Raymond Murray Schafer

R. Murray Schafer became known in the 1970s as Canada's premier composer, though he was known equally well outside that country for both his educational theories and for developing the idea of the "soundscape." His major compositional endeavor was Patria, a series of 12 theatrical/operatic works begun in 1966. His music and writing reflected an omnivorous -- and almost totally self-directed -- education and always a concern for the human scale in music and society. In 1961, Schafer organized, with other composers, a series of "Ten Centuries Concerts" in Toronto, which presented rare music from all eras. Schafer applied his soundscape studies to education, which resulted in a few well-known booklets, such as The Composer in the Classroom and Ear Cleaning.