Célestin Lavigueur

Lavigueur, Célestin

Lavigueur, Célestin. Violinist, composer, teacher, b Quebec City 19 Jan 1831, d Lowell, Mass, 11 Dec 1885. Though his early violin training came from an amateur, François Huot, Lavigueur's talent and dedication prompted Nazaire LeVasseur to write, 'his phrasing and bowing deeply affected his listeners'. He conducted the concert given in 1878 by the Quebec Harmonic Society.

While teaching 1853-81 at the Séminaire de Québec Lavigueur composed two works - La Fiancée des bois, a three-act operetta with libretto by Pamphile Lemay, and Un Mariage improvisé, a comic opera - which may be the first by a native Canadian for the lyric stage. Lavigueur's lesser works include Fantaisie sur La Fille du régiment, for violin; 'Le Nom de ma soeur,' a ballad; 'O Canada, beau pays, ma patrie,' a patriotic song (Bernard & Allaire 1880); 'Donnez,' a hymn to charity; 'Soyez les bienvenus,' a song of welcome for Princess Louise; and the popular 'La Huronne' (Léger, Brousseau Frères no date).

Lavigueur retired in 1881 to live with a son in Lowell, Mass. At his death he left unfinished the opera Les Enfants du manoir (to his own libretto). Some of Lavigueur's works appeared in L'Écho du cabinet de lecture paroissial (Montreal 1862-3) and Le Foyer domestique (Ottawa 1877). More recently, four of his songs have been published in CMH, vol 7. The conductor Louis Lavigueur is his great grandson.