Musique Canadienne

Musique Canadienne. Band organized in Quebec City by Charles Sauvageau. It replaced the Régiment d'Artillerie band (formed in 1831 by Jean-Chrysostome Brauneis with the Lieut-Col Joseph-François-Xavier Perrault, but disbanded on Brauneis' death from cholera in 1832). As early as 1833, Sauvageau began to conduct groups under various names, including Quadrille Band, Militia Band and Orchestre Ordinaire de Sauvageau. Beginning in 1842, the band was known as Musique Canadienne, Bande de la Cité, Fanfare de M. Sauvageau or Fanfare de la Société St-Jean-Baptiste. The exact details, such as the lifespan of these various groups had not yet been ascertained in 1991. Under Sauvageau's direction and until his death in 1849, the ensemble participated in several St-Jean-Baptiste parades and in many official ceremonies. According to Nazaire LeVasseur Musique Canadienne was composed of three clarinets, a piccolo, a tuba, two bassoons, a trumpet, three hunting horns, two trombones, timpani, 'marmites,' triangle, and bass drum.

Author Gilles Potvin

Bibliography

LeVasseur, L.-Nazaire. 'Musique et musiciens à Québec,' La Musique, vol 1, Jul 1919

Roy, Pierre-Georges. 'La première fanfare Québécoise,' BRH, vol 43, 1937; rep P-T, 911, Dec 1948

Émond, Vivianne. '"Musique et musiciens à Québec: souvenirs d'un amateur" de Nazaire LeVasseur (1848-1927): étude critique,' M MUS thesis, Laval University 1986

Links to Other Sites
La Scena Musicale
The website for La Scène Musicale, a magazine devoted to classical music in Canada. Offers an extensive online archive of feature articles, musician profiles, interviews, reviews, videos, and much more.

Sheet music from Canada's past
A very extensive collection of digitalized copies of sheet music published before Confederation and during the First World War. Includes patriotic and parlour songs, piano pieces, sacred music, novelty numbers, and more. Also, check out the sheet music covers that appear in the Gallery section. From Library and Archives Canada.