The William Littler Prize for Music Criticism is open for nominations for the present 12 months. 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 a permanent mark on the classical music panorama. His sincere and considerate criticism set a excessive normal that many critics, myself included, proceed to try for. Due to Invoice’s help, the William Littler Prize for Music Criticism fill assist foster a brand new technology 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 at this time.
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 common arts program, he studied music and criticism , and wrote his first opinions 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 important 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 now not exists?
“It’s an attention-grabbing thought, that I’ve given some thought to,” he begins. “My profession as a music critic in Canada is form of distinctive.” His profession at The Toronto Star zeroed in on classical music criticism for the ultimate 39 years. “Which is sort of unprecedented,” he factors out.
“It was conventional for critical newspapers to have a workers music critic,” he says. That he was capable of write for a single publication for therefore lengthy is one thing new writers might solely dream about. “The one different paper I’d labored for is the Vancouver Solar. After 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. Immediately, 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 occupation that’s disappearing?” he puzzled. “The occupation has just about disappeared now.”
Arthur’s reply, nonetheless, was that its demise as a occupation was precisely why the follow of music criticism wanted to be celebrated. Even when the concept of a profession and full-time job had disappeared, the idea and follow has continued.
Littler notes some elementary variations in how that follow continues, nonetheless. Freelancers, as he factors out, don’t have the clout or the funds for journey, and sometimes get decreased entry to larger 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 jot down, 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 had been capable of do a stage of protection that has disappeared now.” Evaluations of not solely music however different performing arts like theatre and dance are arduous to return by. “I don’t suppose 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 common guidelines as to the way you develop into a critic,” William factors out. He recollects answering a query on the subject from an viewers member at a music competition in Parry Sound years in the past. “It’s not one thing you propose to do – it’s sort of like shingles,” he replied. He stories that the road obtained fun from the viewers.
“There are individuals who nonetheless need to write criticism,” he says, “however 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 opinions is usually 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 sort of useless story,” he says.
He additionally factors out that classical music was held in larger regard by earlier generations, a standing that secured its protection on a preferential scale.
“I think about myself very fortunate in my timing.”
What’s a evaluation, anyway? Littler remembers the phrases of a former editor who informed him, your job is to take us to that occasion. It’s about recreating the expertise to 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 numerous positions on the Royal Conservatory, College of Toronto, and different establishments. He tried to instill a sort of important pondering course of into what had been extra usually music efficiency majors.
“I’m not going to attempt to flip you into critics, however I feel it’s essential 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 have fun those that have persevered.
The William Littler Prize for Music Criticism
Listed below are among the particulars to appoint a author for the prize.
- Eligibility: All writers aged 40 or below on Dec. 31 of the relevant calendar 12 months, and should be primarily based in North America
- Three entries are permitted per particular person are permitted, every 2,000 phrases or much less, and every should have been revealed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023 by a longtime and publicly accessible web site with or and not using a print platform.
- Littler will likely be on the Awards Committee who will consider the submissions. What are they on the lookout for? Normally, they describe a considerate strategy, “lucid” writing fashion, and background preparation.
The Prize contains:
- $1,000 USD
- Republication of the successful entry (the place permitted) in Classical Voice North America
- One 12 months of membership within the Music Critics Affiliation of North America.
No deadline is indicated, however presumably your entry should are available early in January 2025, with the winner introduced later that 12 months.
Discover extra particulars and the entry kind [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.
