Alfred Tardif

Alfred Tardif

(Georges) Alfred Tardif (Father Hilaire-Marie, Order of the Friars Minor). Organist, pianist, composer, b Laconia, NH, 7 Feb 1903, d Montreal 16 Mar 1978; lauréat piano (Montreal) 1929, lauréat organ (AMQ) 1934, D MUS (St Louis, Edmunston, NB) 1959. In 1924, after completing his general education in Trois-Rivières, he entered the order of the Franciscan Fathers; in 1930 he was ordained priest. He took piano lessons in Trois-Rivières with J.-Antonio Thompson (1919), and studied harmony in Montreal with Benoît Poirier and organ there with Eugène Lapierre and Raoul Paquet and in Quebec City with J.-Arthur Bernier. He studied voice with Rodolphe Plamondon and took summer courses at the Juilliard School, New York, with Luisa Stojowski (piano) and Robert Ward (composition). In 1931 he obtained a diploma from the Bryant School of Piano Tuning and Repairing in Washington. In addition to his activities as chaplain, general teacher, preacher, and missionary in Europe (1941-5), the USA (Biddeford, Me, 1939-41, 1958-60; Pittsfield, NH, 1945-7, 1953-5), and Canada (Andover, NB, and St Charles, Man, 1947-53; Niagara Falls, Ont, 1955-8), he occasionally taught organ, piano, harmony, and singing. He gave many recitals and became known as an authoritative interpreter of the works of Bach, Franck, Widor, and others. In addition to two masses for mixed voices, he wrote several works for organ, including Triptyque marial (Fassio 1947), performed by Jean Langlais at Ste-Clotilde Church in Paris and on the radio there, and Liturgical Harmonies (Gray 1951). He left the priesthood in 1967.

Writings

Ornements musicaux des maîtres anciens (Montreal 1959)

Orgues et organistes: problèmes d'aujourd'hui (Montreal 1965)