Yves Daoust
Encyclopedia
Yves Daoust is a Canadian
composer
who is particularly known for his works of electroacoustic music
. He currently resides in Montréal
.
, Daoust began his musical studies at the age of seven, studying the piano
with Alice Vigeant. At sixteen, his first experiments in electroacoustic music: he "prepared" the family piano in order to realize the soundtrack for a friend's 8 mm experimental film. At nineteen, Daoust completed his first electronic work: an hour of music for a gestual theater work to be premiered in Berlin (Germany) as part of an international amateur theatre festival. At twenty he entered the Conservatoire, initially in the piano class of Irving Heller and subsequently in the composition class of Gilles Tremblay
.
After an encounter with Maurice Blackburn, Daoust entered a training program in film music techniques at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB
). This was followed by an apprenticeship at the IMEB from 1974-76. In this context he developed his style and solidified several friendships that endure to this day.
Back in Montréal in 1976, the composer returned to the NFB
as a sound designer, but was sacked three years later. (Eventually, all composers were dismissed from their duties and the Sound Workshop closed.)
In 1978, Daoust collaborated in the creation of a first child (to which two others were added in '92 and '98). Together with a few colleagues he founded ACREQ (Association pour la création et la recherche électroacoustiques du Québec), which he later directed for a period of ten years.
In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
, where he was mandated to develop programs in electroacoustics for both the Montréal branch and the Québec branch
of the institution. He is still around
Since Daoust's official entry into the professional world of music in 1978, he has composed an average of one work per year, in various genres, for diverse occasions, and ensembles. His influences are many: film scores, naturally, but also John Cage
, Iannis Xenakis
, Mauricio Kagel
, Luc Ferrari
, Alain Savouret, Karlheinz Stockhausen
(Hymnen), Ludwig van Beethoven
, Robert Schumann
, and René Magritte
.
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...
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...
who is particularly known for his works of electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
. He currently resides in Montréal
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...
.
Life
Born in LongueuilLongueuil
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
, Daoust began his musical studies at the age of seven, studying the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
with Alice Vigeant. At sixteen, his first experiments in electroacoustic music: he "prepared" the family piano in order to realize the soundtrack for a friend's 8 mm experimental film. At nineteen, Daoust completed his first electronic work: an hour of music for a gestual theater work to be premiered in Berlin (Germany) as part of an international amateur theatre festival. At twenty he entered the Conservatoire, initially in the piano class of Irving Heller and subsequently in the composition class of Gilles Tremblay
Gilles Tremblay
Gilles Tremblay, is a Canadian composer. He studied at the Conservatories of Montreal and Paris , where his teachers including Olivier Messiaen , Yvonne Loriod , and Maurice Martenot . He also attended Stockhausen's summer courses at Darmstadt, where he became interested in electro-acoustic...
.
After an encounter with Maurice Blackburn, Daoust entered a training program in film music techniques at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
). This was followed by an apprenticeship at the IMEB from 1974-76. In this context he developed his style and solidified several friendships that endure to this day.
Back in Montréal in 1976, the composer returned to the NFB
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
as a sound designer, but was sacked three years later. (Eventually, all composers were dismissed from their duties and the Sound Workshop closed.)
In 1978, Daoust collaborated in the creation of a first child (to which two others were added in '92 and '98). Together with a few colleagues he founded ACREQ (Association pour la création et la recherche électroacoustiques du Québec), which he later directed for a period of ten years.
In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
The Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec is a public network of nine state-subsidised schools offering higher education in music and theatre in Quebec, Canada. The organization was established in 1942 as a branch of the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec by the...
, where he was mandated to develop programs in electroacoustics for both the Montréal branch and the Québec branch
Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec
The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec is a music conservatory located in Quebec City, Quebec. Founded by the Quebec government in 1944, it became the second North American music institution of higher learning to be entirely state-subsidized...
of the institution. He is still around
Since Daoust's official entry into the professional world of music in 1978, he has composed an average of one work per year, in various genres, for diverse occasions, and ensembles. His influences are many: film scores, naturally, but also John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
, Mauricio Kagel
Mauricio Kagel
Mauricio Kagel was a German-Argentine composer. He was notable for his interest in developing the theatrical side of musical performance .-Biography:...
, Luc Ferrari
Luc Ferrari
Luc Ferrari was of an Italian heritage but French born composer, particularly noted for his tape music.-Biography:...
, Alain Savouret, Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
(Hymnen), Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, and René Magritte
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
.
Recordings
- Bruits (empreintes DIGITALesEmpreintes DIGITALesempreintes DIGITALes is a record label founded in 1990 and based in Montreal which specialises in contemporary electroacoustic music, acousmatic and musique concrète.In 2005, empreintes DIGITALes shifted from CD to DVD-Audio.- Composers :* Mathew Adkins...
, IMED 0156, 2001) - Musiques naïves (empreintes DIGITALesEmpreintes DIGITALesempreintes DIGITALes is a record label founded in 1990 and based in Montreal which specialises in contemporary electroacoustic music, acousmatic and musique concrète.In 2005, empreintes DIGITALes shifted from CD to DVD-Audio.- Composers :* Mathew Adkins...
, IMED 9843, 1998) - Filmusique-Filmopéra with Maurice Blackburn (Analekta, AN 7005/06, 1996)
- Anecdotes (empreintes DIGITALesEmpreintes DIGITALesempreintes DIGITALes is a record label founded in 1990 and based in Montreal which specialises in contemporary electroacoustic music, acousmatic and musique concrète.In 2005, empreintes DIGITALes shifted from CD to DVD-Audio.- Composers :* Mathew Adkins...
, IMED 9106, 1991)
List of works
- About Time (2005)
- Adagio (1986), flute, and tape
- Bruits (1997–2001)
- L'Entrevue (1991), accordion, and tape
- Fantaisie (1986)
- La gamme (1981, 2000)
- Il était une fois (conte sans paroles) (1986)
- Impromptu (1994)
- Impromptu [mixte] (1995), piano, synthesizer / sampler, and tape
- Joie (1992)
- Maurice Blackburn, ou portrait d'un méconnu (1982–95)
- Mi bémol (1990)
- Objets trouvés (2002)
- Ouverture (1989)
- Petite musique sentimentale (1984), piano, and tape
- Quatuor (1979)
- Résonances (1992)
- Solo (2003)
- Suite Baroque (1989)
- Le temps fixé (2004)
- Valse (1981), flute (and piccolo), Bb and Eb clarinets, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, trumpet, electronic organ, amplified harpsichord, piano, electronic piano, violin, and tape
- Variations sur un air d'accordéon (1988), comedian-accordionist, and tape
- Water Music (1991)