Did You Know

One of the more popular sections of The Chorister Newsletter is "Did You Know". Here, in one place, are all manner of fascinating facts and trivia. Enjoy!

Toronto

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is the largest metropolitan area in Canada and the fifth largest in North America, after Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Toronto's population is 5,493,086 (2004).

The GTA is one of North America's fastest-growing regions. Since one-third of immigrants to Canada typically settle in Toronto, this rate of change was accelerated here. The first to come were large numbers of Europeans - particularly from Italy, Portugal, Greece, Poland, and Hungary. In 1971, the country officially adopted the policy of Multiculturalism, which gives residents the option to define the degree of cultural affinity they wish to maintain, and does not promote the melting pot model of assimilation. Between 1971 and 1996 the population of the GTA grew by 61 percent, and the proportion of residents claiming origin from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean grew from four percent to 26 percent - and it is higher today. Approximately 38 percent of Torontonians are actually foreign born, and approximately half would be considered visible minorities. Immigrants to Canada have always by definition brought cultural diversity with them, and their offspring have always integrated rapidly into the mainstream.

Today, Toronto is considered to be one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the world. So, how does it work? While groups of immigrants will often initially settle in the same area, these are not exclusive enclaves. Most neighbourhoods are decidedly mixed; their inhabitants determined more by economics than race or language. We live together!

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army has had a tremendous tradition of music in Canada since 1883. "The Salvationists' practice of setting heavenly words to 'worldly' tunes gave their music a popular appeal which drew large crowds and converts."* Jack Addie, who left England to settle in Ontario, reportedly wrote more than 100 such songs. With this music tradition and the wonderful community work they do, we are proud to have their Toronto Community Church as one of our community partners.

* Canadian Encyclopedia of Music

Handbells

The handbells you heard at the December 2004 concert were cast in a foundry in Pennsylvania. The castings are made of bronze, approximately 80% copper and 20% tin. The molten metal is heated to 2000 degrees before being poured into sand moulds. The bells are tuned and machine polished to a jeweller's finish. To put a value on the instrument you will see before you; the smallest bells are $138 US; the largest one we have is a C3, which would cost $819 US to replace. A beginning set of two octaves (25 bells) costs $4,460 and a five-octave set (61 bells) such as we will be ringing, would cost $16,830 US today. The greatest investment, however, is the time and talent of the people who ring them.

John Newton and Amazing Grace

The words of Amazing Grace were written by John Newton (1725-1807). Captain of a vessel that carried slaves from Africa to the United States, he wrote the text as a prayer after a harrowing storm at sea, when it seemed all lives would be lost. He promised God that if he survived, he would change his life to one of service and end his involvement in the slaving trade.

When the ship came safely through the storm, John Newton returned his cargo of people to their home in Africa. Once back in the United States, he gave up his life as a Captain and became a Minister passionately opposed to slavery.

Archibald Lampman

Archibald Lampman was born in 1861 in Morpeth, Ontario, a village near Chatham and Ridgetown but he received his education at the Collegiate Institute in Cobourg, Trinity College School in Port Hope, and Trinity College (now University of Toronto), where he edited the college newspaper and graduated in Classics in 1882. After a short time teaching high school in Orangeville, Lampman took a position as a low-paid clerk in the Langevin Block of the Canadian Post Office in the nation's capital at Ottawa, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He married Maud Playter in 1887 and they had two children. However, Lampman grew to love Kate Waddell in 1889, a romance that lasted until his death in 1899. One of the so-called "Confederation Group" of poets (with Duncan Campbell Scott and William Wilfred Campbell), Lampman was influenced by his friends Bliss Carmen and Charles G. D. Roberts. Lampman published two important volumes of poems in his lifetime: Among the Millet and Other Poems (Ottawa: Durie, 1888 and Lyrics of Earth (Boston: Copeland and Day, 1895). Lampman is widely regarded as Canada's greatest poet of the nineteenth century. His manuscripts can largely be found at Queen's University in Kingston.

Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a pupil of Saint-Saëns, who was perhaps the most knowledgeable musician of the 19th century. Fauré later said that he owed "everything" to his mentor. Saint-Saëns introduced him to Wagner and Liszt as well as Bach and Mozart, teaching him purity of style, devoid of romantic excesses. Fauré passed on this wisdom to his own students including Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger who in turn taught and influenced many of the great composers of the 20th century.

Fauré's beautiful Requiem was written in 1887 and ranks among his most famous works. The Requiem conveys his own attitudes about death. He said in 1902, "That's how I see death: as a joyful deliverance, an aspiration towards a happiness beyond the grave, rather than as a painful experience."

