Rodolphe Mathieu
Encyclopedia
Joseph Rodolphe Mathieu was a Canadian composer
, pianist
, writer on music, and music educator. The Canadian Encyclopedia
states, "Considered too avant-garde for his time because of Debussy's influence on his music, Mathieu gained recognition too late to inspire the generation that followed." The pianist Léo-Pol Morin
was one of the few important exponents of his work, notably including Mathieu's Chevauchée and Trois Préludes in his concert repertoire. Mathieu's song Un peu d'ombre (1913) was included in a number of recitals given by Marguerite Bériza
and Sarah Fischer in Europe.
and singing with Céline Marier at the age of 16. Through Marier he met pianist and composer Alfred La Liberté
who instilled within him an admiration for the works of Alexander Scriabin
. He soon began composing music. His first major work was the choral piece Le Poème de la mer (1908) which he dedicated to Marier. Many of his early piano compositions display a strong influence of Scriabin, including Chevauchée (1911) and Sonata (1927).
Mathieu obtained the post of organist at St-Jean-Berchmans Church in Montreal in 1907. In 1908 he opened his own teaching studio in Montreal which he ran for over the next decade. He also taught at the Conservatoire national de musique
. Many of his stuents became winners of the prestigious Prix d'Europe
, including Jean Dansereau, Auguste Descarries, Wilfrid Pelletier
, and Ruth Pryce. In 1910 he began studying music composition, the organ, and the piano with Alexis Contant
.
in Paris on the advice of Albert Roussel
. His studied were initially made possible through the generous support of funds raised by his friends, and later by a 1923 grant from the Quebec government (notably the first such grant awarded to a composer) which enabled him to continue studies in France for four more years. At the Schola Cantorum he studied composition with Vincent d'Indy
and conducting with Vladimir Golschmann
. He also studied psychology at the Collège de France
with Pierre Janet
. Several of his most important works were composed during his time in France, including String Quartet, Trio, Monologues for violin, and Dialogues for violin and cello.
, Pierre Brabant
, and Raymond Lévesque. He also taught André Mathieu
, the son of his marriage to the violinist Mimi Gagnon, who had a highly successful career as a concert pianist.
In 1955 Mathieu joined the faculty of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he taught music analysis through 1959. Of the few compositions he wrote during this time was the Quintet for piano and strings which is viewed as one of his best works. He began his last piece, Symphonie pour voix humaines for six-voice choir with brass accompaniment, in 1956 but never completed the work. He died in Montreal in 1962 at the age of 71. He was named an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
posthumously and many of his papers and manuscripts are part of the collection at the Library and Archives Canada
.
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...
, 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:...
, writer on music, and music educator. The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
states, "Considered too avant-garde for his time because of Debussy's influence on his music, Mathieu gained recognition too late to inspire the generation that followed." The pianist Léo-Pol Morin
Léo-Pol Morin
Léo-Pol Morin was a Canadian pianist, music critic, composer, and music educator. He composed under the name James Callihou, with his most well known works being Suite canadienne and Three Eskimos for piano. He also composed works based on Canadian and Inuit folklore/folk music and harmonized a...
was one of the few important exponents of his work, notably including Mathieu's Chevauchée and Trois Préludes in his concert repertoire. Mathieu's song Un peu d'ombre (1913) was included in a number of recitals given by Marguerite Bériza
Marguerite Bériza
Marguerite Bériza was a French opera singer who had an active international career during the first half of the 20th century. She began her career as a mezzo-soprano at the Opéra-Comique in 1900; ultimately transitioning into the leading soprano repertoire at that theatre in 1912...
and Sarah Fischer in Europe.
Early life and career in Canada
Born in Grondines, Quebec, Mathieu's parents were farmers. In 1906 he moved to Montreal where he began to study the piano with Alphonse MartinAlphonse Martin
Alphonse Martin was a Canadian organist, pianist, and music educator. Born in Trois-Rivières, he studied the piano and organ in Montreal with Lévis Dussault. For many years he taught both of those instruments at the Conservatoire royal de musique in Montreal. His notable pupils included Hector...
and singing with Céline Marier at the age of 16. Through Marier he met pianist and composer Alfred La Liberté
Alfred La Liberté
Alfred La Liberté was a Canadian composer, pianist, writer on music, and music educator. He was a disciple and close personal friend of Alexander Scriabin. He was also an admirer of Marcel Dupré and Nikolai Medtner. Dupré notably dedicated his Variations, Opus 22 for piano to him and Medtner...
who instilled within him an admiration for the works of Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
. He soon began composing music. His first major work was the choral piece Le Poème de la mer (1908) which he dedicated to Marier. Many of his early piano compositions display a strong influence of Scriabin, including Chevauchée (1911) and Sonata (1927).
