Adine Fafard-Drolet (May 3, 1876 – January 31, 1963) was a Canadian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and the founder of a music school, the Conservatory of Quebec, that lasted from 1910 to 1939.

Life

She was born Marie-Claire-Adine Fafard in L'Islet, about 40 miles east of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, Canada. Her parents were Louis-Auguste Fafard (who died in a collision in 1897) and Alphonsine Couillard Dupuis. She had six siblings, among whom her brother Fernand would become a member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

. Her musical ability emerged early, and she received her first formal training in music in 1893, winning prizes the following year and again in 1896. In 1903, she married Elzéar N. P. Drolet, a notary. Following her marriage, she used the name Madame E. Drolet for professional appearances until Elzéar's death in 1905. Their son Yvan was born a few months later and died as an infant. After Elzéar's death, Adine adopted Fafard-Drolet as her surname. She died in

Lac-Etchemin, Quebec Lac-Etchemin is a municipality in and the seat of the Municipalité régionale de comté des Etchemins in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and the population is 4,028 as of 2021. It takes its name from Etchemin Lak ...

Musical career

By 1903, Fafard-Drolet, a dramatic soprano, was appearing regularly around L'Islet and Quebec City. In 1907 she went to Europe for two years of further training, studying in London at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

and in Paris with the baritone

Jean-Baptiste Faure Jean-Baptiste Faure () (15 January 1830 – 9 November 1914) was a French operatic baritone and art collector who also composed several classical songs. Singing career Faure was born in Moulins. A choirboy in his youth, he entered the Pari ...

. She gave several concerts in Europe and in one of these sang for King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

of Spain. She auditioned for the composer

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...

and was offered a leading role in his unfinished opera ''

Don Quichotte ''Don Quichotte'' (''Don Quixote'') is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn. It was first performed on 19 February 1910 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Massenet's ''comédie-héroïque'', like many dramatiz ...

''; however, she declined because of her plan to return to Canada and found a conservatory. Fafard-Drolet returned to Canada in 1909 and gave a series of concerts around Quebec City and L'Islet. In 1910 or 1911, with advice from the organist

Ernest Gagnon Ernest Gagnon (7 November 1834 – 15 September 1915) was a Canadian folklorist, composer, and organist. He is best known for compiling a large amount of French Canadian folk music which he published as ''Chansons populaires du Canada'' in 186 ...

, she founded a music school, the Conservatoire de Québec (Conservatory of Quebec, referred to informally as the Fafard-Drolet Conservatory). Fafard-Drolet taught there according to what was known as the Marchesi method. The training was free thanks to an annual subsidy from the then-Premier of Quebec,

Lomer Gouin Sir Jean Lomer Gouin, (March 19, 1861 – March 28, 1929) was a Canadian politician. He served as 13th premier of Quebec, as a Cabinet minister in the federal government of Canada, and as the 15th lieutenant governor of Quebec. Biography ...

, and the course of study was designed to last three years. Students were taught music theory, music history, voice, phonetics, piano, violin, cello, and harmonium; later Gregorian chant was added to the list. The conservatory moved within Quebec City at least six times before closing its doors in 1939 at the onset of World War II. In the early 1920s, Fafard-Drolet also taught singing in secondary schools. In 1928, she was awarded a silver medal by the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec,

Narcisse Pérodeau Narcisse Pérodeau (March 26, 1851 – November 18, 1932) was a lawyer, financier, politician, professor and the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. He was born in Saint-Ours, Quebec and died in Montreal. After several years of private pr ...

, for her founding of and work with the conservatory.

Honors

The city of Quebec has put up a plaque in her honor at 25 Rue Mont-Carmel, where she lived from 1921 to 1923. In addition, Rue Adine Fafard (Adine Fafard Street) in Quebec City is named for her. 25, rue Mont-Carmel.jpg, Adine Fafard-Drolet (1876-1963).jpg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fafard-Drolet, Adine 1876 births 1973 deaths Canadian operatic sopranos Musicians from Quebec