Thomas Legrady

Legrady, Thomas

Legrady, Thomas (Theodore). Composer, teacher, b Budapest 22 Mar 1920, naturalized Canadian 1962. He graduated from the Bartók Cons and obtained a PH D in political science at Erzsébet U in Pécs. He emigrated to Canada in 1956, settling in Montreal and teaching solfège and orchestration at Loyola College and music-teaching methods at McGill University and the École normale de musique. He moved to Toronto in 1972 and taught woodwinds 1972-85 at Étienne Brûlé High School and was concurrently conductor of the North York Student Orchestra.

Legrady's Suite for brass was the winning submission in a 1963 contest sponsored by the Montreal Brass Quintet. He wrote a Divertimento for flute, oboe, and string trio in 1958 and another for brass quintet in 1965. He also composed the music for the NFB film Sunrise and Eclipse, and wrote orchestrations 1956-9 for CBC Montreal variety shows. He prepared the teaching text Lisons la musique; adaptation canadienne-française de la Méthode Kodály (two parts, each with a supplement, Ottawa 1967, and 1970), and wrote a music text for beginners titled V'là l'bon vent (Toronto 1979). His compositions in the 1980s included 'The Mailman' and an arrangement of the tune 'J'entends le moulin' (1981-2, both published by Thompson), Capriccio (1985, Chappell), and a series of band compositions (1983-7, all published by Moleneer).