Harmonium (band)
Encyclopedia
Harmonium was a Canadian
progressive rock
band from Montreal
, Quebec
.
. They played 3 tracks: "Pour un instant", "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", and "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres". The first 2 songs were demos at the time and were later recorded professionally to be put on their first album, Harmonium
. The last song was a sequel
to "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", but never made the album cut, staying as a b-side. Apart from the album, one single was recorded at the time: "Pour un instant
", featuring 2 tracks (one on each side), the title song and "100,000 Raisons", only released on the CD version of the album almost 20 years later.
After many little shows and a small tour played all over Québec, they were up for the second album. The album, sometimes known as Les Cinq Saisons, was actually named Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
. There were five songs on the album, one representing each season and the last song being the "new" season. For this album the band had three new members: Pierre Daigneault, playing the flutes, sax, and clarinets, Serge Locat, handling the piano and synths, and Judy Richards, who sings the melody of the fifth season in "Histoires sans Paroles".
The third album, L'Heptade
, was released in 1976 after months of recording in Serge Fiori's own house. The songs describe seven stages of consciousness in a person's day or life. The first and the last songs are named "Comme un fou" and "Comme un sage", indicating a progression towards wisdom.
Their last concert is said to have taken place at the Centre de la Nature in Laval, PQ, in late 1978.
In 2007, all three of Harmonium's studio albums were named among the 100 greatest Canadian albums of all time in Bob Mersereau
's book The Top 100 Canadian Albums
. They were the only francophone albums from Quebec named to the list besides Jean-Pierre Ferland
's Jaune
.
|-
|Album
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|Harmonium
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|L'Heptade
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Lead Vocals, Guitars
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Serge Fiori
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Bass
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Louis Valois
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Acoustic Guitar
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:#00f; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Michel Normandeau
| style="border-left:thin dashed #001; background:#01f; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Keyboards
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#0a0; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Serge Locat
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#0a0; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Woodwinds
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#c00; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Pierre Daigneault
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#e00; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Libert Subirana
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Drums
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#990; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Denis Farmer
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Lead Vocals
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#996; color:#000; text-align:center;"|Monique Fauteux
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Electric Guitars
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#009; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Robert Stanley
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
History
Lead vocalist and guitarist Serge Fiori met Michel Normandeau (vocals and guitar) in a theatre music meeting on November 1972. Later on in 1973 they met bassist Louis Valois and became Harmonium. In November 1973 the group performed their first air play on CHOM-FMCHOM-FM
CHOM-FM is an English language radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 97.7 MHz from the Mount Royal candelabra tower, with an effective radiated power of 41,200 watts using an omnidirectional antenna.The station has a mainstream rock...
. They played 3 tracks: "Pour un instant", "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", and "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres". The first 2 songs were demos at the time and were later recorded professionally to be put on their first album, Harmonium
Harmonium (Harmonium album)
Harmonium was the eponymous debut album by Québécois band Harmonium released in 1974. It was their most folk driven album, and features the song that made them famous "Pour un instant"...
. The last song was a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", but never made the album cut, staying as a b-side. Apart from the album, one single was recorded at the time: "Pour un instant
Pour Un Instant
"Pour Un Instant" is the first and one of the best known singles from the Quebec band Harmonium. It was released on a vinyl and contained two songs....
", featuring 2 tracks (one on each side), the title song and "100,000 Raisons", only released on the CD version of the album almost 20 years later.
After many little shows and a small tour played all over Québec, they were up for the second album. The album, sometimes known as Les Cinq Saisons, was actually named Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison , also known as Les Cinq Saisons , is the second album from Quebec band Harmonium, released in 1975....
. There were five songs on the album, one representing each season and the last song being the "new" season. For this album the band had three new members: Pierre Daigneault, playing the flutes, sax, and clarinets, Serge Locat, handling the piano and synths, and Judy Richards, who sings the melody of the fifth season in "Histoires sans Paroles".
