Romain-Octave Pelletier the Elder
Romain-Octave Pelletier the Elder (born September 9, 1843 in Montreal , † March 4, 1927 ibid) was a Canadian organist, music teacher, composer and music writer.
Pelletier was largely an autodidact musically; he only had a few organ lessons from his brother Orphir Pelletier . At the age of fifteen he succeeded Jean-Chrysostome Brauneis as organist at Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur . He studied law and became a notary in 1864. After studying with Samuel Prowse Warren in Hartford / Connecticut , he was organist at Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur from 1867 to 1875 . His performances by "Protestant" composers like Bach and Mendelssohn were received with astonishment.
In 1871/72 he went on a trip to Europe. He took lessons here with George Cooper , William Thomas Best and John Baptiste Calkin in London and with Louis Lebel , the organist at St-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris . He played works by Bach in front of Charles-Marie Widor on the organ in Saint-Sulpice , took piano lessons with Antoine François Marmontel and studied in Brussels with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens .
After his return to Montreal he was from 1876 to 1907 music professor at the École normal Jacques-Cartier and from 1887 to 1923 organist at the cathedral Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur . As a profound organ expert, he was invited to the acceptance tests of numerous organs of the Casavant brothers in Canada and the USA. In 1904 he became professor of piano at the newly established McGill Conservatory. Between 1884 and 1916 he was president of the Académie de musique du Québec several times .
As a music teacher, Pelletier published a number of writings on the piano. Among his numerous students are Alcibiade Béique , Victoria Cartier , Claude Champagne , Édouard Clarke , Alexandre-M. Clerk , Jean Dansereau , Joseph-Daniel Dussault , Nicholas Eichorn , Septimus Fraser , Joseph Gagnier , Alfred La Liberté , Alfred Lamoureux , Alphonse Lavallée-Smith , Émery and Ernest Lavigne , Albertine Morin-Labrecque , Antonio Létourneau , Clarence Lucas , Joseph Piché , William Reed , Léon Ringuet and Amédée Tremblay should be mentioned.
In addition to organ works, Pelletier composed some piano pieces, two masses and several motets . He was considered a respected improviser by his contemporaries.
An O Salutaris Hostia was published by Pelletier's brother Orphir Pelletier (born September 7, 1825 in Montreal, † 1855 ), who was the organist at St. Patrick's Church . His sons Romain and Frédéric Pelletier were also well-known musicians, his grandson Romain-Octave Pelletier a music critic and producer.
Works
- Les Couleurs du Canada , 1860
- Scherzo for piano , 1862
- Valse-caprice à la mémoire de Chopin
- Dix petits morceaux pour l'orgue , 1870
- Mécanisme du piano ou Nouvelles études techniques , 1876
- Six pièces d'orgue
- Accompagnement du nouveau manuel de chants liturgiques de l'abbé Borduas , 1889
- Quatre Noëls anciens for choir and organ, 1890
- Prince Arthur , March for Piano or Harmony Music
Fonts
- Le Toucher du pianiste , Montreal 1916
- L'Étude de la littérature du piano , Montreal 1920
- L'Art pianistique , Montreal 1922
- Guide du professeur de piano , 1925
Web links
- Pierre Vachon: Pelletier, Romain-Octave . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
- Gilles Potvin: Romain-Octave Pelletier ( English, French ) In: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pelletier, Romain-Octave the Elder |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pelletier, Romain-Octave |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian organist and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1843 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montreal |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 4, 1927 |
| Place of death | Montreal |