Joseph-Arthur Bernier was a Canadian organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

, pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, and music educator. Born in Lévis, Quebec

Lévis, Quebec

Lévis is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de...

, he was the senior member of a prominent family of musicians from Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

. He is the father of pianist Gabrielle Bernier, cellist Maurice Bernier

Maurice Bernier (journalist)

Maurice Bernier was a Canadian journalist, cellist, and music critic. He wrote music criticism for the Quebec City newspaper L'Événement from 1922-1932. He then worked as a reporter stationed at the National Assembly of Quebec for the next four decades. Born in Quebec City, Bernier was a member of...

, and composer and keyboardist Conrad Bernier, and the grandfather of musicians Françoys Bernier

Françoys Bernier

Françoys Joseph Arthur Maurice Bernier was a Canadian pianist, conductor, radio producer, arts administrator, and music educator. He served as the music director of the Montreal Festivals from 1956–1960 and was an active conductor and radio producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during...

, Madeleine Bernier, and Pierre Bernier. His compositional output includes 4 masses

Mass (music)

The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...

, several motet

Motet

In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...

s, pieces for solo organ, a Berceuse for violin, a Pastorale for oboe, a Cantilène for cello, and a Mazurka for piano.

Bernier was a pupil of Gustave Gagnon

Gustave Gagnon

Gustave Adolphe Mathurin Gagnon was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator.-Family background and education:...

 and Philéas Roy in Quebec City, and Alexandre Guilmant

Alexandre Guilmant

Félix-Alexandre Guilmant was a French organist and composer.- Short biography :Guilmant was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer...

 and Félix Fourdrain

Félix Fourdrain

Félix Fourdrain was a French organist and composer. He is chiefly known for his operas. Many of them were written in collaboration with librettists and poets Arthur Bernède and Paul de Choudens; the best of which are La Glaneuse , Madame Roland , and Vercingétorix Félix Fourdrain (3 February 1880...

 in Paris. He served as organist at several churches in Quebec City, including St-Sauveur Church (1892–1908), Notre-Dame-de-Jacques-Cartier Church (1908–17), and St-Jean-Baptiste Church (1917–1944). He also gave recitals throughout the United States and Canada during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was president of the Académie de musique du Québec in 1910-11 and 1912–13, and taught on the music faculty at Université Laval

Université Laval

Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...

 from 1922-1944. His notable students include Clotilde Coulombe

Clotilde Coulombe

Clotilde Coulombe was a Canadian pianist and Roman Catholic nun. She was the sister-in-law of musician Omer Létourneau.-Life and career:...

, Rolland-G. Gingras, Omer Létourneau

Omer Létourneau

Omer Létourneau was a Québécois pianist, organist, composer and orchestra conductor.A pupil of Joseph-Arthur Bernier, Létourneau won the Prix d'Europe in 1913. In 1917 he directed the production of L'Accordée de village in the Auditorium de Québec in Quebec City which included performances from...

, and Georges-Émile Tanguay

Georges-Émile Tanguay

Georges-Émile Tanguay was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output is relatively small; consisting of 4 orchestral works, 4 chamber music pieces, 9 works for solo piano, 2 works for solo organ, and 4 choral works...

.