Mathieu obtained the post of organist at St-Jean-Berchmans Church in Montreal in 1907. In 1908 he opened his own teaching studio in Montreal which he ran for over the next decade. He also taught 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...
. Many of his stuents became winners of the prestigious Prix d'Europe
Prix d'Europe
The Prix d'Europe is a prestigious Canadian study grant that is funded by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec of the Government of Quebec. Established in 1911, the award has been distributed annually to a single individual through competition with the exception of 1960-1973 and 2009...
, including Jean Dansereau, Auguste Descarries, Wilfrid Pelletier
Wilfrid Pelletier
Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier , CC was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving as the orchestra's first artistic director and conductor from 1935-1941...
, and Ruth Pryce. In 1910 he began studying music composition, the organ, and the piano with Alexis Contant
Alexis Contant
Joseph Pierre Alexis Contant was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and music educator. The first notable Canadian composer to be entirely trained in his native country, he stated "I write not for glory but rather to satisfy an irresistible need." Although he had considerable training as a...
.
Studies in France
In 1920 Mathieu entered the Schola CantorumSchola Cantorum
The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private music school in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera...
in Paris on the advice of Albert Roussel
Albert Roussel
Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period...
. His studied were initially made possible through the generous support of funds raised by his friends, and later by a 1923 grant from the Quebec government (notably the first such grant awarded to a composer) which enabled him to continue studies in France for four more years. At the Schola Cantorum he studied composition with Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.-Life:Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was born in Paris into an aristocratic family of royalist and Catholic persuasion. He had piano lessons from an early age from his paternal grandmother, who passed him on to Antoine François Marmontel and...
and conducting with Vladimir Golschmann
Vladimir Golschmann
Vladimir Golschmann was a French conductor.-Biography:Vladimir Golschmann was born in Paris. He studied violin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He was a notable advocate of the music of the composers known as Les six. In Paris, he had his own concert series, the Concerts Golschmann, which began...
. He also studied psychology at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
with Pierre Janet
Pierre Janet
Pierre Marie Félix Janet was a pioneering French psychologist, philosopher and psychotherapist in the field of dissociation and traumatic memory....
. Several of his most important works were composed during his time in France, including String Quartet, Trio, Monologues for violin, and Dialogues for violin and cello.
Later life and career
Mathieu returned to Montreal in 1927, at which time he began teaching at the convent of the Sisters of Ste Anne at Lachine and at the at Institut pédagogique of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame in addition to operating his own private studio. In 1929 he founded the Canadian Institute of Music, an organization whose aim was to enable "young artists and literary talents to perform before an elite audience". He directed the organization until its disbandment in 1956. From 1930-1952 he organized the "Soirées Mathieu", an intermittent concert series which featured concerts by himself, many of his pupils, and other notable musicians. After 1934 he composed few works, choosing instead to focus on his work as a teacher. Among his pupils during the 1920s-1950s were Fleurette Beauchamp, Lydia BoucherLydia Boucher
Lydia Boucher was a Canadian composer, music educator, and nun. She was active as a composer from 1923–1971, producing several choral works and pieces for solo piano and organ. Most of her works are sacred and many of them were published by such companies as L'Édition Belgo-Canadienne, Musica...
, Pierre Brabant
Pierre Brabant
Pierre Brabant is a Canadian composer and pianist. He has appeared in concerts and recitals throughout Canada and performed numerous times on Canadian television and radio...
, and Raymond Lévesque. He also taught André Mathieu
André Mathieu
André Mathieu was a Québécois pianist and composer. Mathieu was born in Montreal, Quebec on February 18, 1929, in the parish of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur.-Biography:...
, the son of his marriage to the violinist Mimi Gagnon, who had a highly successful career as a concert pianist.
In 1955 Mathieu joined the faculty of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he taught music analysis through 1959. Of the few compositions he wrote during this time was the Quintet for piano and strings which is viewed as one of his best works. He began his last piece, Symphonie pour voix humaines for six-voice choir with brass accompaniment, in 1956 but never completed the work. He died in Montreal in 1962 at the age of 71. He was named an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
Canadian Music Centre
The Canadian Music Centre holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music. The CMC exists to promote the works of its Associate Composers in Canada and around the world....
posthumously and many of his papers and manuscripts are part of 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...
.