Mario Duschenes
Encyclopedia
Mario Duschenes, CM
, LL.D. (27 October 1923 – 31 January 2009) was a Canadian
flautist
, recorder
player, music educator and conductor
.
, Germany
in 1923, the son of Franz and Grete Duschenes. He studied the recorder
, solfege
and the piano before the age of twelve. In 1935, he began studying the flute with his father and brothers. Escaping Germany just prior the Second World War, he studied flute, composition and conducting at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland
, and during the period 1943–7 completed his training with Henri Gagnebin
, André Pépin, Frank Martin
, Dinu Lipatti
and Isabelle Nef. Duschenes won the Conservatory's Prix de Virtuosité in 1946, and the first prize at the 1947 International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva.
, Canada in September 1948, sponsored by his older brother, Rolf. He quickly became active in the Canadian musical scene, and in August 1949, staged and narrated the Canadian première of Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat
at McGill University
. He became principal flute of the CBC Radio Orchestra, and appeared as a soloist with the Musica Antica e Nuova, the McGill Chamber Orchestra and the Pro Musica Society. He was a founding member of the Baroque Trio of Montreal, which toured extensively, and made more than 30 recordings, including several with his friend and fellow flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal
. Between 1970 and 1985, Duschenes hosted "Initiation à la musique avec Mario Duschenes" on Télévision de Radio-Canada.
Much of Duschenes' career was dedicated to inspiring a love of music among young people. He was an expert in the Carl Orff
teaching method, and his work was also influenced by his marriage to a child psychologist, Ellyn Simons, whom he wed in 1951, and with whom he had five children. He was the author of widely distributed and highly regarded works of musical education, notably the Method for the Recorder I (1957) and II (1962), the School Recorder Method (1957), and Studies in Recorder Playing (1960). He also wrote and edited other works, including studies for alto recorder, and arrangements of works from the renaissance and baroque periods, of Johann Sebastian Bach
, and of Leopold Mozart
.
In 1953, Duschenes co-founded the CAMMAC
(Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens Amateurs du Canada) Music Centre in the Laurentians near Montreal, where he taught for many years. Between 1954 and 1970 he also taught at McGill University, and subsequently at the University of Montreal between 1970 and 1973.
Duschenes became a conductor of young people's concerts for many professional orchestras across Canada. He performed the role for the Quebec Symphony Orchestra (1969–73), the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
(1970–81), the National Arts Centre Orchestra
(1973–88), the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
(1976) and at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
in 1985. His gracious, avuncular contribution to the musical education of youth was much praised: the music critic for the Globe and Mail wrote that "For all the simplicity of Duschenes's language, he manages to achieve an intellectual level that patronizes neither the children nor their parents," while that of the Montreal Gazette noted that Duschenes was "probably doing more for the image of young people's concerts than anyone else in Canada". The concerts he hosted and conducted were remembered and admired for their excellence years after they took place.
Duschenes also conducted regular orchestral concerts for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1973–85), the Orchestre de Chambre de Radio-Canada, and in 1985 was appointed the music director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
, a position he held until 1992. He also appeared as guest conductor for other major Canadian orchestras, as well as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
in 1987, 1989 and 1990.
Aged 85 and following a stroke, Duschenes died in Montreal on 31 January 2009.
in 1985 for his work as an internationally-known flautist, teacher and conductor. He was also awarded honorary doctorates from Concordia University in Montreal and Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, LL.D. (27 October 1923 – 31 January 2009) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
, recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
player, music educator and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Early life
Mario Duschenes was born in Altona, near HamburgAltona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1923, the son of Franz and Grete Duschenes. He studied the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, solfege
Solfege
In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
and the piano before the age of twelve. In 1935, he began studying the flute with his father and brothers. Escaping Germany just prior the Second World War, he studied flute, composition and conducting at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and during the period 1943–7 completed his training with Henri Gagnebin
Henri Gagnebin
Henri Gagnebin was a Belgian-born Swiss composer.His first studies were in Bienne and Lausanne. He studied the piano with Auguste Laufer and harmony with Justin Bischoff. In 1905, he spent eight months in Berlin, where he studied composition with Richard Rössler...
