Victor Bouchard
Encyclopedia
Victor Bouchard, OC
, CQ
(April 11, 1926 — March 22, 2011) was a Canadian
pianist and composer.
Bouchard received his first musical trainin from 1941 to 1946 at the Collège de Lévis with Father Alphonse Tardif. The he studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec under Tardif (harmony), Hélène Landry (piano) and Françoise Aubut (theory). In 1950 he married pianist Renée Morisset
.
From 1950 to 1953 Bouchard studied in Paris, where he was a student of Alfred Cortot
and Antoine Reboulot. From 1952 he performed with his wife as a piano duo. They toured Canada, Belgium, Holland and Italy starting in the mid-1950s. After debuting at Carnegie Hall
, they made many appearances in the United States between 1965 and 1970.
Several composers wrote pieces for the duo. These include Clermont Pépin
's Nombres for two pianos and orchestra (1963), Roger Matton
's Concerto (1964) and a sonata by Jacques Hétu
. For a recording of Matton's concerto, they were awarded the Prix Pierre-Mercure.
Bouchard was President of the Jeunesses musicales du Canada from 1957 to 1959 and in 1961 became vice president of the Académie de musique du Québec. From 1967 to 1971 he worked for the Ministry of Education of Quebec, and from 1978 to 1980 as the General Director of the Quebec Conservatory. Besides chamber works (including a string quartet and a Danse canadienne for violin and piano) Bouchard composed more than 100 French-Canadian folk songs.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, CQ
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
(April 11, 1926 — March 22, 2011) was a Canadian
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...
pianist and composer.
Bouchard received his first musical trainin from 1941 to 1946 at the Collège de Lévis with Father Alphonse Tardif. The he studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec under Tardif (harmony), Hélène Landry (piano) and Françoise Aubut (theory). In 1950 he married pianist Renée Morisset
Renée Morisset
Renée Morisset, OC, CQ was a Canadian pianist. She and her husband, Victor Bouchard, were one of the foremost piano duo in Canadian classical music.-Honours:...
.
From 1950 to 1953 Bouchard studied in Paris, where he was a student of Alfred Cortot
Alfred Cortot
Alfred Denis Cortot was a Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor. He is one of the most renowned 20th-century classical musicians, especially valued for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann.-Early life and education:Born in Nyon, Vaud, in the...
and Antoine Reboulot. From 1952 he performed with his wife as a piano duo. They toured Canada, Belgium, Holland and Italy starting in the mid-1950s. After debuting at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, they made many appearances in the United States between 1965 and 1970.
Several composers wrote pieces for the duo. These include Clermont Pépin
Clermont Pépin
Clermont Pépin, was a Canadian pianist, composer and teacher.He was born Jean Joseph Clermont Pépin in Saint-Georges, Quebec in 1926. Pépin studied with influential Canadian composers Claude Champagne and Arnold Walter , and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from 1941 to 1944 with...
's Nombres for two pianos and orchestra (1963), Roger Matton
Roger Matton
Roger Matton, OC was a Canadian composer, ethnomusicologist, and music educator. As a composer his works are characterized by their association with folklore and folkmusic. In 1965 he was awarded the Prix de la création at the Congrès du spectacle...
's Concerto (1964) and a sonata by Jacques Hétu
Jacques Hétu
Jacques Hétu, OC was a Canadian composer and music educator from Trois-Rivières, Quebec. He was nominated for a 1989 Juno Award in the Best Classical Composition category...
. For a recording of Matton's concerto, they were awarded the Prix Pierre-Mercure.
Bouchard was President of the Jeunesses musicales du Canada from 1957 to 1959 and in 1961 became vice president of the Académie de musique du Québec. From 1967 to 1971 he worked for the Ministry of Education of Quebec, and from 1978 to 1980 as the General Director of the Quebec Conservatory. Besides chamber works (including a string quartet and a Danse canadienne for violin and piano) Bouchard composed more than 100 French-Canadian folk songs.
Awards
- 1964 - Prix Calixa-Lavallée (to the duo Bouchard-Morisset)
- 1981 - Membre de l'Ordre du Canada
- 1985 - Officier de l'Ordre du Canada
- 1994 - Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec
- 1997 - Académie des Grands Québécois (to the duo Bouchard-Morisset)
- 2002 - Médaille Gloire de l'Escolle
- 2004 - Prize of the foundation of the Orchestre symphonique de QuébecOrchestre Symphonique de QuébecOrchestre symphonique de Québec is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Quebec City. Founded in 1902 as the Société symphonique de Québec, the OSQ is the oldest active Canadian orchestra. Joseph Vézina was the OSQ's first music director, from 1902 to 1924...
(to the duo Bouchard-Morisset)