International Music Day

The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO’s advisory body on matters of music. It is based at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France, where it functions as an independent international non-governmental organization. Its primary aim is to facilitate the development and promotion of international music-making.

Letter to all IMC members dated November 30, 1974 and signed by Yehudi Menuhin and Boris Yarustowski:

...The first International Music Day, organised by the International Music Council, will be held on the 1st of October, 1975, in accordance with the resolution taken at the 15th General Assembly in Lausanne in 1973.

The intention of this day is to encourage: the promotion of our musical art among all sections of society; the application of the UNESCO ideals of peace and friendship between peoples, of the evolution of their cultures, of the exchange of experience and of the mutual appreciation of their aesthetic values; the promotion of the activities of the International Music Council, its international member organizations end national committees, as well as its programme policy in general.

In order to put these intentions into practice, the international organizations and national committees are invited to consider the following plan of action:

Music Events: invite leading composers, interpreters and musicologists to give lectures, and to speak of the importance of music, of its place in modern life, of the ideals of UNESCO and of the activities of the IMC; organize meetings of artists, competitions and musical quizzes; organize exhibitions of musical instruments, records, posters, paintings, sculptures, caricatures, or photographs on musical themes; invite delegations of musicians of other national committees to participate in this International Music Day, as well as prize winners of the IMO Rostrums, arid composers arid interpreters from different continents; ask major interpreters in your country to give concerts on International Music Day for which they would agree to contribute either all, or part of the proceeds to the Musicians’ International Mutual Aid Fund.

Radio and television programmes: concerts, as well as talks and debates with the participation of major personalities who are also music lovers - painters, writers, and even politicians are broadcasted on International Music Day, leading members of the IMC broadcast special messages.

Press and Recordings: articles in the press are published to draw the public’s attention to International Music Day; the exchange of tapes arid records1 is organized (for demonstration purposes.)

The struggle against the pollution of the sound environment: local authorities are proposed that, on this Day, they should order a few minutes of silence in towns; this period of silence would be used for listening to music to be played in public places such as parks arid main squares...

Source: wikipedia.org | imc-cim.org