The French Horn

The hunting horn was an early ancestor of today's French horn. Carried over the shoulder, it was basically a large pipe coiled into a circle with a mouthpiece similar to a trumpet. It had a loud and brilliant tone. Toward the end of the 17th century, the instrument (having evolved somewhat) began to be used in the orchestra. The horn continued to develop, changing proportions and adding valves and crooks, but it was not until around 1750 that it became capable of making more mellow sounds we associate with the French horn. The horn has the reputation of being one of the most difficult orchestra instruments to play. Good tone production requires several special skills. One of these is called stopping, a technique for achieving a special tonal effect by inserting the hand into the bell of the horn.

George Friedrich Handel

George Friedrich Handel composed his masterpiece Messiah at the age of 53 in only 24 days. The first performance took place in Dublin and all proceeds were donated to charity. Some of the money went to release 142 people from debtors' prison. Their debts were paid in full from concert revenue.

George Gershwin

Born in Brooklyn, in 1898, George Gershwin began his musical career as a teenaged song-plugger on Tin Pan Alley. For the princely sum of $15 a week, he honed his musical skills showcasing the music of other composers. He recorded many piano rolls (to be played on player pianos) of music mostly by other composers. Declining Irving Berlin's job offer to be Berlin's personal musical secretary, George instead became a rehearsal pianist for a couple of Broadway shows by Jerome Kern.

In 1919 Gershwin wrote his first musical. His first hit song, Swanee, was recorded by Al Jolson in 1920, and earned George $10,000 in royalties that year alone! George and Ira Gershwin produced their first musical together, Lady Be Good, in 1924, kicking off a collaboration that took them from Broadway to Hollywood.

Gershwin's writing combined elements of both popular and classical styles, embodying his belief that the two were not mutually exclusive. His favorite composition was Porgy and Bess, which ironically was never well received in his lifetime.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The custom of celebrating Christmas over a twelve-day period began in the Middle Ages. Because religious holidays were the only opportunities for rest and relaxation, the celebration was extended. While only the wealthy would have been able to afford to give a gift on each of the twelve days of Christmas, everyone could enjoy stories about the exchange of gifts. Counting songs were very popular at this time, and to this day we still sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Interestingly, in today's economy, the total cost of goods and services listed in the song comes to $62,935.17 U.S. The highest priced item would be the "Nine Ladies Dancing" at $4,019.24, coming in well above the $1,749.15 for the "Twelve Drummers Drumming"!

John Rutter and The Reluctant Dragon

The Reluctant Dragon is a musical fable based on a children's story first published in 1898 in a collection of stories called Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame. John Rutter wrote this musical adaptation for The King Singers, a famous group of 6 male singers, to sing at a Christmas concert with the City of London Sinfonia. The published version first appeared in 1984 and has a variety of performance possibilities.

John Rutter's name has become almost synonymous with Christmas for many choral enthusiasts. He, himself, says he feels a special affinity for Christmas. He has written, arranged and edited a large number of carols.

Irish Folk Music

When the subject of Irish folk music comes up, most people immediately think of Londonderry Air or Danny Boy as it is also known. This hauntingly beautiful song from Northern Ireland is internationally known and loved. However, the best-known traditional song of Northern Ireland is The Belle of Belfast, also known as I'll Tell My Ma. In Ireland, The Belle of Belfast is sung by elementary school children as part of their choir repertoire, by children skipping-rope and at sporting events, especially at international soccer or rugby matches by fans supporting Northern Irish or Ulster teams. It is performed by Protestant marching bands, especially accordion and flute bands, during July commemoratory celebrations and by Catholic marching bands during August celebrations. It is frequently sung at local pubs. The song is so well known that audiences often sing along when they hear it performed.

Christmas in 1507

In 1507, Edward Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham, held a magnificent celebration throughout the twelve days of Christmas at Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire. The festivities ended with a sumptuous banquet on the Feast of Epiphany, on January 6, to which 459 people were invited for dinner! Cooks were brought in from Bristol, and many singers and musicians were hired to perform for the guests. No doubt one of the carols they sang was God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.

The Huron Carol

According to tradition, Canada's first Christmas carol, The Huron Carol, was written by Father Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary, to explain the nativity story to the Huron Indians. As the well-loved and respected Superior of the Huron mission, he was fluent in their language and able to translate many Christian stories into Huron. Between 1639 and 1649, a central home was established at Sainte-Marie called The Abode of Peace. This residence was just east of where Midland now stands. Brébeuf worked for fourteen years in the Huron lands before becoming a martyr, tortured and slain by enemies of the Hurons.

By 1649, the Iroquois brought total ruin to the Hurons, and the Jesuits set fire to Sainte-Marie to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. A few managed to escape, and they settled at Lorette, Quebec. It was in a manuscript found at Lorette that The Huron Carol first resurfaced. It was a song, the Hurons said, which Father de Brébeuf had taught to their ancestors. But the first printed version of this carol did not appear until the late 1700's.

