An unprecedented organ festival at the Oratory

In 1967, the Oratory organized a Canadian first: the International Organ Festival.

 

Prelude

 

Expo 67 was a significant event for Quebec, and for this occasion, the Oratory wanted to be part of the grand celebrations of the Montreal metropolis.
To achieve this, the local Council of the Oratory set up a special committee on May 2, 1966, tasked with organizing activities related to Expo 67. (1) The committee, led by Mr. Ferdinand Biondi, then Secretary General of the Oratory, envisioned several activities, including an international organ festival.

The project is as follows: an international organ festival bringing together Canadian and foreign organists for a series of concerts. A first in Canada’s musical history. The goal: to demonstrate that Canadian organists are equal in talent to organists from around the world.
Initially, the Committee contacted the organizers of Expo 67, hoping that the festival would be associated with it. However, the cultural activities for Expo had long been planned, and the Oratory’s request was denied. (2)

 

Grand Plan

The Committee then turned to the Canadian Confederation Centennial Commission for funding. The Commission responded positively to the request. The support received covered travel expenses, the fees for the organists, and, as the Oratory had hoped, all the concerts were offered free of charge! (2)

 

 

Narrative

Thus, every Wednesday at 8:30 PM, from June 14 to September 27, 1967, the International Organ Festival takes place at the Oratory under the auspices of the Centennial Commission. The series of 16 concerts features 10 Canadian organists and 6 foreign organists. The following artists perform in recital: Raymond Daveluy; Mireille Bégin-Lagacé and her husband; Kenneth Gilbert; Hugh McLean; Barrie Cabena; Dr. Melville Cook; Simon Preston; John Grew; Lucienne and Gaston Arel; Antoine Reboulot; Noëlla Gesnet; Finn Videro; Flor Peeters; Antoine Bouchard; Dagmar Ledlova-Kopecki; and Frederick Geoghegan.

 

 

The first concert, given by organist Raymond Daveluy, who had been the titular organist of the basilica since 1960, attracts 1,500 people.

 

 

Fugue

 

This festival marks an important period in the history of the organ in Quebec. It highlights the commitment of the Ars Organi Society. Active during the 1960s and bringing together several of the organists present at the festival, this society aimed to renew the art of the organ. The grand Beckerath organ at the Oratory Basilica is an emblem of this movement. (3)
Several women were involved in the organ renewal movement in Quebec and played a key role in its evolution. Many of them participated in the International Organ Festival at the Oratory.

 

 

Postlude

 

The 1967 International Organ Festival can be seen as the seed of the Concerts Spirituels. This series of organ concerts, which ran from 1971 to 2001, featured both Quebecois organists and internationally renowned artists. (4) Today, the great tradition of the organ still exists at the Oratory, embodied by Vincent Boucher.

Sources

1. Minutes of the Local Council, May 2, 1966.

2. International Organ Festival File, OSJ Archives, (12.01.01).

3. Hélène Panneton, Ars Organi, in The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2013.

4. Concerts 1970-2001 File, OSJ Archives, (12.01.01).