Brian Ellard

Brian Ellard

Brian (Joseph) Ellard. Musicologist, educator, conductor, arranger, b Ottawa 15 Jan 1940; B MUS (ESM, Rochester) 1966, MA (ESM, Rochester) 1968, PH D (ESM, Rochester) 1973. After studying trade and commerce 1957-9 at the University of Ottawa, he took courses in music at the ESM in Rochester, NY. He was an organist-choirmaster 1953-63 in Ottawa and 1963-9 in Webster, NY.

Ellard's career as a scholar dates from the period 1967-9 when he studied medieval music and the development of form and tonality from Beethoven to Mahler and Debussy and compiled two bibliographies (unpublished by 1991), including one on Canadian opera. He served 1970-8 as chairman of the Dept of Music and 1978-80 as vice-dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Moncton. In 1979 he was named director of the University of Sherbrooke's new School of Music, but owing to the uncertain future of the project, he resigned from this post in 1983. He was music director 1980-3 of the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra, founding director 1980-3 of the university 's Symphonic Choir and first director 1982-3 of the Sherbrooke Wind Ensemble. In 1983 he began teaching at Mount Allison University, where he was director 1983-8 of the Music Dept and conductor of various ensembles, including the choir and the big band, for which he wrote numerous arrangements. He also became music director and conductor of the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra in 1983. He was vice-president 1973-5 and president 1975-7 of CAUSM and edited the CAUSM Directory. Ellard is an EMC board member and contributor.

Writings

Brian Ellard, ' Quam pulchri sunt: the Motet and the Mass by Tomás Luis de Victoria,' MA thesis, U of Rochester 1968

'Edmond Costère's Lois et styles des harmonies musicales,' English transl and commentary, PH D thesis, U of Rochester 1973