The Underground Railroad (Part 1)

The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad, but is a term that refers to the often highly organized system of escape from slavery that as many as 100,000 enslaved peoples in North America took to the Promised Land; i.e., Canada. While most escaped northwards, some did make it to Mexico or the Caribbean. It has come to light in recent years that many spirituals are code songs that were used by the slaves to communicate information about escaping.

One of the most famous of these is Follow the Drinking Gourd (page down to see the complete words), which actually provides a map and timetable for the Underground Railroad. The "drinking gourd" refers to the Big Dipper and the North Star, used as reference points. "When the sun comes back and the first quail calls" means that spring is a good time to attempt escape. "The river bank makes a mighty good road" is a reminder that bloodhounds lose the scent in water. "The dead trees will show you the way" means that moss grows on the north side of dead trees (in case the stars are not visible at night). "Left foot, peg foot, travelin' on" is a direct reference to one of the famous conductors on the Railroad who would leave visual markers for escapees with his wooden leg. "The river ends between two hills" is a clue for the directions to the Ohio River.

The Underground Railroad (Part 2)

Harriet Tubman was one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. After escaping from slavery, she came back many times to help guide others to freedom, thus earning the title of "Moses". Any spiritual that refers to Moses is talking about Harriet Tubman. One such spiritual, whose tune is known as "Tubman", is When Israel Was in Egypt's Land: "Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land; tell old Pharaoh to let my people go."

Gregorian chant and Plainchant

Gregorian chant is named after Pope Gregory I who was the Pope from 590 - 604. Legend has it that he developed the chant for liturgical use, but it probably didn't reach its final form until sometime between 750 and 850. Melodies of Gregorian chant are found in many manuscripts dating from the ninth century and later. The term plainsong or plainchant is often used interchangeably with Gregorian chant, and these chants could be used for sacred or secular purposes. In the Middle Ages, people saw sacred music as part of everyday experience, and so many of the chant melodies were as familiar to them as folk songs are to us today. Children learned them at school, and they were sung by the congregation, which in those days meant everyone. The chants are called plainsongs because of the single line of melody that moves with free rhythm. Plainchant has been used for liturgical music in the Jewish and Hindu faith, and there are also examples of it found in Syrian, Armenian, and Byzantine chant.

Miracle and Mystery Plays

Music drama has its roots in Classic Greek Tragedy that contained elements of both song and dance. From the 10th century on, music drama became important in liturgical activities, and we see during this period the birth of the ecclesiastical music drama or Miracle play.

Miracle and Mystery plays were performed throughout the Middle Ages as a means of teaching Bible stories to a largely illiterate populace. Initially the roles were played by priests, later by townspeople and their families. Mounted on carts, each Craft Guild would take its play from street to street so everyone could see the performance. Often there were festivals with perhaps as many as 24 different plays being performed. The music was varied and served different purposes. Music in “Church style” portrayed God, Heaven, and Angels. In particular, plainchant was God’s music. Music from a more popular idiom or folk tradition was used for moments of comedy. At times music was incidental to mimed activity.
The Coventry Carol originated from one of these Miracle Plays presented by the Shearmen and Tailors.

Canadian Musical Facts

The composer of the musical Hair is a Canadian? Mary Pickford, "America's Sweetheart", was a Canadian? Christopher Plummer was born in Toronto and grew up in Montreal?

Improvised Music

Improvised vocal music is a feature of much folk music from Newfoundland and Labrador. "Chin" or "mouth" music as it is called, is a vocal imitation of instrumental music. When fiddles or accordion were not available to provide dance music, able singers would oblige instead. Some singers are so adept at this style that they are called upon even when instrumentalists were present.

Waits

Many of the oldest carols we sing at Christmas originated in "Merrie Olde England". These carols were sung by municipal bands of singers known as waits. Waits were licensed to provide entertainment for the rich and travelling dignitaries and also sang out the hours of the day and night like town criers. Song was an integral part of life, and waits were particularly busy at Christmastime. They would serenade passersby with the story of the Nativity, and share songs of merriment and good cheer, such as We Wish you a Merry Christmas. In return, the singers might receive some coins, a bit of spiced ale, or figgy pudding.

Vivaldi

Don Antonio Vivaldi, the "Red Priest" of Venice, was so nicknamed because he had flaming red hair. In 1703, he took a position as violin teacher for the Pio Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage for girls and famous for its strong music program. Their concerts were often attended by visiting state dignitaries. Vivaldi maintained a professional relationship with the Pieta throughout most of his career and composed Gloria in D while teaching there. The Gloria had its first modern performance in 1939, having been rediscovered among the papers of Count Durazzo, an important eighteenth century impresario.