
the synagogue. These influences are all evident in many of his compositions. A big part of his
struggle as a composer in his younger years was finding his voice. He had come from that
musical tradition and did not feel comfortable writing music in the style of his contemporaries.
Conducting the synagogue choir brought him closer to his heritage, and he felt more
inclined to compose music as he wanted to.142 Srul Irving Glick had an extensive compositional
output of liturgical music, in addition to his secular music. He had an excellent reputation in the
cantor's assembly in Toronto. The majority of his liturgical music is for choir, and occasionally
for the cantor.143
As he matured, the Jewish elements in his music became more apparent. His secular
works with the most Jewish influence are his 6 Suite Hebraiques, Heritage Ballet, and his song
cycle I Never Saw Another Butterfly.
From 1984 to 2001, there was a shift in Glick's liturgical writing. He gave more attention
to the hazzan (cantor) as a soloist and on proper pronunciation, the enunciation of the text, and
the phrasing of the music. In his liturgical music, Srul Irving Glick was avant-garde in terms of
the style of writing, as he did not use the conventional East European harmony. The rhythm was
syncopated and polyphonic.144
The composers he most admired, from the western classical tradition, were those he
termed "singing composers." These included Bartok, Prokofiev, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and
Mahler. He thought of himself as a Romantic and traditionalist.145
142
disc.
143
“Srul Irving Glick Memorial Concert" YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBhyh7g1bX4
144
“Srul Irving Glick Memorial Concert" YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBhyh7g1bX4
145
Srul Irving Glick, Gathering In (1970), CMC Ann Southam Audio Archive, with the McGill Chamber
Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Brott, March 31, 1970,
2018)
103
The Use of Dance in Srul Irving Glick’s Music
Glick had already included the word dance in the title in many of his works. His suite
Hebraique no. 6, makes use of the word dance in the titles of the movements: Circle Dance,
Chasidic Dance. Suite Hebraique No.1 has a movement entitled Wedding Dance. His work for
Cello and Piano is entitled Prayer and Dance.
Glick may have been encouraged by Darius Milhaud, with whom Glick studied in Paris, to
incorporate more of the folk music he was familiar with in his compositions. Milhaud wrote
three works that use elements of traditional Jewish music: Chants Populaire’s Hébraïques, Song
Cycle for Voice & Piano Op. 86 and before that Poèmes Juifs.146
Dance Suite for Two Guitars

