Albert Viau (6 November 1910 – 27 June 2001) was a Canadian

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

, folksinger,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. After beginning his career as a musician in the classical repertoire, he specialized in

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and traditional songs. He released about 50 78 rpm records during his career, mostly for

La Bonne Chanson La Bonne Chanson is a Canadian publishing and independent record label that is "dedicated to the dissemination of French and French-Canadian songs of quality". It was founded in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada Canada is a country in ...

. He also recorded a few songs under the pseudonym Jacques Dupont, including ''Partons, la mer est belle'', ''Le Soir sur l'eau'', and ''Le Lac des amours'', and recorded the song ''Le Rêve passe'' with the

Canadian Grenadier Guards Band The Canadian Grenadier Guards Band (sometimes referred to as His Majesty's Canadian Grenadier Guards Band) was a Canadian military band that was active for more than 60 years during the 20th century. In addition to performing for military events, ...

for RCA. Many of his recordings include his own compositions. During his lifetime he wrote more than 200 songs, many of them comic patter songs, as well as

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s and two

requiem masses A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

Early life and education

Born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Viau studied the piano in his youth with Arthur Caron. At the age of 17 he began studying

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

seriously. He received his early training privately and only later in life pursued university studies. In 1966 he earned a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

and that same year was awarded a teaching certificate from the

Quebec Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (in French: Ministère de l’Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur, abbreviated as MEES) is the government ministry of Quebec that governs education, recreation, and sports. The minister is the ...

. His teachers included Victor Brault,

Arthur Laurendeau Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

(voice), Conrad Letendre (diction), Georges Mercure (Gregorian chant), Oscar O'Brien, Michel Perrault, and Roland Van de Goor (harmony).

Career

Viau made his professional

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

debut as Mercutio in Charles Gounod's '' Roméo et Juliette'' at Loew's Theatre in Montreal in 1931. From 1932 to 1934 he sang in Paul-Émile Corbeil's Imperial Grenadiers. For the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission he performed in two series in 1934: ''La Petite Histoire'' and ''Le Chanteur de lied''. For the latter series he collaborated with pianists Léo-Pol Morin and

Jean-Marie Beaudet Jean-Marie Beaudet (20 February 1908 – 19 March 1971) was a Canadian conductor, organist, pianist, radio producer, and music educator. He had a long career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, serving variously as a music producer, progr ...

. He soon after began singing on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

programs. He notably performed for 21 years on ''Le Réveil rural'' and 15 years on ''Le Quart d'heure de La Bonne Chanson''. The majority of his recordings were made from the late 1930s through the 1950s. Viau began composing his own works in the late 1930s. In 1954 he published ''Six Chansonnettes pour bambins et bambines'' and in 1958 ''Six Chansons enfantines with Éditions Albert Viau''. From 1953 to 1954 he worked for CJMS as a radio producer. He served as the choirmaster at St-Sixte Church in Ville St-Laurent, Montreal from 1950 to 1983; also operating a private studio during those years where he taught voice, piano, guitar, and recorder lessons. From 1965 to 1985 he taught music for the Catholic School Commission of Montreal. He continued to give recitals in Canada and the United States and work with vocal groups as a director and arranger until his retirement in 1986. In 2001 Viau died in Montreal at the age of 90. His archives are currently held by the Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viau, Albert 1910 births 2001 deaths Université de Montréal alumni Canadian baritones Canadian male composers Canadian folk singers Canadian music educators Canadian operatic baritones Musicians from Montreal 20th-century Canadian male opera singers 20th-century Canadian composers Male composers