Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Canada

Birth

:

July 30, 1934 in Quebec, Canada

Death

:

January 27, 2001

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Choral

 

 

Orchestral

 

André Prévost was a Canadian composer and conductor who was born on March 30, 1934, in Montreal, Quebec. He was the son of a violinist and a pianist, and his parents encouraged him to pursue music from a young age. Prévost began studying piano at the age of six and later took up the violin and the viola. He also showed an early interest in composition and began writing music when he was just 12 years old. Prévost studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal, where he was a student of Claude Champagne. He later studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and with Luigi Dallapiccola in Italy. Prévost also studied conducting with Pierre Monteux and Leonard Bernstein. Prévost's early works were influenced by the French Impressionist composers, particularly Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. He also drew inspiration from the music of Igor Stravinsky and Bela Bartok. Prévost's music is characterized by its lyricism, its use of rich harmonies, and its rhythmic complexity. Prévost's first major work was his String Quartet No. 1, which he composed in 1957. The piece was well-received and helped establish Prévost as a promising young composer. He went on to write a number of other chamber works, including several string quartets, a piano trio, and a wind quintet. In the 1960s, Prévost began to experiment with electronic music. He composed several works for tape, including his groundbreaking piece "Points de rencontre," which was premiered at the Expo 67 World's Fair in Montreal. The piece combined electronic sounds with live performers and was a major success. Prévost also wrote a number of orchestral works, including his Symphony No. 1, which was premiered by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1966. The piece was well-received and helped establish Prévost as one of Canada's leading composers. In addition to his work as a composer, Prévost was also a respected conductor. He served as the music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1966 to 1970 and later conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Prévost's later works continued to explore new musical ideas and techniques. He wrote several works for solo instruments, including a cello concerto and a violin concerto. He also composed several vocal works, including a setting of the Requiem Mass and a cycle of songs based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Prévost was a highly respected figure in the Canadian music scene and was awarded numerous honors and awards throughout his career. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1977 and was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier, Quebec's highest cultural award, in 1991. He was also a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Order of Quebec. André Prévost died on January 15, 2001, in Montreal, Quebec. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential music that continues to be performed and celebrated today.

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