The premiere of Srul Irving's Dance Suite for Two Guitars was given on September 27,
1986, at an evening concert of contemporary music in Toronto.147 It was also performed at the
Toronto International Guitar Festival in June 1987.148 This work’s initial dedication was to the
Wilson-McAllister duo but later rededicated to the Klaus und Rainer Feldman Duo. Rainer
Feldman explained the story behind this change. In 1988 the Feldman duo was in Salzburg,
Austria, taking a masterclass with Pepe Romero. After meeting Pepe Romero’s manager Francis
L. Heilbut, Heilbut arranged for the duo to collaborate with the Canadian Singer, Valerie Siren,
for concerts abroad. Valerie Siren invited them to visit Toronto for rehearsals. When asked if she
knew any Canadian works for guitar duo, she suggested Srul Irving Glick’s Dance Suite for Two
Guitars. Valerie Siren sent the work before they arrived in Toronto. When the duo began looking
through the Suite, their impression was that it was peculiar, as there were many octaves, making
the Suite challenging to play. After arriving in Toronto, the duo visited and played for Glick.
Shocked at what he heard, Glick showed them his score without the octaves and added notes. It
became apparent that the Wilson-McAllister Duo had heavily edited the work without Glick’s
permission. After giving a concert in New York with Hermann Prey, the Klaus und Rainer
Feldman Duo returned to Toronto to give the concert, which featured the Dance Suite for Two
Guitars. After the concert, Srul Irving Glick visited them backstage and explained that he was so
146
Milton Cross and David Ewen, New Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and their Music Volume II
(Doubleday, 1969), 633.
147
Lynn Harting, “Two is Better than one: the Wilson-McAllister Duo,” Guitar Canada, 1986, 10.
148
Richard Long, “Toronto ’87,” Soundboard, 1987, 204.
104
upset with the Wilson-McAllister Duo’s performance, that he concluded to never compose for
the guitar again. However, hearing the way that the Feldman Duo performed the work, he
decided to change the dedication to the Feldman Duo. The mother of the Feldman Duo copied
the score with Glick’s corrections after they returned to Germany, and they sent the score to
Glick to be published.
Analysis of Dance Suite for Two Guitars
Movement I - Asymmetric Dance
The first movement, entitled Asymmetric Dance, is asymmetric in meter. The meter
changes often starting at 8/8 and passing through 7/8, 9/8, 6/8, 11/8, 10/8, 5/8, finally moving
back to 8/8 at the end. The form of this movement is Sonata Rondo Form, ABACABA.
Section A
The A section consists of a lively first theme in G major, spanning measures 1-10, shown
in Example 6.1. The second theme, shown in example 6.2, spans measures 11-16. It is also in G
major and is lyrical.
In the second theme, the single lines should be played with rest-stroke so that the melodic
line can project above the accompaniment. In the performance of the Wilson-McAllister duo, at
times, the balance of the two guitars was not readily audible.
Example 6.1 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, mm. 1-3
105
The A section closes with a transition found in measures 17-21. The transition is
essentially the first theme; however, the use of D#, the leading tone, changes the implied key to e
minor, moving the music into the B section.
Section B
The B section consists of a first and second theme. The first theme is in e minor,
spanning measures 22-30, and is shown in Example 6.4. The second theme appears in measures
31-38; it is the syncopated “chorus-effect” material that is in C major, as shown in Example 6.5.
The first movement is the most difficult technically due to the scale alternating between the two
guitars in measures 22–30, and 92–98. The scale naturally lends itself to a combination of a-m-i.
There are various patterns of a-m-i, which can be implemented in the first two beats, while in the
third beat of the measure, one could use i-m. The use of slurring would help in phrasing the
scales.
Example 6.3 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Asymmetric Dance, m. 24
106
Section A1 mm. 39-46
The First Theme appears in this section with a new sixteenth rhythmic figuration, as shown
in Example 6.6. It is treated with the “chorus-effect,” an effect that shows the influence of
Glick’s extensive work with choir, where the duo is playing in unison, both in pitch and rhythm.
The sixteenth note rhythm, shown in the Example 6.6, should be played with the rasgueado
technique using the i finger. In measures 43-46, the A1 First Theme appears in A major.
The Transition in measures 47-53 uses the pitches C#-B exclusively, as shown in Example
6.7, moving into the C development section.
Section C (Development)
In this developmental, middle section of the movement, Section A elements appear in new
keys:
the second theme is now in E major and is shorter, shown in Example 6.8, the A` Theme
appears in B major and C# major, and the transition, spanning measures 70-74, is shown in
107
Example 6.9. In this transition, the E#-D# appears enharmonically reinterpreted as F and Eb
leading back into a repeat of the ABA section.
Repetition of ABA, and Coda