The third album, L'Heptade
L'Heptade
L'Heptade is the third and final album from Harmonium. It was released as a double-LP in 1976 and is considered by some critics to be one of the most important Québécois albums in popular music.-Album description:...
, was released in 1976 after months of recording in Serge Fiori's own house. The songs describe seven stages of consciousness in a person's day or life. The first and the last songs are named "Comme un fou" and "Comme un sage", indicating a progression towards wisdom.
Their last concert is said to have taken place at the Centre de la Nature in Laval, PQ, in late 1978.
In 2007, all three of Harmonium's studio albums were named among the 100 greatest Canadian albums of all time in Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau is a Canadian arts journalist.Mersereau is a music columnist and longtime arts reporter for CBC Television in New Brunswick. Since 1982, he has been a reporter on the East Coast music scene for CBC Radio, CBC Television, and the Telegraph-Journal...
's book The Top 100 Canadian Albums
The Top 100 Canadian Albums
The Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.Mersereau acknowledged that the list will cause heated debate among music fans across the country. "The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it", he said...
. They were the only francophone albums from Quebec named to the list besides Jean-Pierre Ferland
Jean-Pierre Ferland
Jean-Pierre Ferland, OC, CQ is a Canadian singer and songwriter.-Life and career:Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began taking guitar lessons with Stephen Fentock and began to fall in love with music, writing his...
's Jaune
Jaune (album)
Jaune is an album by Jean-Pierre Ferland, released in 1970. Considered an enduring classic of Canadian and Quebec music, the album was named the 71st greatest Canadian album of all time in Bob Mersereau's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums...
.
Albums
- HarmoniumHarmonium (Harmonium album)Harmonium was the eponymous debut album by Québécois band Harmonium released in 1974. It was their most folk driven album, and features the song that made them famous "Pour un instant"...
(1974) - Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saisonSi on avait besoin d'une cinquième saisonSi on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison , also known as Les Cinq Saisons , is the second album from Quebec band Harmonium, released in 1975....
(1975) - L'HeptadeL'HeptadeL'Heptade is the third and final album from Harmonium. It was released as a double-LP in 1976 and is considered by some critics to be one of the most important Québécois albums in popular music.-Album description:...
(1976) - Harmonium en tournéeHarmonium en tournéeHarmonium En Tournée is a live album by Harmonium, consisting of a live performance of the studio album, L'Heptade, recorded live in Vancouver, 1977.- Disc One :#Introduction #Comme un fou #Chanson Noire##Le bien, Le mal...
(1980)
Album line-up chart
{| cellspacing="0" style="width:5%; font-size:.8em; background:#fff;"|-
|Album
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|Harmonium
Harmonium (Harmonium album)
Harmonium was the eponymous debut album by Québécois band Harmonium released in 1974. It was their most folk driven album, and features the song that made them famous "Pour un instant"...
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison
Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison , also known as Les Cinq Saisons , is the second album from Quebec band Harmonium, released in 1975....
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|L'Heptade
L'Heptade
L'Heptade is the third and final album from Harmonium. It was released as a double-LP in 1976 and is considered by some critics to be one of the most important Québécois albums in popular music.-Album description:...
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Lead Vocals, Guitars
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Serge Fiori
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:maroon; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Bass
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Louis Valois
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#639; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Acoustic Guitar
| style="border-left:medium solid #000; background:#00f; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Michel Normandeau
| style="border-left:thin dashed #001; background:#01f; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Keyboards
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#0a0; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Serge Locat
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#0a0; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Woodwinds
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#c00; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Pierre Daigneault
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#e00; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Libert Subirana
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Drums
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#990; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Denis Farmer
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Lead Vocals
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#996; color:#000; text-align:center;"|Monique Fauteux
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
|-
|Electric Guitars
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed; text-align:center;"|
| style="border-left:thin dashed #000; background:#009; color:#fff; text-align:center;"|Robert Stanley
| style="border-left:medium solid; text-align:center;"|