Short bio Violet Archer
Full biography Violet Archer
Violet Archer was a Canadian composer born on April 24, 1913, in Montreal, Canada. Throughout her career, she became known for her unique style of music composition that often included contemporary elements of dissonance, unconventional time signatures, and unique instrumental combinations.
Archer began her music education at the McGill Conservatorium in Montreal under the tutelage of Claude Champagne. She would later study with many leading composers including Béla Bartók, Aaron Copland, and Roy Harris at Juilliard School while on a fellowship. After her studies, she taught at the University of Oklahoma, where she served as head of composition. In 1966, she returned to Canada and was appointed as an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre.
As a composer, Archer was able to blend the traditional with the modern to create her own unique voice. Her music often tackled political and social issues, such as her Opera "The Minotaur" based on the Greek myth of the monster who consumed young Athenians and her symphony "Peace" which was dedicated to the International Year of Peace in 1986.
Her contributions to music were recognized with numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Canadian Music Council Medal, the Order of Canada, and an honorary degree from the University of Regina. Archer passed away in February 2000, but her influence continues to be seen in the works of young composers and through the continued study of her music.
Compositions featuring Violet Archer
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Improvisation on Veni Creator, for organ | 5:33 min | Keyboard | 1984 |
| 2 | Sonata for unaccompanied cello | Chamber Music | 1981 | |
| 3 | Divertimento for saxophone quartet | 12:38 min | Chamber Music | 1979 |
| 4 | Sonata for alto sax & piano | 17:29 min | Chamber Music | 1972 |
| 5 | Piano Concerto No. 1 | 18:32 min | Concerto | 1956 |
| 6 | Folksongs (10) for piano, 4 hands | 8:15 min | Keyboard | 1953 |
| 7 | Season Songs, for voice & piano | 0:55 min | Vocal Music | 1953 |
| 8 | Landscapes, for chorus | 9:52 min | Chamber Music | 1951 |
| 9 | Cradle Song, for voice & piano | 1:35 min | Vocal Music | 1949 |
| 10 | First Snow, for voice & piano | 1:22 min | Vocal Music | 1949 |
| 11 | Sonatina for piano No. 1 | 10:07 min | Keyboard | 1945 |
| 12 | Sonata for flute, clarinet & piano | 18:51 min | Chamber Music | 1944 |
| 13 | Capriccio for Hand Timpani, for orchestra | 4:46 min | Orchestral | 1939 |
| 14 | The Daffodils, for voice & piano | 4:01 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 15 | Sonatina | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - | |
| 16 | Prairie Profiles, for baritone, horn & piano | 12:49 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 17 | The Lonely Land, for voice & piano | 4:21 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 18 | Twenty-Third Psalm, for voice & piano | 3:55 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 19 | Sonata for cello & piano | 19:59 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 20 | Psalm 96 "O Sing Unto the Lord," motet | 3:19 min | Choral | - |
| 21 | Moods | 11:28 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 22 | Green Rain, for voice & piano | 4:25 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 23 | Christmas, for chorus | 2:41 min | Choral | - |
Albums featuring Violet Archer
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Violet Archer, Oskar Morawetz, Jean Papineau-Couture, Malcolm Forsyth, Murray Schafer – Ovation Volume 2(5×CD, Compilation) | 2002 | CBC Records |
| 2 |  |
Canadians And Classics Chamber Orchestra, Peter Gellhorn, Margaret Bruce, Jean Coulthard, Violet Archer, Antonín Tucapsky – Divertimenti (Three Concerti For Piano And Strings)(CD, ) | 1996 | Fish Ear Communications |
| 3 |  |
Archer, Field, Martin, Buske, Doak, Schandelmeier, Suzanne Summerville, Richard Nunemaker, Robert McCoy (3) – From The Great Land(CD, Album) | 1988 | ArtsVenture |
| 4 |  |
Charles Foreman / Archer ⦁ Hawkins ⦁ Hétu ⦁ Beckwith ⦁ Morawetz ⦁ Coulthard – Ballade / Theme And Variations On La Bas ⦁ Five Pieces For Piano ⦁ Ballade ⦁ Novellette ⦁ Ballade ⦁ Image Astrale(LP, Album) | 1984 | Centrediscs |
| 5 |  |
Anthology Of Canadian Music / Anthologie De La Musique Canadienne(Box Set, Compilation, 7×LP) | 1983 | Radio Canada International |
| 6 |  |
Ann Southam, Violet Archer, Robert Daigneault – Electronic Music By Canadian Composers - Volume I | 1974 | Melbourne |
| 7 |  |
Violet Archer, Composer/Compositeur | 1973 | Radio Canada International |
| 8 |  |
Violet Archer, Harry Somers, Geoffrey Waddington – Toronto CBC Chorus and Orchestra(LP, Album, Transcription, Mono) | 1955 | CBC Radio Canada |
| 9 |  |
Halifax Trio, Violet Archer, Joaquín Turina – Halifax Trio(LP, Stereo) | - | Radio Canada International |
| 10 |  |
Mildred Goodman, John Newmark, Hyman Bress, Walter Joachim / Violet Archer – Chamber Music - Musique de Chambre(LP) | - | Radio Canada International |
| 11 |  |
CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, John Avison, Godfrey Ridout, Violet Archer – Frivolités Canadiennes(LP, Album, Stereo) | - | CBC Radio Canada |
Videos featuring Violet Archer
Ann Southam - Boat, River, Moon (1974)
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Electronic-Music-By-Canadian-Composers-Volume-I/release/2917056
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