In the reiteration of the first A section, the composer presents the second theme first,
measures 75-84. The transition happens in measures 85-89. The first theme of the B section
follows in measures 90-98, while the second theme of the B section appears in measures 99-106.
In measures 107-111, finally, the first theme appears.
At measure 106, the duo should observe the comma mark. This brief pause will give the re-
entry of the opening theme a much more dramatic effect and emphasis.
108
Coda 112-119
A short coda in measures 112-119, incorporates various elements from throughout the
movement. The coda consists of a figure based on the first theme, and 16th note rasgueado chords
closing the movement, which are played by both guitars in rhythmic unison.
Movement II - Love Dance
The second movement is in E minor and is the simplest in form. This movement is much
like a Romantic Lied. There is an introduction, a middle song section, and a closing section.
This movement begins with an introduction in measures 1-14. Following the introduction
is the middle song section spanning measures 15-22. Here the lyrical melody is played by Guitar
II, shown in Example 6.11. Interestingly, measures 22.5 – 26 sound like a quotation from Ravel’s
famous work Pavane pour une infante défunte; an excerpt is shown in Example 6.12.
Example 6.11 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Love Dance, mm. 15-16
Example 6.12 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Love Dance, mm. 23-24
The song theme returns in Guitar II measures 27-32. However, this time the theme is not as
lengthy as before and yields to cadential treatment; the phrase ends earlier than before.
The closing section spans measures 34-48 and is a combination of both the introduction
and song material in a triplet rhythm. The dichotomy of one guitar accompanying the other is no
longer present, which clearly delineates the fact that the song part of the movement is over, and
that this is the closing section of the movement.
109
The last measure should be rolled, with Guitar II starting the arpeggiation and Guitar I
continuing the arpeggiation, which will make the ensemble much more pianistic.
Circle Dance
This movement is in Sonata Form and has an Exposition, Development, and
Recapitulation. The Recapitulation uses material from movements I and II.
Exposition
The exposition has two subject groups. The first subject group, in A minor, is found in
measures 1-29. The two-measure phrase shown in Example 6.13 is exchanged between the two
guitars for the duration of the first 29 measures of the movement. Following this first subject
group is a Bb major transition in measures 30-36, shown in Example 6.14. The second subject
group in G minor, is rhythmically lively material and is found in measures 37-44, shown in
Example 6.15.
Example 6.13 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 1-2
Example 6.14 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, m. 30
110
Development
At measure 45, the development begins. The first part of the development, measures 45-60,
combines two elements: the triplet chord figure from the closing section of the second movement
and the second subject group from exposition, however here the music is in Eb major. The
transition, which is also in the key of Eb major, is found in measures 61-67, shown in Example
6.16. A “chorus-effect” section appears in measures 68-75; it is in C minor, shown in Example
6.17, and it is the second subject group from measures 37-44 in the Exposition.
111
In measures 76-81, there is a lyrical transition in C minor, shown in Example 6.18 (notice
the upper melody in Guitar I). In these lyrical transitions, Guitar I plays the melody first,
followed by Guitar II immediately after. In measures 82-89, there is a lyrical version of the
previous “chorus-effect” section, this time in Eb major, shown in Example 6.19.
At measures 90-96, there is another lyrical transition, this time in F minor; this transition is
From mm. 97-116, (see Example 6.21) the same idea taken from the beginning of the
development ensues, this time in the unusual key of Gb major. Throughout these measures the
idea is taken through various keys creating excitement leading into the retransition.
112
Retransition mm. 117-139
The retransition starts at m. 117 (shown in Example 6.22), dominant key of the movement,
E minor, and stays there for quite some time, preparing for the recapitulation which begins at
measure 140. The climax of the retransition is marked fff and is the climax of the entire suite.
The performers should base the structure of their performance around this moment. Close
attention to dynamics in this movement will enhance the performance.
Recapitulation
The recapitulation is essentially a recapitulation of the entire work, as the most critical
aspects of movement I and II return. The recapitulation begins with the return of the opening of
the movement, the first subject group. The first subject group returns at measures 140- 153,
shown in Example 6.23. The second subject group returns in measures 154–165, is shown in
Example 6.24; however, in this case, the two-measure phrase starts in Guitar II.
113
At measure 154, there is a lengthy ostinato on the A string, which both guitars take turns
playing while various themes from the whole suite reappear. In approaching this ostinato, the
first note of the triplet may be played with the thumb on the six-string, closed by the left hand,
while the second and third notes can be played on the open A string with i and m, this fingering
solution is shown in Example 6.25. The emphasis will automatically fall onto the note plucked
by the thumb. This concept applies even when the ostinato is occurring in the treble strings. The
first theme from movement I appears at measures 166-169, shown in Example 6.26.
114
The theme from movement II appears at measures 170-177, shown in Example 6.27. The
second subject group appears at measures 178-184, shown in Example 6.28. At measures 187-
194, there is more material from movement II, as shown in Example 6.29. The second subject
group appears again in measures 194-208, shown in Example 6.30.
Example 6.28 Dance Suite for Two Guitars, Circle Dance, mm. 178
115
Coda mm. 209 – 247

