Marie Antoinette Jeannine Vanier (21 August 1929 – 7 March 2023) was a Canadian composer and organist who was born blind. Vanier was born in the

Laval-des-Rapides Laval-des-Rapides () is a district in Laval, Quebec, Canada. It was a separate city until the municipal mergers on August 6, 1965. Geography The neighbourhood is delimited on the north, north-west and west by Chomedey, on the east and north ...

neighbourhood of Laval,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, to Émile and Alice Laurin Vanier. Her father was an engineer. She began her studies at the Nazareth Institute for the Blind, then earned a Bachelor of Music (1950) and a Licentiate of Music (1952) at the

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. Among her teachers were

Françoise Aubut Françoise Aubut-Pratte, née Aubut (5 September 1922 – 8 October 1984) was a Canadian concert organist, and music teacher. Life Born in Saint-Jérôme (Quebec), a great-granddaughter of Calixa Lavallée, she began her piano studies at the a ...

, Jean Papineau-Couture, Roger Filiatrault, Conrad Letendre, Georges Lindsay, Clermont Pépin, and Jean Vallerand. Vanier received several awards for her compositions and musical performances, including: *Second Prize, Casavat Organ Society Competition (1948) *First Prize, Royal Canadian College of Organists (1952) *Sarah Fischer Concerts Scholarship (1959) *CAMMAC ( Canadian Amateur Musicians) Competition (1962) Vanier served as the organist at several churches in Canada: St. Paul de la Croix (1952-1974) St. Bernardin de Sienne (1978), St. Léon de Westmount (1979-81), St. Casimir (1983-5), and St. André Apôtre (1989-94). She also taught music at the Nazareth Institute and the University of Montreal. Her manuscripts are archived at the Bibliothèque du Quebec. In retirement, Vanier copied scores and piano methods in

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. She said, "You have to try to help others so as not to worry too much about yourself. Every morning I say a prayer of gratitude.” Vanier died in Montreal on 7 March 2023, the age of 93. Vanier's music is published by Waterloo Music Company and Berandol Music Limited/BMI. Her compositions include: *Cinq Pieces pour Enfants (piano) *Fantasia for Recorder Trio *Salve Regina (chorus and orchestra)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanier, Jeannine 1929 births 2023 deaths Blind classical musicians Canadian classical composers Canadian organists Canadian women organists Canadian women classical composers Musicians from Quebec People from Laval, Quebec