Gloom in Belgium as new music centre shuts down
mainWe are informed by a reader that the CeBeDeM – Belgium Centre of Music – has just closed its doors. ‘This is the place where for years we bought all our music by Belgian composers and where Belgian composers present themselves to the world,’ says our informant.
The website says:
The Belgian Centre for Music Documentation is a non-profit association, founded in 1951. It is placed under the auspices of the Federal Government and sponsored by Sabam and the National Lottery in order to stimulate the promotion and performance of the works of Belgian contemporary composers of serious music.
The object of CeBeDeM is to stimulate the expansion of Belgian contemporary music, in Belgium as well as abroad. For that purpose, CeBeDeM compiles and publishes the works of its members, reproduces unpublished scores for performance or promotion, provides orchestral material, collects and gives all information concerning the affiliated composers.
Sad.
The same happened to the Dutch equivalent: Muziek Centrum Nederland, that included the publisher Donemus. After the cancellation of all subsidies and the closing-down of the building, the publishing label was saved by a former emplyee who now runs it as a commercial business, and successfully so: http://www.donemus.nl
An example to be followed in Belgium?
Britain took the lead here in cultural philistinism with the termination of the BMIC in 2007. It was lamentable that this took place. The collection is now hopelessly marooned in Huddersfield.
The degradation of serious musical composition began with the re structuring of the PRS, to favour commercial music.
Having said that, interesting music does get written.