Rachel Laurin

Rachel Laurin (rah-SHELL law-RAN, August 11, 1961 – August 13, 2023) was a Canadian organist, composer and music educator in Quebec.^[1]

Biography

Rachel Laurin was born in Saint-Benoît, Quebec, on August 11, 1961. Laurin studied organ with Lucienne L'Heureux-Arel. She went on to study at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal with Gaston Arel, Raymond Daveluy and Raoul Sosa. In 1985, she received the McAbbie Foundation scholarship and, in the following year, the Bourse d'excellence Wilfrid-Pelletier. She performed in Canada, the United States and France. She received the Conrad Letendre scholarship five times. From 1986 to 2002, she was assistant organist at Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. In 1988, she started teaching at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. From 2002 to 2006, she was titular organist at Notre Dame Cathedral in Ottawa.^[1][2]

Laurin started composition lessons at age 19 with Raymond Daveluy, developing her "creative skills in a tonal, accessible language". She was the "house composer" at Wayne Leupold Editions from 2006. In her latter years, Laurin only composed commissioned pieces. Her very first commissioned piece was requested by organist Donald S. Sutherland and his wife, soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson. The piece was premiered at a regional convention of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) in Pittsburgh in 1987.^[3]

Reviewing a 2013 album of Laurin's newer works, The American Organist magazine wrote: "While sometimes criticized as being 'not contemporary enough', it is this very quality that makes her music so appealing."^[4] In a review of a 2016 recording, Choir & Organ magazine commended her "imaginative and demanding scores", "well crafted in a kind of New World fusion of musical styles from France, Germany and England."^[5]

In 2008, Laurin received the Holtkamp-AGO Composition Award. In 2009, she was awarded first place in the AGO's Marilyn Mason New Organ Music Competition.^[2] