Charles Houdret
Encyclopedia
Charles Houdret was a Canadian conductor
, cellist, radio producer
, and composer
. He began his career in his native country of Belgium and was highly active as a conductor throughout Europe during the 1940s. In 1952 he immigrated to Canada where he ultimately became a naturalized citizen. He was active as a radio producer, cellist, and conductor in Canada up through 1964, after which nothing is known about his whereabouts or activities.
, Belgium
, Charles Houdret was trained at the Royal Conservatory of Liège where he was a pupil of Sylvain Dupuis
in music composition. He also studied in Paris with André Hekking
(cello), in Vienna with Felix Weingartner
(conducting), and in Brussels with Eugène Ysaÿe
(chamber music
). Through Ysaÿe he was introduced to Albert I of Belgium
and Elisabeth of Bavaria. Impressed with Houdret, the two monarchs appointed him to the post of director of the royal chapel orchestra. With this ensemble, he notably conducted Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
in a 1942 recording on the His Master's Voice music label. He spent the 1940s conducting this orchestra and others in concerts throughout Europe.
(MF). He made his first conducting appearance in Canada at the MF leading a performance of René Fauchois's play Beethoven which contained incidental music
. Shortly thereafter he was appointed music director of CKVL-FM
in Montreal and was appointed by Wilfrid Pelletier
to the faculty of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM). He notably conducted the CMQM's orchestra in performances of Handel's Concerto Grosso No. 10 and a string orchestra arrangement of Corelli's Trio Sonatawith the CMQM's orchestra for a 1955 recording made for Radio Canada International
. He eventually was appointed director of the group from 1960-1964, during which time he led the orchestra in the world premiere of André Prévost's Poème de l'infini.
Houdret was highly active as a guest conductor in Canada during the 1950s and early 1960s. He notably led five performances of Richard Wagner
's Parsifal
at the Palais du Commerce in April 1954, a work which had not been mounted in Canada since its national premiere in 1905. He appeared as a guest conductor with the CBC Symphony Orchestra
10 times between 1954 and 1964, notably conducting the group in the world premieres of Claude Champagne
's Altitude and Robert Turner
's Opening Night in 1960. For CBC Radio
, he conducted the world premiere of Humphrey Searle
's The Diary of a Madman in 1959.
Houdret also appeared as a cellist in recitals and concerts throughout his career, although he primarily focused on his work as a conductor. He notably recorded six of Luigi Boccherini
's cello sonatas with pianist Monique Marcil in 1963. In August of that same year he had an instrumental role in establishing the first Montreal International Music Competition. After 1964 nothing of his life is known.
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...
, cellist, radio producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
, and 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...
. He began his career in his native country of Belgium and was highly active as a conductor throughout Europe during the 1940s. In 1952 he immigrated to Canada where he ultimately became a naturalized citizen. He was active as a radio producer, cellist, and conductor in Canada up through 1964, after which nothing is known about his whereabouts or activities.
Early life and career in Europe
Born in LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Charles Houdret was trained at the Royal Conservatory of Liège where he was a pupil of Sylvain Dupuis
Sylvain Dupuis
Sylvain Dupuis was a Belgian conductor, composer, oboist, and music educator.-Life:Born in Liège, Dupuis was trained at the Royal Conservatory of Liège. After graduating in 1878, he was appointed to that school's faculty as a professor of harmony. In 1911 he succeeded Jean-Théodore Radoux as the...
in music composition. He also studied in Paris with André Hekking
André Hekking
André Hekking was a French cellist. Born in Bordeaux, he studied with Charles de Bériot, touring Spain at fifteen. In 1909 he settled in Paris to become a teacher of the cello, having in the meantime gained a reputation throughout Europe as a virtuoso...