The coda uses the idea from the retransition, as shown in the Example 6.31. The rest of the
coda continues in this manner until the end of the movement, the music returning from E minor
to the home key of A minor.
The guitarist playing the single line should play these lines with rest stroke to highlight the
foreground and background. The third movement is the most formally complicated of the three
movements. The most important concept of performing this movement is an understanding of the
form, which will facilitate the use of dynamics in the retransition. It is essential to be familiar
with movements I and II to understand the context from which the material is derived.
Dance Suite for Two Guitars is a work suitable for intermediate to advanced guitarists.
Both Guitar I and Guitar II share the same material throughout the suite, so there is no difference
in difficulty between the two parts, and both players should be at the same level of playing. The
most challenging movement is movement III, which is the most extended. The guitar writing in
116
this work is refreshingly simple and uncomplicated, relying on the interplay between both parts
to create interest.
Conclusion
Like its technical considerations, this work is more traditional in form in comparison with
others examined in this treatise and playing only two movements in performance would be
permissible; however, the third movement makes use of different elements that have been heard
already in movement I and movement II, so the listener will not understand the references to the
first and second movements if the entire suite is not performed.
117
CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION
Toronto was well suited to hold the first and most ambitious guitar festival in North
America. Toronto was a rapidly developing city formed of an amalgamation of people of
different ethnicities, religions, and beliefs. In the pre-WWII era, Toronto experienced many
developments in “civic engineering, urban design, development of modern transportation, and
communications infrastructures.” 149 However, musically Toronto was very conservative and
steeped in the English tradition. Its musical life led by a very conservative group of musicians
trained in England.150 The “first Canadian serialist,” and “dean of Canadian composers,” John
Weinzweig, was an individual who felt constrained in this pre-WWII environment.
One of the reasons for this conservative musical culture was because both the size and
frigid temperatures of Canada made travel between the few major cities in Canada nearly
impossible for the majority of the year, also affecting communication. Air travel at this time was
very limited. Through the work and influence of John Weinzweig, the changing cultural climate
of Toronto, in combination with the increasingly available funding for arts programs in the post-
WWII era from the Canadian government, provided fertile soil for a festival that would change
the course of the history of the guitar forever. The difficulty of communication between guitar
societies and guitarists across North America led to an interest in creating a guitar festival,
consisting of seminars about teaching, composing, performance practice, and interpretation
ideas, and also a competition where young guitarists could compete for a coveted first prize. This
festival raised the level of playing during the nearly 20 years that it spanned.
At this festival, many important events took place, such as the debut of Kazuhito
Yamashita in the west, and exposing North American audiences to David Russell’s modern style
of musicianship and technique. There were over 75 premieres of compositions composed for the
festival’s “Quest for New Music,” as well as guitar concertos by Leo Brouwer, which have been
recorded many times and are now standards in the guitar repertoire. As the influence of the USA
149
John Beckwith, Weinzweig: Essays on His Life and Music (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press,
2011), 34.
150
Ibid, 39.
118
grew in power, it affected not just the culture, but also politics, leading to a change of
government when the Conservative party of Canada won the election in 1984. The decreased
funding and the growing popularity of the GFA festivals led to the end of the Toronto
International Guitar Festival. The Toronto Guitar Society’s conception of the guitar festival has
become the standard format for guitar festivals around the world.
The works examined in this treatise are invaluable not only to the student but also to the
professional guitarist. They offer possibilities for development of technique, musicianship, music
history, furthering the understanding of music forms and music and instruments of different
cultures, and even deepening our appreciation of our environment.
The fact that these pieces have not entered more fully into the repertoire is a great travesty.
The author predicts that as the level and ability of guitarists increases, eventually, these works
will become better known, and more interest in them will develop.
The author hopes that this study generates more interest in the further scholarship of other
events overlooked in guitar history and that this would lead to the possibility of exposing more
under appreciated repertoire. If these pieces and the festival's importance continue to be ignored,
then there is a significant loss of the history to the guitar and its repertoire.
119
APPENDIX A
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR JOHN WEINZWEIG’S CONTRASTS

