Arthur Romano

Romano, Arthur
Arthur Romano. Saxophonist, clarinetist, oboist, english hornist, teacher, b Naples 23 Mar 1914, naturalized Canadian, d Montreal 16 Jan 1964. He studied with his father, Giulio, with Alfred Gallodoro in New York, and with Marcel Mule in France, and at first played in cabarets. He was a Canadian pioneer in the classical music repertoire for saxophone. With the CSM (MSO) in 1949 he performed Jacques Ibert's Concertino da camera. He played english horn, oboe, and saxophone in the MSO ca 1952-62 and frequently appeared as saxophonist with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. He also taught the saxophone 1949-62 at the CMM and 1955-64 at McGill University and founded the Romano School of Music. In the early 1950s with his pupils Nick Ayoub, Gerald Danovitch, and Frederick Nichols (later replaced by Gilles Moisan) he formed the Romano Saxophone Quartet, which performed chiefly on CBC radio. Several Canadian works were composed for the quartet, including George Fiala's first Saxophone Quartet and Alexander Brott's Three Acts for Four Sinners. In 1953 the quartet recorded Michel Perrault's Quatuor and works by Jean Françaix and Gabriel Pierné (RCI 91). Lee Gagnon and Alvinn Pall are also among Romano's pupils. Romano was founder and president of Seaward Ltd, which sold and repaired instruments, sold scores, and had studios for teachers. In 1978 an Arthur Romano Competition for composition was organized at the UQTR, in collaboration with the Association of Saxophonists of North America, to encourage the composition of original works for saxophone.

See also Pietro Romano (his uncle).

Author Hélène Plouffe