, André Pépin, Frank Martin
Frank Martin (composer)
Frank Martin was a Swiss composer, who lived a large part of his life in the Netherlands.-Childhood and youth:...
, Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
and Isabelle Nef. Duschenes won the Conservatory's Prix de Virtuosité in 1946, and the first prize at the 1947 International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva.
Career
Duschenes toured Europe as soloist with the Ars Antiqua Ensemble, and emigrated to MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada in September 1948, sponsored by his older brother, Rolf. He quickly became active in the Canadian musical scene, and in August 1949, staged and narrated the Canadian première of Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat
Histoire du soldat
Histoire du soldat , composed by Igor Stravinsky, is a 1918 theatrical work "to be read, played, and danced" . The libretto, which is based on a Russian folk tale, was written in French by the Swiss universalist writer C.F. Ramuz...
at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. He became principal flute of the CBC Radio Orchestra, and appeared as a soloist with the Musica Antica e Nuova, the McGill Chamber Orchestra and the Pro Musica Society. He was a founding member of the Baroque Trio of Montreal, which toured extensively, and made more than 30 recordings, including several with his friend and fellow flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century."-Early years:...
. Between 1970 and 1985, Duschenes hosted "Initiation à la musique avec Mario Duschenes" on Télévision de Radio-Canada.
Much of Duschenes' career was dedicated to inspiring a love of music among young people. He was an expert in the Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
teaching method, and his work was also influenced by his marriage to a child psychologist, Ellyn Simons, whom he wed in 1951, and with whom he had five children. He was the author of widely distributed and highly regarded works of musical education, notably the Method for the Recorder I (1957) and II (1962), the School Recorder Method (1957), and Studies in Recorder Playing (1960). He also wrote and edited other works, including studies for alto recorder, and arrangements of works from the renaissance and baroque periods, of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, and of Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
.
In 1953, Duschenes co-founded the CAMMAC
Cammac
Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens Amateurs du Canada is a nonprofit organization supporting amateur music making at all ages and levels. It is commonly known by its acronym, CAMMAC....
(Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens Amateurs du Canada) Music Centre in the Laurentians near Montreal, where he taught for many years. Between 1954 and 1970 he also taught at McGill University, and subsequently at the University of Montreal between 1970 and 1973.
Duschenes became a conductor of young people's concerts for many professional orchestras across Canada. He performed the role for the Quebec Symphony Orchestra (1969–73), the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, with Montréal's Place des Arts as its home.-History:...
(1970–81), the National Arts Centre Orchestra
National Arts Centre Orchestra
The National Arts Centre Orchestra is an orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital. It is a classically-sized ensemble currently conducted by Pinchas Zukerman.-Description:Since 1998, Pinchas Zukerman has been the Music Director. Mario Bernardi C.C...
(1973–88), the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
(1976) and at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country...
in 1985. His gracious, avuncular contribution to the musical education of youth was much praised: the music critic for the Globe and Mail wrote that "For all the simplicity of Duschenes's language, he manages to achieve an intellectual level that patronizes neither the children nor their parents," while that of the Montreal Gazette noted that Duschenes was "probably doing more for the image of young people's concerts than anyone else in Canada". The concerts he hosted and conducted were remembered and admired for their excellence years after they took place.
Duschenes also conducted regular orchestral concerts for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1973–85), the Orchestre de Chambre de Radio-Canada, and in 1985 was appointed the music director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra is a prominent orchestra from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They began in 1962 as a 20-piece string orchestra known as the St. John's Orchestra.Music Directors:*David Gray...
, a position he held until 1992. He also appeared as guest conductor for other major Canadian orchestras, as well as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
in 1987, 1989 and 1990.
Aged 85 and following a stroke, Duschenes died in Montreal on 31 January 2009.
Honours
Duschenes received the Canadian Music Council Medal in 1978 and was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1985 for his work as an internationally-known flautist, teacher and conductor. He was also awarded honorary doctorates from Concordia University in Montreal and Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland.