Schola cantorum

Schola cantorum. Founded in Montreal 19 Mar 1915 by Jean-Noël Charbonneau. It was inaugurated 15 September as the Diocesan School of Sacred Music by Archbishop Georges Gauthier of Montreal. Its first individual and group lessons were attended by 84 students. The program included theory, solfège, voice, liturgical Latin, Gregorian chant, liturgy, choral ensemble, elementary keyboard, organ, Gregorian-chant accompaniment, music history, harmony, and composition. The teachers were Salvator Issaurel, Arthur Laurendeau, Arthur Letondal, Benoît Poirier, and Éthelbert Thibault. The institution was affiliated 1917-19 with Laval University and 1919-38 with the University of Montreal. Among the graduates were Camille Duquette, Charles Goulet, and Clément Morin. Duquette worked for the Schola cantorum's publishing program, which was designed to promote Canadian sacred music. It published Frédéric Pelletier 's Messe de requiem, Alphonse Lavallée-Smith's Messe des morts, Roméo Larivière's Cantique pour une première messe, and several anthologies. The 1927 reorganization of the Conservatoire national of Montreal by Eugène Lapierre led to a gradual decline in the school's enrolment, and in 1938 it was integrated in the Institut musical du Canada organized by Charbonneau in 1922.