Canadian composer Louis Applebaum devoted his life to the cultural awakening of his native land, and this "magnificent obsession" drove him to become a founder of the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre. He was an instrumental figure in the early development of the National Film Board, the Stratford Festival, and the National Art Centre in Ottawa. For nearly half a century he composed music for the Stratford Festival, television, radio, and films. This illustrated biography explores the man who was beloved by his fellow artists and the icon to whom every Canadian, knowingly or not, is indebted.

(Meredith Music Resource). This one-of-a-kind volume is perfect for those who have never programmed a Canadian band piece or simply want to expand their knowledge of Canada's many gems for wind band. With up-to-date biographies of 63 Canadian composers and more than 200 of their works in grades 1 through 6, this book's listing of each work includes program notes, description of the piece, grade level, duration, and publisher. Also included are easy-to-use, four-year performance sequences for each grade level. "...should be of interest to anyone passionate about discovering new repertoire and excited by the quest to uncover many hidden treasures." Jim Cochran , President, Shattinger Music. (a href="http://youtu.be/jmsjgke7WmM" target="_blank")Click here for a YouTube video on Canadian Band Music(/a)

Beginning in 1882, many Russian and Eastern-European Jews who fled to the United States settled in the "West Side Flats" in St. Paul, Minnesota. The area once stretched from the banks of the Mississippi River to the cliffs of the West Side Hills, about 320 acres in all, but has since fallen victim to the vagaries of the mighty river and the progress of "urban renewal." The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats: 1882-1962 takes the reader on a pictorial tour down memory lane. The families, houses, businesses, streets, and synagogues-all vanished now-are brought back to life through vintage photographs from the archives of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the private collections of many former residents. This is a memoir of a historic neighborhood that can no longer be visited.

Eldon Davis Rathburn (1916-2008), one of the most multi-dimensional, prolific, and endlessly fascinating composers of the twentieth century, wrote more music than any other Canadian composer of his generation. During a long and productive career that spanned seventy-five years, Rathburn served for thirty years as a staff composer with the National Film Board of Canada (1947-76), scored the first generation of IMAX films, and created a diverse catalogue of orchestral and chamber works. With the aid of extensive archival and documentary materials, They Shot, He Scored chronicles Rathburn's life and works, beginning with his formative years in Saint John, New Brunswick, and his breakthrough in Los Angeles in connection with Arnold Schoenberg and the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. The book follows his work at the NFB, his close encounters with some of the most celebrated international figures in his field, and his collaboration with the team of innovators who launched the IMAX film corporation. James Wright undertakes a close analytical reading of Rathburn's film and concert scores to outline his methods, compositional techniques, influences, and idiosyncratic approach to instrumentation, as well as his proto-postmodern proclivity for borrowing from diverse styles and genres. Authoritative and insightful, They Shot, He Scored illuminates the extraordinary career of an unsung creative force in the film and music industry.

Music Makers examines and celebrates the extraordinary lives of composer Harry Freedman and his partner, soloist Mary Morrison. Harry, with roots in jazz and popular music, was a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. Canada’s Composer of the Year in 1979, he has written an enormous repertoire that celebrates Canada and is sung and played around the world. After a stellar career in Canada as a popular singer and opera diva, Mary became an esteemed exponent of Canadian vocal works. She was a prestigious mentor and teacher of young Canadians now appearing on famous opera stages worldwide. She received the League of Composers’ Music Citation in 1968 and won Canada’s major award as Opera Educator in 2002.