René Gagnier (30 May 1892 – 25 May 1951) was a Canadian

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

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 ...

, euphonium player, violinist, and music educator. His compositional output includes several marches, waltzes, works for solo violin, and some chamber and

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

music, all of which remains unpublished.

Life and career

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gagnier was the son of clarinetist

Joseph Gagnier Joseph Gagnier (5 April 1854 – 9 April 1919) was a Canadian clarinetist and the father of an important Canadian family of musicians. Life and career Born in L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Gagnier moved to Montreal in 1874 after deciding to pursue a ...

and received his earliest musical training from him. His later teachers included violinists Saul Brant, Albert Chamberland, and Alfred De Sève. He had 26 siblings, many of whom also became professional musicians of note, including

Armand Gagnier Armand refer to: People * Armand (name), list of people with this name * Armand (photographer) (1901–1963), Armenian photographer * Armand (singer) (1946–2015), Dutch protest singer * Sean Armand (born 1991), American basketball player * Arm ...

Ernest Gagnier Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...

, Guillaume Gagnier,

J.-J. Gagnier Jean-Josaphat Gagnier (2 December 1885 – 16 September 1949) was a Canadian conducting, conductor, composer, clarinetist, bassoonist, pianist, arts administrator, and music educator. His compositional output mainly consists of works for orchestr ...

, Lucien Gagnier, and

Réal Gagnier Réal (; ca, Real) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administr ...

. A number of his nieces and nephews also became notable musicians, including

Claire Gagnier Claire Gagnier (March 28, 1924 – December 25, 2022) was a Canadian soprano singer from Quebec. Life and career Gagnier was born in Montreal on March 28, 1924, and took voice lessons from . In 1944, she won first prize on the Canadian Broadcast ...

Ève Gagnier Ève Gagnier (November 12, 1930 – September 19, 1984) was an actress and singer in Quebec, Canada. The daughter of René Gagnier, a musician, conductor and composer, she was born in Montreal and was educated at the Conservatoire de musique d ...

Gérald Gagnier Gérald Gagnier (14 October 1926 – 14 January 1961) was a Canadian bandmaster, composer, and trumpeter. His compositional output includes the symphonic poem ''Polyphème'', a ''Prélude'' for piano, a ''Suite romantique'' for strings, and '' ...

, and

Roland Gagnier Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

. From 1918-1929, Gagnier served as the assistant conductor of Loew's Theatre in Montreal. He was also active as a violinist in a number of orchestras during the 1910s through the 1930s, including 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 ...

, the

Little Symphony of Montreal Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, the CSM Orchestra, and a number of theatre orchestras. In 1936-1937 he was the second violinist in the

Dubois String Quartet The Dubois String Quartet (french: Quatuor à cordes Dubois) was a Canadian string quartet that actively performed for 28 consecutive seasons from 1910 to 1938. The ensemble was founded and led by cellist Jean-Baptiste Dubois who was the only member ...

. As a euphonium player he performed for over 25 years 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, ...

, which was directed by his older brother J.-J. In 1939, Gagnier moved to Trois-Rivières to assume the post of music director of the Union musicale de Trois-Rivières, a position he held for the next 11 years. During that time he also taught at the Académie de Trois-Rivières. He had previously taught at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal and the Séminaire de Nicolet. He died in Trois-Rivières in 1951 at the age of 58.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagnier, Rene 1892 births 1951 deaths French Quebecers Canadian male composers Canadian male violinists and fiddlers Canadian military musicians Male conductors (music) Canadian classical violinists Male classical violinists Euphonium players Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal Canadian music educators Musicians from Montreal Musicians from Trois-Rivières 20th-century Canadian conductors (music) 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers