Christine Mather

Mather, Christine

Christine (Kyle) Mather. Administrator, musicologist, bassoonist, b York 24 May 1929; ARCM 1952, PH D musicology (Michigan) 1971. She studied bassoon 1948-52 at the RCM with Archie Camden and performed 1956-62 as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician in Great Britain before emigrating to Canada. She settled in Winnipeg in 1962, continued to perform, and in 1964 began to teach at the University of Manitoba. A practical as well as a scholarly interest in music of the 12th to the 16th centuries led her to begin a collection of that music and the instruments for which it was written. She also established the Manitoba University Consort, one of the first successful early music ensembles in Canada. On leave 1968-9 from the university she studied musicology under Louise Cuyler at the University of Michigan. After a further year at Manitoba, she returned to Michigan to complete her PH D (her thesis was 'The secular vocal works of Heinrich Isaac'), then was a member of the faculty of University of Victoria 1971-5, where she became the director of the graduate program in musicology and of the Early Music workshop. She became dean of the faculty of music at Wilfrid Laurier University in 1975 and resigned in 1979 to become the director of music administration for the Victoria Cons. She was assistant artistic director of music at the Banff SFA 1980-1, head of the department of music at the University of Calgary 1981-5, and in the department of applied music at the University of Western Ontario was chairman 1985-8, and associate dean 1987-9. For several years before her retirement to Cape Breton, NS, in 1989, she served on various juries for the Canada Council.

Writings

'Problems of performance in the lieder of Heinrich Isaac,' CAUSM J, vol 2, Spring 1972

'Print 33 of Maximilian I's Weisskunig,' Early Music, Jan 1975

'Dufay's Missa ''Ave Regina Caelorum'': a performing edition,' CAUSM J, vol 5, Spring 1975