Paul Pratt (25 November 1894 – 8 May 1967) was a Canadian

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

ist,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, conductor,

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 ...

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

public administrator Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment ( public governance), management of non-profit estab ...

. His compositional output includes marches, waltzes, a ''Fantaisie-Impromptu'' for band, and some works for solo piano.

Life and career

Born in

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly ac ...

, Pratt studied in his native city before moving to Montreal where he was a pupil of Orpha-F. Deveaux, , and

François Héraly J. A. François Héraly (1856 – between 20 and 22 July 1920) was a Canadian clarinetist, bandmaster, and music educator of Belgian birth. Born in the small town of Flavin near Namur, Héraly began studying music privately in 1867 in Bruss ...

(clarinet) at the

Conservatoire national de musique Conservatoire national de musique was a music conservatory in Montreal, Quebec that was actively providing higher education in music during the first eight decades of the 20th century. Founded in 1905 by Alphonse Lavallée-Smith as the Conservatoir ...

. He earned a lauréat diploma in the clarinet from the conservatoire in 1912. In 1913 he joined the music faculty of the Collège de Longueuil where he taught courses in piano and clarinet and conducted the college's orchestra and band until 1920. During these years he also served as the Longueuil Concert Society's orchestra conductor and bandmaster, and taught

solfège In music, solfège (, ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a music education method used to teach aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, Western music. Solfège is ...

at the Société St-Jean-Baptiste. Pratt was a clarinetist in the Symphonie Dubois in 1916–1917 and in 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, ...

from 1919 to 1939. He was the

Montreal Orchestra The Montreal Orchestra (MO) was a professional Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec that was active from 1930–1941. While not Montreal's first orchestra, the MO is considered by music historians to be the first professional sympho ...

's bass clarinetist from 1931 to 1941 and played the contrabass clarinet for the CSM orchestra from 1935 to 1946. He also played the clarinet in the Little Symphony of Montreal and the Van der Meerschen band in St-Lambert. From 1950 to 1967 he was music director of the Metropolitan Concert Band of Montreal and from 1956 to 1957 he was president of the

Canadian Band Association Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

's Quebec and Ontario divisions. He also served for some years as the music director of the South Shore Band of Longueuil and the Gais Longueuillois Quartet. In 1935 Pratt was elected the mayor of Longueuil. He enjoyed wide popularity in that post, and remained mayor for the next 31 years, stepping down in 1966. He was decorated twice while in office, once by

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

the United Kingdom in 1935 and once by

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

of the United Kingdom in 1939, the latter for his activities in the War Campaign. He died in Longueuil in 1967 at the age of 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Paul 1894 births 1967 deaths Canadian clarinetists Canadian classical pianists Male classical pianists Canadian male composers Male conductors (music) Conservatoire national de musique alumni Mayors of Longueuil 20th-century Canadian conductors (music) 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Canadian pianists Canadian male pianists 20th-century Canadian male musicians Canadian military musicians