Jean Vallerand, CQ (December 24, 1915 – June 24, 1994) was a composer, music critic, violinist, conductor, arts administrator, writer, 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 ...

from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. As a composer he was active from 1935 to 1969. An associate of the

Canadian Music Centre The Canadian Music Centre was founded in 1959 by a group of Canadian composers who saw a need to create a repository for Canadian music. It now holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music, and works to promote the music of its As ...

, he was appointed a Knight of the

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 an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gove ...

in 1991.

Life

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 ...

, Vallerand began studying the violin at age 5 with Lucien Sicotte, with whom he continued to study until he was 20. He entered 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 ...

in 1934 where he studied classical literature, earning a diploma there in 1938. While there he pursued private studies in

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

and

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

with Claude Champagne from 1935 to 1942.Jean Vallerand at canadianencyclopedia.ca
/ref> Vallerand began his career as a music critic in 1941 when he succeeded

Léo-Pol Morin Léo-Pol Morin (13 July 1892 – 29 May 1941) 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'' (1945) and ''Three Eskimos'' f ...

as critic at '' Le Canada''. He remained there through 1946, going on to hold posts as music critic at ''

Montréal-Matin ''Montréal-Matin'' ("Montreal-Morning") was a Quebec daily newspaper based in Montreal. It was published from 1930 to 1978. It was politically associated to the Conservative Party of Quebec and, afterwards, its successor the Union Nationale. It ...

'' (1948–1949), '' Le Devoir'' (1952–1961), '' Le Nouveau Journal'' (1961–1962), and '' La Presse'' (1962–1966). He also reviewed cultural events for

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 ...

and

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

during the 1940s through the 1960s. He contributed articles to numerous periodicals and journals, including '' L'Action universitaire'', '' Amérique francaise'', '' Culture vivante'', '' Gants du ciel'', '' Liberté, Maclean'', '' Musical America'', ''

Relations Relation or relations may refer to: General uses *International relations, the study of interconnection of politics, economics, and law on a global level *Interpersonal relationship, association or acquaintance between two or more people *Public ...

'', and ''

Vie musicale Vie (IPA: /'vi.e/), is a district (or ''quarter''), of Oradea, a city in Bihor, Romania. The name means ''vineyard'' in Romanian. Geography Vie is situated in the hills overlooking Oradea, in the northern part of the town. It spans quite a lar ...

''. He also worked as the program annotator for the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...

for many years appeared numerous times as a host for the French-language version of the

Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera In ...

. In 1942 Vallerand was appointed Secretary General of the newly formed Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM) by

Wilfrid Pelletier Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier (sometimes spelled Wilfred), (20 June 1896 – 9 April 1982) was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving a ...

. He remained in that post and taught orchestration at the school up through 1963. He also taught concurrently on the music faculty of the Université de Montréal from 1950 to 1966. From 1963 to 1956 he served as the head of the Montreal branch of

and from 1966 to 1970 he was the Quebec Government's cultural attaché in Paris.

Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre (born May 16, 1942) is a Canadian musicologist and educator living in Quebec. Biography She was born in Montreal and received a BA from the Collège Basile-Moreau there. She also earned a diploma in piano. From 1963 to ...

, ''Jean Vallerand et la vie musicale du Québec'', Montréal, Édition du Méridien, 1996 In 1971 Vallerand became the head of the

Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec The Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec (CMADQ) 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 ...

(CMADQ) which at that time oversaw 8 conservatories in higher education in music and theatre in Québec. He remained in that position through 1978, during which time he was instrumental in establishing a 9th conservatoire, the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Rimouski A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

, in 1973. He also served concurrently as the director of music education for the

Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec The Ministry of Culture and Communications (french: Ministère de la Culture et des Communications ) is responsible for promoting and protecting the culture in the Canadian province of Quebec. The current Minister is Nathalie Roy.Orchestre des jeunes du Québec. He also worked as a consultant for the CMQM and the MACQ throughout the 1970s. He retired in 1980.

Selected works

*''Les Roses à la mer'', 1935 *''Le Diable dans le beffroi'', 1942 *''Nocturne'', 1946 *''Prélude'', 1948 *''Sonata'' for Violin and Piano, 1950 *''Concerto'' for Orchestra, 1951 *''Quatre Poèmes de Saint-Denys Garneau'', 1954 *''String Quartet'', 1955 *''Réverbérations contractoires'', 1961 *''Le Magicien'', opera, 1961 *''Payse'', Ballett, 1964 *''Étude concertante'' for Violin and Orchestra, 1969

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallerand, Jean 1915 births 1994 deaths Canadian classical composers Male conductors (music) Canadian music critics Canadian classical violinists Male classical violinists Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal Canadian music educators Musicians from Montreal Knights of the National Order of Quebec Composers awarded knighthoods Conductors (music) awarded knighthoods Musicians awarded knighthoods Canadian opera composers 20th-century Canadian conductors (music) 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century classical composers Canadian male classical composers 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers Canadian male violinists and fiddlers