Noël Ferdinand Lionel Daunais, (December 31, 1901 – July 18, 1982) was a
French Canadian baritone and
composer.
Life
Born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
,
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 ...
, Daunais studied singing with
Céline Marier and harmony and composition with
Oscar O'Brien
Oscar O'Brien (7 September 1892 – 20 September 1958) was a Canadian folklorist, composer, pianist, organist, music educator, and Roman Catholic priest. A large portion of his compositions were based in folklore and he also arranged and harm ...
. In 1923 he won first prize at the
Montreal Musical Festival. He 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 libr ...
debut in January 1926 as Ourrias in
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''
Mireille
Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' ...
'' at the
Orpheum in Vancouver. The following March he gave his first recital at the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addi ...
.
[Lionel Daunais](_blank)
at The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available f ...
Daunais was also awarded the
Prix d'Europe in 1926 which provided him with the opportunity to pursue studies in Paris with
Émile Marcellin at the
Opéra-Comique. In 1929 he joined the roster of principal artists at the
Opera of Algiers. With that company he sang several leading roles, including Escamillo in ''
Carmen'', Figaro in ''
The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based ...
'', Giorgio Germont in ''
La traviata'', Lescaut in ''
Manon'', and Valentin in ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
''.
Upon his return to Canada in 1930, Daunais performed with the Bytown Troubadours at the third annual
CPR Festivals The Canadian Pacific Railway Festivals, usually simplified to CPR Festivals, were a series of music and folk arts festivals sponsored by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between 1927 and 1931. The festivals were organized by the writer and publici ...
in Quebec City. At the festival he also portrayed
Samuel de Champlain in
Healey Willan's ''The Order of Good Cheer''. Later that year he made his debut with the
Société canadienne d'opérette in Montreal as Clément Marot in
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...
's ''
La Basoche''. He performed frequently with that company through 1935.
In 1932 Daunais founded the
Trio lyrique (TL) whose original members also included
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...
Anna Malenfant and
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
Ludovic Huot.
Jules Jacob replaced Huot in the early 1940s. Daunais recruited pianist and composer
Allan McIver to serve as the group's accompanist and arranger. All of the arrangements performed during the TL's performance history were by McIver, including arrangements of many of Daunais's compositions.
In 1933 the TL was engaged by
CRBC for its network series ''One Hour with You'', on which the group performed for 87 weeks. In the 1934 the TL released the
LP album ''Chansons de Lionel Daunais'' for
Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International (RCI) is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Prior to 1970, RCI was known as the CBC International Service. The broadcasting service was also previously referred to as ...
. In 1936 the group performed for the CBS radio network in New York where McIver was also engaged as a staff arranger. The TL continued to perform actively in public concerts and 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 like ''The Play of the Week'', ''Light Up and Listen''. and ''Serenade for Strings'' up until the mid-1960s when it disbanded. The group re-united briefly in the autumn of 1971 for CBC broadcasts honoring Daunais and his work. In 1984 the album ''Le Trio lyrique chante Lionel Daunais'' was released; containing music from the ensemble's many radio broadcasts.
Honours
* In 1965, he was awarded the
Bene merenti de patria.
* In 1977, he was awarded the
Calixa-Lavallée Award The Calixa-Lavallée Award (french: Prix Calixa-Lavallée) is a music award created in 1959. It is granted by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal (SSJBM) to a Quebecer having distinguished themself in the field of music.http://degree.youthl ...
.
* In 1978, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
.
* In 1982, he was awarded the
Prix Denise-Pelletier.
Discography (as a composer)
12 Chansons''
The Canadian Encyclopedia* Lionel Daunais, baritone
* John Newmark, piano
* Radio-Canada International, RCI 107
* 1954
Transcription: Lionel Daunais''
Discogs.com* Bruno Laplante, baritone
* Louis-Philippe Pelletier, piano
* Radio-Canada International, RCI 294
* 1971
D’amour et de fantaisie''
Discogs.com* Lionel Daunais, baritone
* John Newmark, piano
* Sélect, CC-15.087
* 1974
Chansons de mon pays''
Discogs.com* Ensemble Vocal Katimavik
* André Beaumier, choir conductor
* Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 502
* 1979 (1977?)
Anna Malenfant chante Lionel Daunais''
Discogs.com* Anna Malenfant, contralto
* Janine Lachance, piano
* Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 511
* 1984
Lionel Daunais chante Lionel Daunais''
Discogs.com* Lionel Daunais, baritone
* Janine Lachance and John Newmark, piano
* Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 512
* 1984
Le Trio Lyrique chante Lionel Daunais''
Discogs.com* Trio Lyrique
* Allan McIver, piano
* Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 513
* 1984
Le Bestiaire''
Discogs.com* Christine Lemelin, mezzo-soprano
* Réjean Coallier, piano
* Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 565
* 1990
Lionel Daunais : L’hommage de ses interprètes''
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec* Lionel Daunais, baritone
* Anna Malenfant, contralto
* Trio Lyrique
* Janine Lachance and John Newmark, piano
* Box set, 5 CDs
* Fonovox, VOX-7839-2
* 1997
Airs Chantés – Fantaisie dans tous les tons''
Discogs.com* Hélène Guilmette, soprano
* Delphine Bardin, piano
* Ambroisie, AMB 9971
* 2004
Le petit chien de laine''
Allmusic.com* Various performers
* Illustrated Book and CD
* La Montagne Secrète
* 2005
Lionel Daunais : Fantaisie dans tous les tons''
Allmusic.com* Chantal Lavigne, soprano
* Anne-Lise Longuemare, piano
* Atma Classique, ACD2 1016
* 2009
Hommage à Lionel Daunais''
Allmusic.com* Quatuor Kevoixsi
* CD Baby 5637680983
* 2010
75 ans 75 chansons – Radio-Canada 1936-2011''
Allmusic.com* Box set, 5 CDs
* Disques SRC
* 2011
La tourtière''
CMCCanada.org* Jacqueline Woodley, soprano
* Annina Haug, mezzo-soprano
* Pierre Rancourt, baritone
* Marc Bourdeau, piano & arrangement
* CentreTracks, CD-CMCCT 11822
* 2022 (4 February)
Le voyage de noces''
CMCCanada.org* Pierre Rancourt, baritone
* Marc Bourdeau, piano & arrangement
* CentreTracks, CD-CMCCT 11922
* 2022 (4 March)
Chanson des amours perdues''
CMCCanada.org* Jacqueline Woodley, soprano
* Marc Bourdeau, piano
* CentreTracks, CD-CMCCT 12022
* 2022 (18 March)
LIONEL DAUNAIS mélodies . songs''
CMCCanada.org* Jacqueline Woodley, soprano
* Annina Haug, mezzo-soprano
* Pierre Rancourt, baritone
* Michel Bellavance, flute
* Marc Bourdeau, piano & arrangement
* CentreDiscs, CD-CMCCD 30122
* 2022 (1 April)
See also
*''
In Good Company'' album
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daunais, Lionel
1901 births
1982 deaths
Canadian male composers
Canadian operatic baritones
Officers of the Order of Canada
French Quebecers
Prix Denise-Pelletier winners
Singers from Montreal
20th-century Canadian male opera singers
20th-century Canadian composers