AND EIGHTEEN PIECES FOR GUITAR
120
APPENDIX B
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR SRUL IRVING GLICK’S DANCE

SUITE FOR TWO GUITARS
121
APPENDIX C
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR R. MURRAY SCHAFER’S LE CRI DE

MERLIN AND GUITAR CONCERTO
122
APPENDIX D
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY SOMERS’ CONCERTO FOR

GUITAR AND ORCHESTRA AND SONATA FOR GUITAR
123
APPENDIX E
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY FREEDMAN’S IMPROMPTUS

FOR MEZZO-SOPRANO AND GUITAR
124
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129
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Christopher Boston began his classical guitar studies at the age of 9 in Terrace B.C., Canada,
with Robert Brown. At the age of 14 he began studying with Dr. Alexander Dunn in Victoria
B.C., and went on to receive his Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria. After
studying for a year at the Koblenz International Guitar Academy with Hubert Kappel, he went on
to receive a Master’s Degree from the Robert Schumann Hochschule, Düsseldorf, studying under
Prof. Alexander Sergei Ramirez. In 2015 he began his Doctoral Degree at Florida State
University, studying with Prof. Bruce Holzman.
130
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Canadian Works Written For The Toronto International Festival

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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

CANADIAN WORKS WRITTEN FOR THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL GUITAR

A Treatise submitted to the

Jane Piper Clendinning

List of Musical Examples ............................................................................................................... v

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... xii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 2 JOHN WEINZWEIG ............................................................................................. 16

CHAPTER 3 HARRY FREEDMAN .......................................................................................... 37

CHAPTER 4 HARRY SOMERS ................................................................................................ 49

CHAPTER 5 R. MURRAY SCHAFER ...................................................................................... 75

CHAPTER 6 SRUL IRVING GLICK ....................................................................................... 102

CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................... 118

APPENDIX A COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR JOHN WEINZWEIG’S CONTRASTS AND

APPENDIX B COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR SRUL IRVING GLICK’S DANCE SUITE

APPENDIX C COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR R. MURRAY SCHAFER’S LE CRI DE

APPENDIX D COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY SOMERS’ CONCERTO FOR

APPENDIX E COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FOR HARRY FREEDMAN’S IMPROMPTUS

Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 125

Biographical Sketch .................................................................................................................... 130

The Toronto International Guitar Festival

Complete Toronto Guitar Festivals Overview

Table 1.1. Complete Toronto Guitar Festivals Overview

Festival Competitors Attendees Prize Winners Relevant Premiers

Guitar ’75 (June 23-28)

Table 1.2 Guitar ‘75

Concerts Workshops, Seminars17

Major Concerts18 • Teacher’s Symposium – John Duarte

Noon Hour Concerts Featuring

Guitar ’78 (June 19 – 24)23

Table 1.3 Guitar ‘78

Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events

Evening Concerts Workshops

Guitar ’81 (June 22-27)25

Table 1.4 Guitar ‘81

Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events

Major Concerts Workshops and Seminars,

Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events

Noon Hour Concerts by Workshops and Seminars (Cont)

Guitar ’84 (June 22- 30)30

Table 1.5 Guitar ‘84

Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events

Major Concerts Workshops

Concerts Workshops, Seminars, Events

Lute festival Masterclasses

Guitar ’87 (June 22-27)36

Table 1.6 Guitar ‘87

Concerts Workshops and Seminars

“Celebrity Series” Workshops and Seminars

Noon Hour Concerts Featuring Canadian Masterclasses:

Example 2.2 Contrasts. Middle of system 1.

Example 2.3 Contrasts, movement I, the first half of system 13

Example 2.4 Contrasts, movement II, m.1

Example 2.5 Contrasts, movement III, the first half of system 1

IV – Fast with Nervous Agitation

Example 2.9 Contrasts, movement VI, last quarter of system 3

Eighteen Pieces for Guitar

I - Rocking - Swaying Tempo

Example 2.10 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 3

Example 2.11 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 1

Example 2.12 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Rocking, m. 22

Example 2.14 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Promenade, m. 1

Example 2.15 Eighteen Pieces for Guitar, Meditation, mm. 1-4