Book excerpt: The foremost historian of Canadian music and musical life, Helmut Kallmann is the inspiration for this volume. Its twenty-three contributions, written by prominent composers and writers representing many different regions and both national languages, present a cross-section of current work in historical research, bibliography, analysis, criticism, and creative composition. Among the subjects covered are bibliographical and historian research on recent musical findings from New France and on early musical activities in various Canadian cities and regions; critical appraisals of Canadian composers and performers; and surveys of Canadian musical organizations and their programs. Four short compositions have been written especially for the volume. The title is drawn from two early Canadian musical periodicals, the English-language Musical Canada and the French-language Le Canada musical. As those journals did for their time, so this volume provides a contemporary overview of Canadian music and music scholarship.