(cello), in Vienna with Felix Weingartner
Felix Weingartner
Paul Felix von Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
(conducting), and in Brussels with Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
(chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
). Through Ysaÿe he was introduced to Albert I of Belgium
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
and Elisabeth of Bavaria. Impressed with Houdret, the two monarchs appointed him to the post of director of the royal chapel orchestra. With this ensemble, he notably conducted Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
Symphony No. 5 (Schubert)
The Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D.485, written in 1816 by Franz Schubert is a work in four movements:#Allegro in B, in divided cut time.#Andante con moto in E, in 6:8 time.#Menuetto...
in a 1942 recording on the His Master's Voice music label. He spent the 1940s conducting this orchestra and others in concerts throughout Europe.
Life and career in Canada
In 1952 Houdret immigrated to Canada, initially to work as a conductor at the Montreal FestivalsMontreal Festivals
The Montreal Festivals was an arts festival held annually in Montreal, Canada from 1936-1965. The festival was originally dedicated to the performance of classical music, presenting concerts of symphonic works, operas, oratorios, chamber music, and recitals...
(MF). He made his first conducting appearance in Canada at the MF leading a performance of René Fauchois's play Beethoven which contained incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
. Shortly thereafter he was appointed music director of CKVL-FM
CKVL-FM
CKVL-FM is a Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by La radio communautaire de LaSalle , it broadcasts on 100.1 MHz using an omnidirectional antenna with an effective radiated power of 250 watts .The station operates under a community radio licence and identifies...
in Montreal and was appointed by Wilfrid Pelletier
Wilfrid Pelletier
Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier , CC was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving as the orchestra's first artistic director and conductor from 1935-1941...
to the faculty of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM). He notably conducted the CMQM's orchestra in performances of Handel's Concerto Grosso No. 10 and a string orchestra arrangement of Corelli's Trio Sonatawith the CMQM's orchestra for a 1955 recording made for Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Until 1970, it was known as the CBC International Service and was sometimes referred to as the "Voice of Canada" in its early years.- The early years :The idea for creating an...
. He eventually was appointed director of the group from 1960-1964, during which time he led the orchestra in the world premiere of André Prévost's Poème de l'infini.
Houdret was highly active as a guest conductor in Canada during the 1950s and early 1960s. He notably led five performances of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
at the Palais du Commerce in April 1954, a work which had not been mounted in Canada since its national premiere in 1905. He appeared as a guest conductor with the CBC Symphony Orchestra
CBC Symphony Orchestra
The CBC Symphony Orchestra was a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario that was operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded in 1952, conductor Geoffrey Waddington served as the orchestra'a only music director; although other conductors, such as...
10 times between 1954 and 1964, notably conducting the group in the world premieres of Claude Champagne
Claude Champagne
Claude Champagne was a Canadian composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, he studied violin with Albert Chamberland, organ with Orpha-F. Deveaux, and piano with Romain-Octave Pelletier I and Alexis Contant at the Conservatoire national de musique. In 1921 he went straight to Paris to study music...
's Altitude and Robert Turner
Robert Turner (composer)
Robert Comrie Turner is a Canadian composer, radio producer, and music educator. He graduated with a bachelors degree in music from McGill University in 1943. While there he studied with Douglas Clarke and Claude Champagne. He continued his studies briefly at Colorado College in 1947, where he met...
's Opening Night in 1960. For CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, he conducted the world premiere of Humphrey Searle
Humphrey Searle
Humphrey Searle was a British composer.-Biography:He was born in Oxford where he was a classics scholar before studying — somewhat hesitantly — with John Ireland at the Royal College of Music in London, after which he went to Vienna on a six month scholarship to become a private pupil of Anton...
's The Diary of a Madman in 1959.
Houdret also appeared as a cellist in recitals and concerts throughout his career, although he primarily focused on his work as a conductor. He notably recorded six of Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini was an Italian classical era composer and cellist whose music retained a courtly and galante style while he matured somewhat apart from the major European musical centers. Boccherini is most widely known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No...
's cello sonatas with pianist Monique Marcil in 1963. In August of that same year he had an instrumental role in establishing the first Montreal International Music Competition. After 1964 nothing of his life is known.