MusicatlasNews for Hétu
- Jacques Hétu dies of cancer
[posted 11 February 2010]Last Tuesday, Canadian composer Jacques Hétu died in Montreal, 71 years old. He lost his battle with long cancer. Shortly before his death he was honoured for lifetime achievement at the annual Opus Awards for classical music.
Hétu was a professor of music at Laval University, University of Montreal and University of Quebec in Montreal for more than 40 years.
His compositions are considered to well-structured, skillfully orchestrated, lyric and filled with emotion.
[Source: www.cbc.ca]
Music
- Symphony No. 1 for string orchestra, 1959
- Adagio and Rondo for string quartet, 1960
- Symphony No. 2, 1961
- Sonata for piano, 1962
- Petite suite for piano, 1962
- Variations for piano, 1964
- Four Pieces for flute and piano, 1965
- L’Apocalypse “Fresque symphonique d’après saint Jean” for orchestra, 1967
- Double concerto for violin, piano and chamber orchestra, 1967
- Variations for violin, 1967
- Quintet for wind quintet, 1967
- Cycle for piano and wind instruments, 1969
- Concerto for piano and orchestra, 1969
- Passacaglia for orchestra, 1970
- Symphony No. 3, 1971
- String Quartet, 1972
- Les Clartés de la nuit for soprano and piano, 1972
- Fantasy for piano and orchestra, 1973
- Les Djinns for two mixed choirs, percussion and piano, 1975
- Antinomie for chamber orchestra, 1977
- Aria for flute and piano, 1977
- Nocturne for clarinet and piano, 1977
- Rondo varié for violin, 1977
- Prélude et danse for piano, 1977
- Incantation for oboe and piano, 1978
- Lied for French horn and piano, 1978
- Elegy for bassoon and piano, 1979
- Concerto for bassoon and orchestra, 1979
- Au pays de Zom, film music, 1980
- Mirages for orchestra, 1981
- Interlude for orchestra, 1982
- Les Abîmes du rêve for bass and orchestra, 1982
- Concerto for cello and orchestra, 1983
- Ballade for piano, 1984
- Sonata for piano, 1984
- Four Interludes for organ, 1985
- Missa pro trecentesimo anno for mixed choir and orchestra, 1985
- Variations for organ, 1986
- Symphonie concertante for wind quintet and string orchestra, 1986
- Suite for guitar, 1986
- Four Miniatures for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, 1987
- Concerto for trumpet and chamber orchestra, 1987
- Images de la Révolution for orchestra, 1988
- Serenade for flute and string quartet, 1988
- Les Illusions fanées for mixed choir, 1988
- Poème for string orchestra, 1989
- Concerto for Ondes Martenot and orchestra, 1990
- Le Prix, Opera, 1992
- Scherzo for string quartet, 1992
- Symphonie No. 4, 1993
- Concerto for guitar, 1993
- Concerto for trombone, 1995
- Sonate for violon and piano, 1996
- Sonate for thirteen instruments, 1996
- Fantaisie for piano, 1996
- Concerto for marimba and vibraphone, 1997
- Sérénade Héroïque for French horn and orchestra, 1998
- Concerto for piano No. 2, 1999
- Passage for mixed choir a capella, 1999
- Hear My Prayer, O Lord for mixed choir a capella, 2000
- Concerto for organ, 2000
- Faintaisie sur le nom de Bach for flute solo, 2000
- Triple Concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra, 2001
- Concerto for oboe and English horn, 2004
- Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, 2004
- Sextuor à cordes, 2004
- Impromptu for piano, 2004
- Variations concertantes for orchestra, 2005
Life
Jacques Hétu studied composition at the Montreal Conservatory ander Clermont Pépin in 1956. He won the composition price that the conservatory of Montreal sat out in 1961. A study scholarship from the Canada Council enabled him to go to Paris for further study. There his teachers where Henri Dutilleux in composition, and Olivier Messiaen in analysis. Hétu remained faithful to a classical esthetic firmly attached to structural forms of the past. Hétu’s Harmonic language comprises parallelisms and composites of serial, modal, or chromatic techniques. Jaques Hétu was a member of the Canadian League of Composers and an Affiliate of BMI Canada.
