Gaylord Caron-Legris was a Canadian pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, and music educator. Many of her manuscripts and personal papers are held in the collection at the Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...

.

Life and career

Born Gaylord Caron in Louiseville, Quebec

Louiseville, Quebec

Louiseville is a town in the Mauricie region of the province of Quebec in Canada. It is located near the mouth of the Wolf River on the north shore of Lac Saint-Pierre....

, Caron-Legris began her piano studies with Romain-Octave Pelletier I

Romain-Octave Pelletier I

Romain-Octave Pelletier I was a Canadian organist, pianist, composer, writer on music, and music educator.-Early life and career:...

 in Montreal in her youth. She later studied the piano with Michel Hirvy, voice

Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

 with Rodolphe Plamondon, and music composition with Eugène Lapierre

Eugène Lapierre

Eugène Lapierre was a Canadian organist, composer, journalist, writer on music, arts administrator, and music educator. He was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935 and the King George VI Coronation Medal in 1937...

 at the Conservatoire national de musique

Conservatoire national de musique

Conservatoire national de musique was a music conservatory in Montreal, Quebec that was actively providing higher education in music during the first eight decades of the 20th century...

. Several years into her professional career she entered the Université de Montréal

Université de Montréal

The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...

 where she earned a Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...

 in 1942.

Caron-Legris married Mr. Legris in 1918, after which she taught music in Montreal and toured throughout Quebec as a recitalist. In the 1920s she began to gain recognition as a composer of vocal songs and piano works in Quebec. Many of her pieces used folksong harmonizations

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...

. Her most well known composition is the 1947 song La Berceuse de Donalda which was featured on both the radio and television version of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

 program Un Homme et son péché. In 1962 her collection of song melodies for piano, Mes Plus Belles Chansons, was published through a grant by the Canada Council

Canada Council

The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...

. Some of her other important works include Poème pastorale for the piano (published 1948) and the songs Ceux qui s'aiment sont toujours malheureux (published 1947) and Soir d'hiver (published 1948).

In 1972 Caron-Legris died in Montreal at the age of 66. During her lifetime, her works were included in the concert repertoires of such notable Canadian musicians as Maureen Forrester

Maureen Forrester

Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, was a Canadian operatic contralto.-Life and career:Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in a poor section of Montreal, Quebec. She was one of four children to Thomas Forrester, a Scottish cabinetmaker, and his Irish-born wife, the former May Arnold. She...

, Raoul Jobin

Raoul Jobin

Raoul Jobin, was a French-Canadian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the French repertory.- Life and career :...

, Marthe Létourneau, Nicholas Massue, and Albert Viau

Albert Viau

Albert Viau was a Canadian baritone, folksinger, composer, and music educator. After beginning his career as a musician in the classical repertoire, he specialized in folk music and traditional songs. He released about 50 78 rpm records during his career, mostly for La Bonne Chanson...

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