Jacques Hétu
Jacques Hétu | |
---|---|
Born | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | August 8, 1938
Died | February 9, 2010 Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec | (aged 71)
Occupation(s) | Composer, teacher |
Awards | Royal Society of Canada Order of Canada National Order of Quebec |
Jacques Hétu
Education
Jacques Hétu was born in
Teaching
Hétu joined the music faculty at
Compositions
Hétu is the most frequently performed Canadian classical composer[4] and was well-known for his five symphonies, all of which were enthusiastically received by audiences and critics.
His Variations Op. 8 for piano, composed in 1964, which displays his serial/atonal form of composition at that time, were recorded by Glenn Gould in 1967 as a project for the Canadian Centennial.[5] As a result of the Gould recording, Hétu became a prominent name in Canadian classical music and was soon inundated with commissions for new works.[6] Demand for his music remained strong for the remainder of his life.
Hétu's Third Symphony (1971) marked a clear turn in direction for his compositional technique toward a more tonal and traditional style. This work became an important success and was featured in world tours by the Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa.[7]
In 1985, he composed Missa Pro Trecenteismo Anno, a large-scale choral setting of the Roman Catholic Mass, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Bach's birth.[8] The work was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and premiered on the CBC radio network.
Hétu's Trumpet Concerto (1987) was performed in its U.S. premiere by the
His Concerto for Organ and Orchestra (2000) was premiered by the organist Rachel Laurin with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Bernardi in 2002.[11]
Hétu's Concerto for Two Guitars was composed in 2007 and the world premiere was performed by guitarists Marc Deschennes and André Roi, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the Orchestre Métropolitain.[12]
Also from 2007 he composed Légendes Op. 76, a musical depiction of three traditional Québec legends, incorporating French-Canadian folk music influences.[13]
On 3 March, 2010 the Toronto Symphony Orchestra premiered his Fifth Symphony under the baton of TSO music director Peter Oundjian. It is not known whether this commission – his Op. 81 – was his last completed work.[14] The final choral movement of this large-scale work is a setting of a famous “underground” poem by Paul Éluard, Liberté (poem), which circulated as part of the Resistance during the German Occupation of France in 1940-1944. The same war in France forms the subject of the work as a whole. The four movements are 1) Prologue 2) L'Invasion 3) L'Occupation 4) “Liberté”.[15]
Compositional style
Although Hétu studied in Paris with Dutilleux and Messiaen, he eventually reverted to include a tonal core to his compositional technique, and decided against following Pierre Boulez into serialism or atonality.[16] Dutilleux encouraged Hétu to pursue his own style in composition and not be influenced strongly by current trends. [17] Hétu's Third Symphony of 1971 marked his firm return to tonal forms of music composition.[18]
The influence of such twentieth century composers as Darius Milhaud and Béla Bartók are discernible in his work, and folk music sources and polytonality featured in his musical language. Hétu often composed in larger symphonic forms, especially symphonies, concertos, and tone poems, where the stylistic impact of late nineteenth century French composers ranging from César Franck and Ernest Chausson to Claude Debussy was apparent. These larger movements required tonal organizing principles to provide structural coherence.[19]
Hétu's abandonment of serialism and atonality and his return to more historical musical traditions caused considerable resentment against him from the avant-garde proponents of modernism. His response was instructive for the musical community, "I handled the ostracism thanks to performers who played my music or commissioned works from me."[14]
Honours
He was nominated for a 1989 Juno Award in the Best Classical Composition category.
In 1989, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In 2001 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[2]
Death
Hétu died of lung cancer[20] at his home in Saint-Hippolyte on February 9, 2010. He was survived by his wife, Jeanne Desaulniers, and five children.[14]
References
- ^ Jacques Hétu: Composer whose modernist works never lost sight of traditional forms. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jacques-hetu-composer-whose-modernist-works-never-lost-sight-of-traditional-forms-1982672.html
- ^ Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
- ^ Jacques Hétu: A Life in Six Pictures. https://on.cmccanada.org/hetu_six-pictures/
- ^ Jacques Hétu, the most performed of our composers. https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/musique/musique-classique/201002/11/01-948512-jacques-hetu-le-plus-joue-de-nos-compositeurs.php
- ^ Glenn Gould. Jacques Hétu Variations pour piano, op.8.|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ Jacques Hétu: A Life in Six Pictures. https://on.cmccanada.org/hetu_six-pictures/
- ^ Jacques Hétu / Symphony 3 (1971) Franco Mannino/ National Arts Centre Orchestra. |, retrieved 2024-01-09
- ^ Jacques Hétu. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jacques-hetu-emc
- ^ Jacques Hétu: The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jacques-hetu-emc
- ^ Jacques Hétu.. Trumpet Concerto, Op. 43.|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ Jacques Hétu..Concerto for Organ and Orchestra|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ Jacques Hétu / Concerto for Two Guitars|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ Jacques Hétu: Légendes Op. 76.|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ a b c Arthur Kaptainis (February 11, 2010). "Composer Jacques Hétu has died, age 71". The Gazette. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ Jacques Hétu / Symphony No.5.|, retrieved 2024-01-08
- ^ Jacques Hétu: Composer whose modernist works never lost sight of traditional forms. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jacques-hetu-composer-whose-modernist-works-never-lost-sight-of-traditional-forms-1982672.html
- ^ Jacques Hétu: A Life in Six Pictures. https://on.cmccanada.org/hetu_six-pictures/
- ^ Jacques Hétu. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jacques-hetu-emc
- ^ Jacques Hétu. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jacques-hetu-emc
- ^ "Quebec classical composer Jacques Hétu dies". CBC News. February 10, 2010. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.