Claude Champagne

ARTICLE CONTENTS:  |  Links to Other Sites
Claude Champagne, composer, teacher (b at Montréal 27 May 1891; d there 21 Dec 1965). He studied piano and theory with Orpha Deveaux and Romain-Octave Pelletier, and then the violin with Albert Chamberland. Alfred La Liberté had faith in Champagne's ability as a composer and helped him go to Paris to study (1921-28), where Hercule et Omphale and the Suite canadienne were created. After returning to Canada, Champagne devoted himself to teaching, composition and administration. Director of musical instruction for Montréal's Catholic School Commission (1934-42), he was also author of 5 volumes of solfeggio for primary-school teachers and taught at McGill 1932-41. As the result of a report he prepared, the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal was created in 1942 and he became its assistant director. He trained an impressive number of composers, including François BRASSARD, Serge GARANT, Pierre MERCURE, François MOREL, Clermont PÉPIN, Gilles TREMBLAY and Jean VALLERAND. From 1949 to 1965 he was editor in chief for BMI Canada, responsible for the publication of Canadian works.

The Canada Council awarded him its medal in 1963 and he was honoured with a "Claude Champagne Year" in 1964, which included a NFB film and a CBC production. French lyricism and Québec folklore themes are important elements in his compositions.

Champagne, Claude
Champagne, Claude
Composer Claude Champagne in 1929 (photo by Albert Dumas, courtesy Library and Archives Canada).

Author HÉLÈNE PLOUFFE


Links to Other Sites
The Claude Champagne Virtual Exhibition
This profile of Quebec composer and musician Claude Champagne features audio music clips and other archival material. From Library and Archives Canada.

Claude Champagne
A biography for Canadian composer and teacher Claude Champagne. Check out the audio clips of his music. From the Canadian Music Centre.

NACmusicbox.ca
The acclaimed National Arts Centre Orchestra has made available hundreds of online audio clips from its recordings that feature works by noteworthy Canadian and international composers. First click on the name of a composer on the right side menu. Then click on the "Play" arrow across from "Read Concert Program Notes" to hear a specific recording. Explore the website for more information about the orchestra and each recording. See also biographies of the composers and the interactive Timeline, which depicts historical milestones in classical music. From artsalive.ca and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

0
Feature Articles
Toronto Maple Leafs 1967: The Last Stanley Cup

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ victory in the 1967 Stanley Cup was a singular event. Who would have predicted that it would not happen again?

INSIDE TCE

Gallery
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Interactive Resources
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
Canucklehead
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
Timeline
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
100 Greatest Events
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.