Serge Garant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Serge Garant
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Garant in 1946
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| Born | September 22, 1929 |
| Died | November 1, 1986 (aged 57) |
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Albert Antonio Serge Garant (born September 22, 1929 – died November 1, 1986) was a very important Canadian musician. He was a composer (someone who writes music) and a conductor (someone who leads an orchestra). Serge Garant also taught music at the University of Montreal. He was a music critic and even hosted radio shows.
In 1966, he helped start the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec. This group helps promote new music. In 1979, he received a special honor called the Officer of the Order of Canada. An award called the Prix Serge-Garant was created to remember him. Many famous musicians learned from him, including Walter Boudreau and Anne Lauber.
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Serge Garant's Early Life
Serge Garant's love for music started with his mother. He went to elementary school in Quebec City from 1936 to 1939. During the Great Depression, his family moved a few times. They lived in L'Ancienne-Lorette and Verdun before settling in Sherbrooke in 1941.
Serge finished his schooling in Sherbrooke in 1945. While studying, he became very interested in the clarinet. In 1946, he taught himself how to play the saxophone.
Garant decided to focus on learning the piano. His first teacher was Sylvio Lacharité. Lacharité helped create the Symphony Orchestra of Sherbrooke. Serge also became interested in writing music. In 1946, he wrote a piece called "Conte." He showed this work at the Youth Festival in 1949. Later, Garant continued his piano studies in Montreal. In 1951, he went to Paris to learn from famous teachers like Messiaen.
Teaching Music at University
Serge Garant's first teaching job was likely in 1951. He was invited to a music camp in Knowlton. However, he officially started teaching at the University of Montreal in 1967. He taught a class about analyzing music from the 20th century. Garant became a permanent professor there in 1971.
When teaching, Garant wanted to be fair to his students. He did not judge their music based on his own ideas. Instead, he focused on what the students wanted to create. One of his students said that you could bring "any crazy idea" to his class. As long as you knew what you wanted to do, he would support it.
In 1986, Garant stopped teaching because he became ill. Even from the hospital, he still cared about his students. He called another professor to make sure his students got their grades.
A Voice on the Radio
Serge Garant was often a guest expert on radio shows. His career as a radio host for CBC began in 1955. He hosted shows like Do-Mi-Sol and Sur nos ondes. From 1969 to 1985, he hosted Musique de notre siècle.
Serge Garant was known for composing "serial music." This is a type of music that uses a specific order of notes. On his radio shows, he explored new and different kinds of music.
Awards and Honors
- 1971 – Canada Council of Music Medal
- 1979 – Prix Calixa-Lavallée from the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Montréal
- 1979 – Officer of the Order of Canada
- 1980 – Prix Jules-Léger for new music
- 1984 – The Canada Council for the Arts music prize
- 1986 – Member of the Royal Society of Canada
Serge Garant's Music
- Concerts sur terre
- Caprices
- Nucléogame
- Trois pièces pour quatuor à cordes
- Musique pour la mort d'un poète
- Ouranos
See also
- Music of Canada
- List of Canadian composers
