This week we celebrated Canada's 143rd birthday. Thanks to my involvement with a spectacular CKXU radio celebration, I did a lot of thinking this week about Canadian musicians. That thinking led to doing a little digging; finding out if our country truly has its own 'Canadian music' identity; trying to see what sets us apart and makes our music so special.

This was not an easy task. Thankfully, there have been certain organizations holding it all together almost since the very beginning.  Now that I have done some research, here is the history of music in Canada. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

The earliest Canadian music was here before the French settlers were. Aboriginal drumming, multi-part vocalization, Inuit throat singing and songs that would last for days were noted in some of the earliest settler' journal entries. Then along came the French settlers, who brought their fiddles and dancing, teaching Aboriginal children to sing and play violin, guitars, flutes and trumpets as far back as the 1630's.  

By the turn of the century, original music was being composed in Canada's earliest colonies and settlements. While many traditional songs and dances were transmitted from village to village and down through generations, very little of it was transcribed or written down, and a great deal of it has been lost forever. By 1770, regular operatic and chamber music concerts had become part of Canada's cultural landscape. By 1800, Bach and Mozart's classical fare was being performed in Halifax and Quebec City.

Through the early 1800's, music publishing and printing was a thriving industry in Europe, but written reproductions of music were still predominantly reserved for a privileged, upper class minority in Canada. Most Canadian composers and musicians were making a living by leading choirs, playing organs in churches, teaching music lessons to students and children or playing in regimental military bands.

Fiddlers were still a fixture in most public drinking establishments. The accordion and harmonica had been introduced, and barn dances and inspired jamboree sessions were not uncommon — our earliest folk music. Soon ensembles of musicians were playing around the country, performing waltzes and polkas for adoring, dancing audiences. Mass immigration during the 1840s and 1850s, largely from Ireland, England and Scotland, considerably broadened the Canadian musical culture. Since many of them lived in relative isolation, many of their original folk songs can still be heard today in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.  

By 1835, sheet music had begun being included in newspapers and magazines — the only media sources in operation, and in 1844, Canada's first music store opened in Toronto selling pianos and publishing sheet music. By the time the Constitution Act was signed in 1867, songwriting had become a favored means of expression. Most middle-class families now owned a piano, and standard school education included at least a rudimentary introduction to music and songwriting. By the 1870's, Canada had several conservatories open to the public, leading to greater opportunities for individuals to 'officially' learn music. Original Canadian operas were becoming popular by 1880; and by 1900, there were more than 40 piano manufacturers operating across the then-still fully developed nation.

By 1910, Canadians were purchasing their own gramophones, the precursor to our modern day record player. They were purchasing works made by American and British singers, but many international hits would soon be created by Canadian musicians; published as sheet music and distributed far and wide. Then came the First World War which was a catalyst for the writing and recording of many patriotic Canadian songs.

I got into a discussion with a friend the other day that led into that old hypothetical argument: if you knew you were going to be stranded on a remote island somewhere for an undetermined period of time, which albums would you want to take with you? Now this little argument is silly I know. It is really an unanswerable question; for though I could likely list 150 albums I would like to take along, the sad truth is eventually I would grow tired of hearing the same 150 hours of music played repeatedly. Once you have memorized every note, examined every lyric and danced to every beat; then what do you do?

If one introduces logic into the equation, this whole scenario is flawed right from the beginning. Is this island remote and secluded - some hunk of sand floating in the middle of nowhere? If so, did I remember to pack an iPod that is solar-powered? Did I bring a Discman and a lifetime supply of batteries? If there is a place on the island to plug in a music player, then there must be electricity. If there is electricity, what the heck am I doing on the island in the first place?

If this was a huge tropical island like certain television characters were stranded on for eight seasons; I would be too busy exploring and struggling to find food, shelter and water to even be concerned with albums. If this were a tiny little bump of an island, as often pictured in silly comic strips, the only things I would want with me would include a fishing rod, an inflatable raft and a flare gun - all music be damned.
Nevertheless, for the sake of this hypothetical game I have been giving it some thought. However, I just cannot seem to turn the logic off.
Let us assume this island is capable of supporting life for a long period. There is a nice freshwater spring somewhere and a variety of edibles to select from. Let us assume that I am physically healthy and psychologically fit, able to creatively care for myself and wise enough to stave off tropical-borne disease and infection. Let us assume there is some portable nuclear nuclear generator somewhere to supply me with an unlimited source of energy for my stereo system. Let us assume that my stereo system is weatherproof and can run well even if buried in sand. Having assumed all of these things, then I can start thinking about music.