Isabelle Delorme (4 November 1900 – 20 February 1991) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

composer,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. As a composer, her works are lyrical in nature and follow more traditional ideas of harmony as opposed to the

avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original eleme ...

that was in vogue in her day. She was an active recitalist but is best remembered for her impact as a teacher of music theory.

Career

Delorme was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. She began her professional studies at the École supérieure de musique d'Outremont with Sister Madeleine-Marie. She later studied privately with pianist

Arthur Letondal Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ists Albert Chamberland and Agostino Salvetti. In 1918 she earned a teaching certificate from the

Académie de musique du Québec The Quebec Music Academy (''L'académie de musique du Québec'') is a nonprofit association based in Montreal, Canada, founded in 1868. It was built by order of Queen Victoria in 1870 and brought together the most renowned musicians of Quebec. The ...

. Delorme developed an interest in music composition in the late 1920s, and pursued formal training in this area with Claude Champagne from 1929-1939. She later studied with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

at the

American Conservatory The Fontainebleau Schools were founded in 1921, and consist of two schools: ''The American Conservatory'', and the ''School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau''. History When the United States entered First World War the commander of its army, Genera ...

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

during the summers of 1955 and 1956. She wrote a modest body of symphonic works, piano works, and chamber music between 1940–1960, all of which remain unpublished. However, several of her pieces were played by the

CBC Montreal Orchestra The CBC Montreal Orchestra was a radio orchestra based in Montreal, Canada that was active from 1947 through 1968. It was operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. History The CBC Montreal Orchestra was established in 1947. Its inaugural ...

for broadcasts on Canadian radio, of which her ''Andante'' (1941) received several repeat performances. Her other orchestral works include ''Fantaisie'', ''Choral et Fugue'', ''Prélude et Fugue'', ''Suite'', and ''Berceuse dans le style ancien''. As an educator, Delorme began teaching as a professor of music theory and solfège at the newly formed

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM) is a music conservatory located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In addition to the Montreal region, the school takes in students from nearby cities, including Granby, Joliette, St-Jean, ...

in 1943 through the invitation of Wilfrid Pelletier. She remained at that school through 1969, during which time she also taught at the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec (CMQQ) is a music conservatory located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Founded by the Quebec government in 1944, it became the second North American music institution of higher learning to be e ...

for a few years and at the Ursuline Convent in Trois-Rivières among other schools. She wrote a treatise on

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howev ...

in 1967 which earned the admiration of Boulanger, but remains unpublished. Among her notable students are Andrée Desautels,

Jacques Hétu Jacques Hétu (August 8, 1938 – February 9, 2010) was a Canadian composer and music educator. Biography Jacques Hétu was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec; he began his professional training at the University of Ottawa where he was a pupil ...

, Roger Matton,

François Morel François Morel (14 March 1926 – 14 January 2018) was a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded ...

, and André Prévost. She died in her home city of Montreal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delorme, Isabelle 1900 births 1991 deaths Canadian classical composers Canadian women pianists Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec École de musique Vincent-d'Indy alumni Canadian music educators Women classical composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Canadian pianists Women music educators Women classical pianists 20th-century women composers 20th-century Canadian women musicians 20th-century women pianists