You mention the Arrogant Worms, and do not mention “Canada’s Really Big”? “Rocks and Trees”? “I Am Cow”? “We Are The Beaver”? “Sex, Drugs, and RRSPs”? “Horizon”?
I have a kind of weakness for This is My Island
Then there’s Blackfly , which sort of celebrates Northern Ontario.
And, while I agree with psoeple who’ve said, “anything by Stan Rogers”, I’d mention Northwest Passage , which isn’t about any province, but sort of, to me, symbolizes a very Canadian sense of combined aspiration, nostalgia, and regret.
Also, what about Allouette ?
(I don’t care what some people say. It’s a Quebecois song, damn it!)
Two operas by Harry Somers deserve a mention.
Serinette , which is set to a libretto by James Reaney.
Reaney’s libretto (Toronto 1990), is based on characters and events of Upper Canada in the early 1800s. The Family Compact conflicts (political and religious), the Ridout-Jarvis duel, and the establishment of a utopian farm community at Sharon by David Willson are all historical, but the story’s central figure, Colin Jarvis, ‘younger brother’ of the historical Samuel Jarvis, is fictitious. The mechanical bird imported from Europe by the Toronto Jarvis family becomes a symbol of the cultural yearnings of a colonial society gradually learning, as Reaney puts it, to ‘sing its own song.’ The work calls for 14 singer-actors, most of whom play multiple roles, and a 12-piece chamber orchestra. The original staging utilized both the exterior and interior of the Temple: each act started with the performers and audience processing into the building, while the finale was played and sung inside the candle-lit Temple with the spectators observing from the grounds outside.
from the Canadian Encyclopedia . Full disclosure - I’m on this recording, though it won’t benefit me if anyone happens to buy a copy.
Louis Riel , which tells the story of the historical figure.
The libretto depicts the post-Confederation political events bounded by the Indian and Métis uprisings of 1869-70 and 1884-5 and the personal tragedy of the uprisings’ leader, the Manitoba schoolteacher and Métis hero Louis Riel. After the premiere, Kenneth Winters described the opera in the Toronto Telegram (25 Sep 1967) as a ‘pastiche… big, efficient, exciting, heterogeneous… It had no ring of eternity but it was a vigorous harnessing of current and choice; a brash, smart, cool hand on the pulse of a number of fashions, social, dramatic and musical.’ The production was repeated in 1968 in Toronto - six performances with the assistance of the Chalmers Foundation - and was adapted by Franz Kraemer in 1969 for CBC TV.
A brief YouTube excerpt .
EmilyG
July 2, 2013, 3:04am
26
I second the Connie Kaldor nomination. I’ve loved her music for ages and her son is a friend of mine.
Spoons
July 2, 2013, 3:38am
27
Sunspace:
You mention the Arrogant Worms, and do not mention “Canada’s Really Big”? “Rocks and Trees”? “I Am Cow”? “We Are The Beaver”? “Sex, Drugs, and RRSPs”? “Horizon”?
Be careful what you wish for:
Ontario Sucks , by the Arrogant Worms.
There’s “Lakeside Park” by Rush, although that’s more of a Victoria Day song.
Poysyn
July 2, 2013, 11:40pm
29
So glad someone mentioned this one.
Oh, come on, the Hip aren’t that bad!
I’ll get hated for this but “Snowbird” has to get a mention, by Anne Murrey of course.
I will admit that I’m the reason Cat Whisperer calls them the Tragically Shit. I don’t like their sound and I really don’t like how Gordon Downie bleats like a sheep most of the time. Just my opinion, of course.
This one’s borderline at best, but makes specific reference to Montreal in the very first line: I Just Wanna Stop by Gino Vanelli.
Dread_Pirate_Jimbo:
I will admit that I’m the reason Cat Whisperer calls them the Tragically Shit. I don’t like their sound and I really don’t like how Gordon Downie bleats like a sheep most of the time. Just my opinion, of course.
This one’s borderline at best, but makes specific reference to Montreal in the very first line: I Just Wanna Stop by Gino Vanelli.
I’m not a huge Hip fan either, but Gino Vanelli?
Ya.
The Ryans and the Pittmans (aka We’ll Rant and We’ll Roar like True Newfoundlanders)
Poysyn
July 3, 2013, 5:55pm
35
I love the Hip, and would include “Fiddler’s Green”
Don’t you be saying nothing bad about my main man, Gino! I mean, look at that costume in the video. And the hair!! That is nothing but awesome!
