Article

Georges-Émile Tanguay

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Tanguay, Georges-Émile. Composer, organist, teacher, pianist, b Quebec City 5 Jun 1893, d there 24 Nov 1964; lauréat (AMQ). In Quebec City his teachers were Léon J. Dessane and J.-Arthur Bernier, and in Montreal Arthur Letondal and Romain Pelletier.

Tanguay, Georges-Émile

Tanguay, Georges-Émile. Composer, organist, teacher, pianist, b Quebec City 5 Jun 1893, d there 24 Nov 1964; lauréat (AMQ). In Quebec City his teachers were Léon J. Dessane and J.-Arthur Bernier, and in Montreal Arthur Letondal and Romain Pelletier. He spent the years 1912-14 in Paris studying organ with Louis Vierne and harmony with Félix Fourdrain. In 1920 he returned there to work with Édouard Mignan (organ), Georges Caussade (harmony and counterpoint), and Simone Plé-Caussade (piano) and to attend Vincent d'Indy's classes at the Schola cantorum. He studied organ with Pietro Yon and Gaston Dethier in New York. Upon his return to Montreal in 1925, he became organist at Immaculée-Conception Church, a position he held for 20 years.

Tanguay taught at the Conservatoire national and in 1943, when the CMM was founded, he was appointed to teach harmony there. He also taught this subject and later organ as well at the University of Montreal. Among his pupils were Marcel Beaulieu, Jeannine Bégin, Léon Bernier, Maurice Blackburn, Marcel Laurencelle, the sisters Gilberte, Marcelle, and Magdeleine Martin, Lucien Martin, P.-E. McCaughan, André Mérineau, Renée Morisset, and Micheline Tessier.

Tanguay composed relatively little, and most of his works were written during the early years of his career. Léo-Pol Morin described his Lied for organ as 'a serious work, more elaborate than those preceding it, displaying the same refined lyricism that has come to characterize this musician' (Papiers de musique, Montreal 1930). The Canadian Music Centre has granted him associate status posthumously. His papers are held at Laval University.

Compositions

Orchestra
Romance. 1915. Vn, harp, orch. Ms

Danseuses devant Aphrodite (arr). Ca 1920. Roudanez

Pavane (arr). 1925. Med orch. RCI Canadian Album No. 2 (J.-M. Beaudet)/CBC SMCD-5090 (Orch métropolitain)

Lied (arr). 1947. Str orch. RCI Canadian Album No. 3 (J.-M Beaudet)

Chamber

Souvenir. Ca 1912. Vc, piano. Durand 1914

Apaisement (arr). Ca 1920. 2 woodwind quintet, harp. Roudanez

Hommage à Couperin (arr). Ca 1920. Cl, bassoon, string quintet. Roudanez

Lied (arr). Ca 1930. Str quartet. Ms

Piano

Gavotte Pompadour. n.d. CMH, vol 6

Air de ballet. Ca 1912. Durand 1913

Menuet. Ca 1912. Durand 1914

Scherzo-Valse. Ca 1912. Durand 1914

Sarabande. Ca 1912. Arch 1916

Causerie. Ca 1912. P-T, 3 Nov 1917

Gavotte et Musette. Ca 1912. P-T, 15 Jul 1916

Pavane. 1914. Ditson 1921. CMH, vol 6

Trois pièces brèves 'Hommage à Couperin', 'Apaisement', 'Danseuses devant Aphrodite.' Ca 1920. Roudanez 1921, CMH, vol 6

Organ

Prayer/Prière. Ca 1918. Ditson 1921, CMH, vol 4

Lied. 1924. Ms

Choral

'Cor Jesu.' 1912. SATB. P-T

'O Salutaris.' 1912. SATB, bar. Bélair 1916

Graduel et Trait (excerpt from Messe de Requiem). 3 men's voices. P-T, 1 Dec 1917

'Cor Jesu.' SATB. L'Action catholique