R. Murray Schafer

Barry J. Edwards was a librarian with the Metro Toronto Library.

If any Canadian composer has put this country on the world musical map, it is R. Murray Schafer (born 1933). Far beyond these borders Schafer is recognized as a composer, graphic artist, dramatist, educator, social critic, literary scholar, and journalist. In this engaging and well-written survey of the composer’s life and varied creative output, Stephen Adams has provided essential reading not only for practising musicians and students, but also for general readers fascinated by the personality of a man who “truly typifies the musical experience of the nation.”

R. Murray Schafer is the fourth in a continuing series on contemporary Canadian composers commissioned by the Canadian Music Centre and published by the University of Toronto Press. The first chapter is devoted to a brief biography of the composer. It outlines Schafer’s ecumenical musical and literary interests ranging from Greek tragedy, Ezra Pound, E.T.A. Hoffmann, and German Romanticism to noise pollution and the acoustic “soundscape.” In the lengthy second chapter, on Schafer’s extensive body of writing, Adams rightly stresses the importance of coming to terms with Schafer’s strong opinions on intellectual and social concerns as a first step to understanding what motivates him as a composer.

The remainder of this outstanding book deals in unparalleled detail with Schafer’s development as a composer and the analysis of his most significant works. Cognizant of his obligations to society as a composer, Schafer identifies himself most strongly with “music that speaks directly; music that is created perilously; music created by composers who risk everything; dangerous music.” While his vast and diverse output beggars generalization, there is no denying the remarkable capacity of Schafer’s music to surprise, shock, stimulate, challenge, or even to entertain. In fact, writes Adams, “Schafer’s best pieces almost always make some kind of sense to a concert audience on first hearing — whether through programmatic subject matter, lyrical expression, or theatricality.”

The strength of this book lies particularly in the quality of the writing and in the soundness and conviction of the arguments expressed. This is, in short, a major contribution to Canadian music literature and an example of musicology at its best. Included are a discography, a bibliography, a list of works, an index, and copious musical examples. Most highly recommended.