Léo-Pol Morin

Léo-Pol Morin

Léo-Pol Morin, pianist, music critic, teacher, composer (as James Callihou) (b at Cap-St-Ignace, Qué 13 July 1892; d in an accident near Lac Marois, N of Montréal 29 May 1941). An ambassador for the French music of his era, he also contributed to the growth of Canadian music. After studying in Québec City and Montréal, he won the Prix d'Europe (1912) and continued his training in Paris. He returned to Canada in 1914 and devoted himself to teaching and concert performances. In 1918 he was one of the founders of Le NIGOG, a music, literature and fine-arts review. During a second stay in Europe (1919-25), he toured with Ravel (1923); in 1928 he played in a concert given by Ravel in Montréal. Morin first wrote on music for La Patrie (1926-29), then made weekly contributions to La PRESSE (1929-31) and Le Canada (1933-41). He wrote several harmonizations for folk songs.