The William Littler Prize for Music Criticism is open for nominations for the present yr. The brand new award, given out annually by the Music Critics Affiliation of North America (MCANA), acknowledges excellence in writing by youthful critics, particularly within the fields of live performance music and opera.
The prize’s namesake is William Littler, whose profession with the Toronto Star spanned practically six many years from 1966 till 2022.
“All through his greater than 5 many years with the Toronto Star, William Littler left an everlasting mark on the classical music panorama. His trustworthy and considerate criticism set a excessive commonplace that many critics, myself included, proceed to try for. Because of Invoice’s assist, the William Littler Prize for Music Criticism fill assist foster a brand new era of writers. It’s an unimaginable reward coming at a time with the humanities journalism sector wants it most,” feedback Joshua Chong, present tradition reporter for the Toronto Star, in an announcement.
We requested Littler about his profession, and what the prize means in the present day.
William Littler: The Interview
Littler, a local of British Columbia, started piano classes on the age of 11, and continued his research privately. Whereas at UBC, below a basic arts program, he studied music and criticism , and wrote his first evaluations for the UBC paper Ubyssey. In 1962, he started his skilled profession with the Vancouver Solar. After taking a place on the Toronto Star in 1966, he grew to become the primary music critic to obtain the Nationwide Newspaper Award for vital writing in 1980.
William Littler displays on a profession as a classical music critic. What does it imply, in a world the place, for all intents and functions, such a profession not exists?
“It’s an fascinating thought, that I’ve given some thought to,” he begins. “My profession as a music critic in Canada is kind of distinctive.” His profession at The Toronto Star zeroed in on classical music criticism for the ultimate 39 years. “Which is type of unprecedented,” he factors out.
“It was conventional for severe newspapers to have a workers music critic,” he says. That he was capable of write for a single publication for thus lengthy is one thing new writers might solely dream about. “The one different paper I’d labored for is the Vancouver Solar. Once I joined the Vancouver Solar, there was no pop music critic. There was a jazz critic, there was a classical music critic.”
It was a wholly totally different media panorama when it got here to protecting tradition and the humanities, in different phrases. Right this moment, the workers critic place is gone, and anecdotally, Littler says that his American colleagues inform him there are maybe a half dozen or so scattered on the main newspapers throughout the US.
That’s why he was initially skeptical when MCANA President, and LvT freelance contributor, Arthur Kaptainis approached him with the concept of a prize for music criticism.
“Why are we funding a prize for a career that’s disappearing?” he questioned. “The career has just about disappeared now.”
Arthur’s reply, nevertheless, was that its demise as a career was precisely why the observe of music criticism wanted to be celebrated. Even when the concept of a profession and full-time job had disappeared, the idea and observe has continued.
Littler notes some elementary variations in how that observe continues, nevertheless. Freelancers, as he factors out, don’t have the clout or the funds for journey, and sometimes get diminished entry to greater profile acts. By advantage of working for the most important newspaper within the nation, he was capable of persuade his editors to fund his journey to different locations to put in writing, together with luxuries like assist from freelance writers when he was too busy. You’ll fund sports activities reporters to journey to video games, why not me? He says it’s an argument that labored again within the day.
“We have been capable of do a degree of protection that has disappeared now.” Critiques of not solely music however different performing arts like theatre and dance are onerous to come back by. “I don’t assume that’s going to vary within the close to future,” he says, citing cutbacks and diminished sources.
What’s a Music Critic?
“There’s no basic guidelines as to the way you grow to be a critic,” William factors out. He remembers answering a query on the subject from an viewers member at a music pageant in Parry Sound years in the past. “It’s not one thing you plan to do – it’s type of like shingles,” he replied. He reviews that the road bought amusing from the viewers.
“There are individuals who nonetheless need to write criticism,” he says, “nevertheless it’s not a viable profession choice anymore.” It’s an effort that’s being upheld by freelance writers and amateurs within the true sense of the phrase.
The worth of music evaluations is commonly disputed. Littler relates conversations he’s had with editors who see them as a subject whose worth is over in a short time. “Newspapers see little worth in printing one thing they see as already being a type of useless story,” he says.
He additionally factors out that classical music was held in greater regard by earlier generations, a standing that secured its protection on a preferential scale.
“I take into account myself very fortunate in my timing.”
What’s a assessment, anyway? Littler remembers the phrases of a former editor who instructed him, your job is to take us to that occasion. It’s about recreating the expertise on your readers. And, no matter that have was, it’s not written in stone.
“It’s an opinion, not a judicial verdict.”
Littler taught in addition to wrote his model of music criticism in varied positions on the Royal Conservatory, College of Toronto, and different establishments. He tried to instill a type of vital considering course of into what have been extra typically music efficiency majors.
“I’m not going to attempt to flip you into critics, however I feel it’s vital to you as musicians that you concentrate on critically about music,” he’d clarify.
These programs in music criticism, as he factors out, have additionally disappeared.
The Prize will rejoice those that have persevered.
The William Littler Prize for Music Criticism
Listed here are a number of the particulars to appoint a author for the prize.
- Eligibility: All writers aged 40 or below on Dec. 31 of the relevant calendar yr, and should be primarily based in North America
- Three entries are permitted per individual are permitted, every 2,000 phrases or much less, and every will need to have been revealed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023 by a longtime and publicly accessible web site with or with no print platform.
- Littler shall be on the Awards Committee who will consider the submissions. What are they searching for? On the whole, they describe a considerate method, “lucid” writing fashion, and background preparation.
The Prize contains:
- $1,000 USD
- Republication of the profitable entry (the place permitted) in Classical Voice North America
- One yr of membership within the Music Critics Affiliation of North America.
No deadline is indicated, however presumably your entry should are available in early in January 2025, with the winner introduced later that yr.
Discover extra particulars and the entry type [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.