Piano Music I

Daniel Charles Foley was a composer and lecturer in music and lived in Toronto.

These two volumes represent the beginnings of what is to be a large-scale effort to document the history of the publication of Canadian music.

The anthology is attractively presented. In most cases the music is a facsimile of the original publications; for certain compositions of exceptional historical value unpublished manuscripts have been newly engraved for this edition. In both cases, instances of questionable orthography have been scrupulously noted by the editors.

Volume One presents 42 pieces of nineteenth century piano music, chronologically arranged. The earliest of these works are light dance pieces in a popular vein: waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, and the like. These are of moderate technical difficulty and may lend themselves to contemporary pedagogical uses. The later works are more demanding and often have a programmatic nature.

In contrast to the first volume, the musical language of which is often sentimental and chromatic, the sacred choral music of the second volume is resolutely diatonic and stylistically restrictive. Both Catholic and Protestant traditions are amply represented, with the bulk of the selections again chosen from the nineteenth century repertoire.

While the musical technique of these works offers little that might be called distinctively Canadian, this series promises to be an essential collection for the understanding of our musical heritage.