Notes

“Hockey Night in Canada” Theme Dropped by CBC

The iconic “Hockey Night in Canada” theme, which has been a Saturday-night staple across the country since the mid 1970s, was dropped by the CBC after the public broadcaster failed to reach a new licensing agreement with the ad agency representing composer Dolores Claman. Exactly what was on the deal-making table was vague, but CBC reportedly offered nearly $1M for perpetual rights while Copyright Music was asking up to $3M. The CBC claimed that it could not justify taxpayers’ money for this amount. Previously, CBC had been paying about $500 per game in licensing rights for the jingle they had commissioned in 1968. Copyright Music claims that the new licensing terms were “virtually identical” to the previous ones, but several factors, including a lawsuit launched by Claman for license misuse, led to a new deal falling through. On June 4, CBC fired the fatal shot when it announced a $100,000 competition for a new theme, to be judged by a panel and voted on by viewers. The ensuing controversy caused an enormous uproar. However, just as the CBC was backtracking, CTV announced that it had saved Canada’s second anthem by signing perpetual rights to the theme, planning to use it in their English- and French-language hockey broadcasts, as well as for hockey broadcasts during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Some commentators have mused that with the money saved, the CBC can now afford to keep alive the CBC Radio Orchestra. To enter the contest, visit anthemchallenge.cbc.ca. Just how much is a theme song worth? We will discuss this in our September issue. RAC

Bill C-61 Draws Criticism

Bill C-61, An act to Amend the Copyright Act, has been drawing more booing than cheers – from both consumers and artists. Common criticisms of the bill are that it too closely mirrors the USA’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act, pointing out that any new copyright laws should be made by and for Canadians. Copyright holders – studios and record labels – applaud the bill as fair, citing the fact that Canada’s copyright laws have been lax and outdated. Under the proposed amendment, consumers would be free to make single copies of legally purchased material for personal use, as well as record broadcasts for later viewing, providing the recordings are destroyed after a “reasonable” amount of time. Sharing illegal files (e.g. using peer-to-peer fileshare programs), making multiple copies of copyrighted materials, and circumventing digital locks on even legally purchased material would all be no-nos. Illegal downloading would be punishable by a statutory damage fine no greater than $500, but circumventing locks or uploading material illegally (say, using a P2P program or YouTube) would carry a fine of up to $20,000 per instance. RAC

July and August Birthdays

July 3, 1930 Pete Fountain

July 3, 1879 Philippe Gaubert (d. 1941)

July 5, 1895 Gordon Jacob (d. 1984)
July 7, 1860 Gustav Mahler (d. 1911)

July 8, 1882 Percy Aldridge Grainger (d. 1961)

July 12, 1934 Van Cliburn

July 16, 1948 Pinchas Zukerman

July 17, 1935 Peter Schickele

July 18, 1927 Kurt Masur

July 21, 1920 Isaac Stern (d. 2001)

July 24, 1921 Billy Taylor

July 24, 1880 Ernest Bloch (d. 1959)

July 25, 1930 Maureen Forrester

July 26, 1958 Angela Hewitt

July 26, 1791 Franz Xavier Mozart (d. 1844)

July 30, 1949 Alexina Louie

August 1, 1942 André Gagnon

August 3, 1907 Greta Krause (d. 1998)

August 8, 1938 Jacques Hétu

August 8, 1857 Cécile Chaminade (d. 1944)

August 13, 1948 Kathleen Battle

August 15, 1925 Oscar Peterson (d. 2007)

August 15, 1890 Jacques Ibert (d. 1962)

August 18, 1849 Benjamin Godard (d. 1895)

August 18, 1750 Antonio Salieri (d. 1825)

August 19, 1881 George Ensesco (d. 1955)

August 22, 1862 Claude Debussy (d. 1918)

August 25, 1918 Leonard Bernstein (d. 1990)

Compiled by Laura Bates

competition results

Prix d’Europe 2008 Laureates:

>Grand Prize: harpist Valèrie Milot

>Second Prize: oboist Daniel Lanthier

>Others: flutist Geneviève Savoie; harpsichordist Mélisande McNabney; violinist Annie Guénette

Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques

>sopranos: Catherine Affleck, Erin Armstrong, Leticia Brewer, Lucia Cesaroni, Julie Duerichen, Yoonkyoung Caroline Jang, Marianne Lambert, Simone Osborne, Glynis Ratcliffe, Charlene Santoni, Sarah Tatto, Inga Filippova-Williams, Audrey-Larose Zicat

>mezzos: Jenny Cohen, Shannon Hill, Mireille Lebel, Julia Raphael Morgan, Chantale Nurse, Rachèle Pelletier-Tremblay, Kathleen Promane, Chantal Scott

>tenor: Thomas Macleay

>baritone: Marc-Antoine d’Aragon

LSM Intermezzo Club Contest

Free prizes are just one of the great advantages of a subscription to La Scena Musicale – and who could argue with that? As an Intermezzo member, you could win a free pair of season’s tickets to Opéra de Montréal’s 2008-2009 season! All you have to do is send us a list of friends, family or colleagues who might take an interest in our magazine. Be sure to include their phone number or address, and send your list via e-mail to gcerallo@scena.org or by mail to La Scena Musicale, 5409, rue Waverly, Montréal, QC, H2T 2X8. For each name submitted, you will be entered into our Grand Prize draw which will take place on September 7. Each month, lucky subscribers will receive CDs, DVDs, concert tickets and more! Subscribers also receive discounts for concerts (OSM, Opéra de Montréal, etc.), Archambault purchases, and selected theatre tickets. To subscribe, call 514-948-2520.