Adrienne Roy-Vilandré was a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

and

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

from Quebec. She gave hundreds of performances in the province, frequently participated in radio broadcasts, and, using the pen name Francine, contributed articles to French-language newspapers and magazines. In addition to French-Canadian folk songs, her performances often included works in Mohawk and other Native Indian languages.

Biography

Adrienne was born in Lévis, Quebec on February 13, 1893, to A. R. Roy and Dubiana Deslauriers. Her father was a shareholder of a local Lévis newspaper, ''Le Quotidien de Lévis'' which Adrienne would later contribute to as a travel writer. She attended school run by

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of women that in 1572 branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula. The Ursulines trace their origins to th ...

nuns in Quebec City and later travelled Europe with her parents. She studied singing in Quebec with Isa Jeynevald-Mercier and her husband François-Xavier Mercier, as well as Victor Occellier and Berthe Roy before making her debut at the Club musical de Quebec in 1913. By 1916, she had secured a role 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 , opérettes and other stage works, among which his ballet (1 ...

's " Véronique." In 1922 she travelled to Paris where she studied with Jane Berthori for two years. During this time she attended a song concert given by Yvette Gilbert and was inspired to devote herself to folklore. Upon her return to Quebec in 1926 she was one of the first to sing works by Honegger,

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

and Poulenc in the country. Roy-Vilandré gave hundreds of recitals across Canada as part of the

Alliance francaise An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

, l'Association France-Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Music and her work saw renewed interest during

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

as the Amerindian Pavilion drew on her work. She also performed for radio stations such as

CKAC CKAC is a Canadian French, French-language radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Owned by Cogeco, the station operates as a commercial travelers' information station, traffic information service branded as ''Radio Circulation 730''. ...

(Montreal) and CBOFT (Ottawa) in Canada, in New York for French-Canadian communities, and at the studio of French composer Charles Lagourgue. In addition, she published reviews and articles about music under the ''

nom de plume A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

'' "Francine" for Quebec publications such as ''Le Miroir'', ''L'Autorité'' and ''Le Jour.'' Her recitals were often structured as bi-cultural events where she would first perform French Canadian folk songs followed by a selection of "Indian" songs selected from across Canada.

Performance of indigenous music and culture

In the 1930s, anthropologist

Marius Barbeau Charles Marius Barbeau, (March 5, 1883 – February 27, 1969), also known as C. Marius Barbeau, or more commonly simply Marius Barbeau, was a Canadians, Canadian ethnographer and folklorist who is today considered a founder of Canadian anthr ...

taught Roy-Vilandré several dialects of local Mohawk communities. She began incorporating Indigenous motifs and folklore into her repertoire and performed songs collected from

Gitxsan Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory enco ...

Huron Huron may refer to: Native American ethnography * Huron people, who have been called Wyandotte, Wyandot, Wendat and Quendat * Huron language, an Iroquoian language * Huron-Wendat Nation, or Huron-Wendat First Nation, or Nation Huronne-Wendat * N ...

, Kootenay,

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

, and

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

nations. It is unclear if she conducted fieldwork herself as she is quoted as having memorized and interpreted songs held at the

National Museum of Canada The national museums of Canada () are the nine museums in Canada designated under the federal ''Museums Act'' and operated by the Government of Canada. The national museums are responsible for "preserving and promoting the heritage of Canada and al ...

. She was known to dress in native costume and would accompany her singing with a

tom-tom A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, thoug ...

and "chichigwam" or

gourd rattle A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

. Roy-Vilandré claimed that, in recognition of her commitment to preserving culture, the Mohawks of

Kahnawake The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (, in the Mohawk language, ''Kahnawáˀkye'' in Tuscarora) is a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal. Establi ...

gifted her the name Yohadio (meaning "clear voice in the woods" and occasionally attributed as "Yodahio" or "Princesse Ichadio" ) and made her an honorary member of the community in 1934.

Personal life

Adrienne Roy married Dr. Joseph-Dollard Vilandré around 1916. The couple settled in the small village of

La Tuque La Tuque ( , , ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,129 at the 2021 Canadian census, most of which live within the urban area. At over , i ...

where Joseph ran a medical practice while Adrienne organized benefit concerts for local causes. They would later abandon his medical practice in Quebec and decamp to Paris with their children, where she was able to pursue her musical training and he was able to continue his medical studies. The couple would later travel throughout Europe and North Africa before returning to Canada. When Dr. Vilandré died, she took up paying gigs to make a living. She later met and married Maxime De Lacamp, Marquis de Ruzé d'Effiat, a member of the French aristocracy in 1949. She had four children: philanthropist Rolande, Michèle, artist and sculptor Adrien Vilandré and architect Gilles Vilandré.

Recordings

* ''Chants indiens , Indian songs'' : 1963 Lon MLP-10030. * ''Chansons populaires du Canada français , Popular Songs of French Canada'' . F. Beauchamp 1965; Lon MLP-10057 * ''Chants amérindiens / Indian Songs of North America'' : 1966; Poly 542–506. * ''Welcome Friend - Sekon Tewatonro - Bienvenue'' : 1967; Poly CP-5001. * ''Canada 100 / Indian Folk Songs of Canada'' : (1967); Poly CP-5002. * ''Chants amérindiens'' : M. Vilandré sop, N. Gagnon tén, R.A. Le Clerc basse; (1972); YDO 8001. * ''Reflets de traditions québécoises II'' : 1975; Opus OP-249. * Yodahio (voix claire) : (1976?); à compte d'auteur.

Awards and honours

* Médaille de la ville de Paris (1957) * L'Ordre de Saint-Jean de Jerusalem (1973)

References

External links

Archives held at the Université de Montreal

Recording of Roy-Vilandré performing two songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy-Vilandré, Adrienne Canadian folklorists Canadian women folklorists Canadian sopranos 1893 births 1978 deaths People from Lévis, Quebec