'Was rather surprised to read last night that, in its decade of existence,
performances at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival have featured 212
Canadian composers.

Now, thanks to an MCML pal, I've noticed that the Canadian Music
Centre (CMC) has taken the trouble to doll up its site to a recommendable
level.  A user-friendly presentation with Canadian composers' biographical
sketches, which they've had for years, but now supplemented with some
clips and, in some cases, even score samples.

Check out, for instance, the pages for Jacques Hetu: tonal and broadly
conservative, though not esp easy.  I would've pushed for very different
clips to get this fine composer to a wide audience, but do sample:

http://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=composer.FA_dsp_sample&authpeopleid=417&by=H

Includes a bio, samples, and score fragments: the full works.  You also
get links to the CMC's CDs.  It's a decent collection, in part due to
close ties with CBC records -- a fairly rich but, to date, poorly promoted
label.

The standard price per CD is mid-range, but a few recommendable items
are also in the Canadian$6 (US$4.25?) range -- better than Naxos: trumpet
concerti by Hetu, Malcolm Forsyth and Phil Nimmons; another of strings
music by Hetu, Talivaldis Kenins and others.  (Kenins, btw, is a Latvian
Canadian whom a respected but now silent MCML member once called one of
the great living symphonists).  The equally well-priced 'Quintette' has
works for winds by Hetu, Forsyth again, Harry Freedman, and Kenins again.

Three final recommendations for those who are still reading:
Murray Adaskin (1906-2002), praised on this list a few months ago.
Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002): five clips can be sampled via:
http://www.srulirvingglick.com/ And Kelly-Marie Murphy: mostly shorter
pieces so far, but she's young and IMO very promising.

Alas for KMM: again no clips.  Two other, more famous cases: Colin
McPhee (1900-1964): nothing at all beyond a 5-line biographical sketch.
Also, nil samples of music or scores for R Murray Schafer, one of Canada's
few well-known living composers.  I trust the oversight's temporary;
after all, it's no function of pernickety copyrights: clips of these
very CDs by RMS are available elsewhere (viz.,
http://www.mymusic.com/product_classical.asp?curr=1&muzenbr=47280).  His
scores are said to be a wonder to behold, even by non-cognoscenti, as
visual art.

'Hope the CMC people realize that music clips are no mere frippery, but
The Way to go with music on the Internet; their score fragments in PDF
are very welcome too.  Anyway, with this site and CDs at mid- and even
sub-Naxos prices, Canada may finally be starting to get out the word
about what CM is coming out of this country.

Now for a decent and affordable series of Finlandia-type 'Meet the
Composer' double CDs to really put a few of these ladies and gents
on the big map!

Bert Bailey, in Ottawa (usual disclaimers)