MUSIC – 1900’s

The dawn of the 1900s marked a significant transformation in Canadian concert life. With increased leisure time and financial means, more people could engage in musical activities, building upon the groundwork laid in previous decades to create broader public appreciation for music. In this era before radio and during the phonograph’s early stages, music was primarily an participatory activity rather than a spectator experience, leading to greater public involvement than in subsequent periods. Musical organization underwent changes as traditional amateur-based societies evolved into two distinct types: amateur choirs and associations dedicated to establishing and maintaining professional ensembles.

European settlers established various musical groups in Vancouver during the 19th century, including amateur ensembles, folk groups, choirs, and musical societies, culminating in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s formation in 1930. Amateur choral societies flourished throughout the region, appearing even in small towns like Lethbridge, Alberta. World War I significantly impacted these musical organizations, depleting male choir sections and reducing orchestras as men joined the armed forces and funds shifted to wartime needs. Recovery was gradual, with concert orchestras reviving around 1930, aided by musicians from cinema orchestras displaced by the advent of sound films. While major cities like Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver maintained competent orchestras and hosted international artists, serious music remained limited in scope.

Both folk and traditional academic music maintained strong presences in the region. The post-World War I shift in class structures made opera houses and symphonies more accessible to the expanding middle class, though many still faced financial barriers to participation. These monetary constraints and differing preferences sustained the folk music community, leading to the formation of groups such as the Central Fraser Valley Fiddlers in 1973.