Administrator

Sir Ernest MacMillan:
Portrait of a Canadian Musician (1893-1973)

Canadian Delegate to the General Assembly of the International Music Council, Unesco House, Paris, October 22, 1958.
Photo by Unesco.

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In an age when the government of practically every civilized country is concerned with disseminating and publicizing its nation's cultural wares, we still lag woefully behind. We are losing more than we realize. 1

MacMillan was involved in administrative matters for most of his career organizing choirs, concerts and special events, and serving on various commissions, committees and in organizations. As principal of the Conservatory, he was equally responsible for fulfilling non-musical obligations. Toward the end of the 1940s, MacMillan took on additional duties in connection with the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC), the Canadian Music Council, the Canadian Music Centre and lastly, the Canada Council.

MacMillan was instrumental in the founding of the Canadian Music Council in 1946. When the House of Commons' Committee on Post-War Reconstruction was ready in 1944 to listen to spokespersons from all walks of life, there was no organization to speak on behalf of Canada's musicians. MacMillan, approached by interested persons, hastily assembled a committee and presented a report on the problems and hopes of the musical community. He asked Charles Peaker to take over the chairmanship. A few months later 20 people gathered for a discussion in Toronto, and the name Canadian Music Council was adopted. The following year, Peaker resigned and MacMillan was elected chairman. The organization aimed to provide information about music in Canada, to represent the musical community before governments and international organizations, and to assist in the development of music in Canada. When the Council received a federal charter in 1949, MacMillan became its president until his retirement in 1966.

Prior to the creation of the Canada Council which would provide subsidies, the Canadian Music Council completed many worthwhile projects. In 1955, it published the book Music in Canada, edited by MacMillan, with 18 chapters on specific aspects contributed by specialists. This was the first comprehensive survey of the Canadian music scene. A year later, it launched the Canadian Music Journal, the country's first high-quality national music periodical. The Council's largest and most far-reaching project was the establishment in 1959 of the Canadian Music Centre, a library and information centre for the dissemination and promotion of Canadian music which still flourishes.

The Canadian Music Council became the Canadian committee of the International Music Council in 1952 and of CIDEM (the Inter-American Music Council) in 1959. Its membership grew to include individuals and organizations.

From 1947 to 1969, MacMillan served as president of CAPAC. In addition to its primary functions of licensing performances and collecting and distributing royalties, CAPAC provided support to the Canadian music community in other ways. Its bilingual monthly magazine The Canadian Composer and Le Compositeur canadien first appeared in 1965 and continued until 1990 when it was superseded by Canadian Composer and Compositeur canadien, a magazine published in separate French and English editions by SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada).

As improved levels of remuneration were achieved for its members, the number of Canadian composers increased significantly. MacMillan's deep commitment to defending the rights of composers is not widely known; however, in 1957, GEMA (German Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights) awarded him the Richard Strauss Medal "in recognition of his outstanding services in protection of copyright." Despite his devotion to so-called "serious" music, he showed equal dedication to the advancement and recognition of composers working in popular-music idioms.

When the Canada Council was created in 1957, MacMillan was one of its charter members. The origin of the Council can be traced back to the period following the end of World War II, when a volunteer organization, the Canadian Arts Council, consisting of personalities from the artistic domain, patrons of the arts, and cultural groups, came into being. This council sought the creation of a royal commission into the development of arts, literature, and science. In fact, such a commission was established in 1949 under the chairmanship of Vincent Massey. It was called the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences (commonly known as the Massey Commission). Between August 1949 and July 1950, the Commission held public sessions across Canada, at which most of the 450 submitted briefs were heard, and invited experts in various fields to prepare special studies. One of these, on music, was written by MacMillan. In 1951 the Commission issued a report which gained recognition as a document of utmost importance in the cultural history of Canada since it advocated the principle of federal government patronage of cultural activities and proposed the establishment of a Canada Council. The Council's principal objectives were to foster and promote the study, enjoyment, and production of works in the arts. MacMillan worked closely with such noted figures as Brooke Claxton, Georges P. Vanier and Albert Trueman, also members of the Council. MacMillan was appointed and served two terms of three years on the¨ Council. His advice was particularly valued not only because of his experience and renown, but because he was one of the few active professional artists among the appointees.

Notes

1. MacMillan, "Some Problems of the Canadian Composer," p. 13.

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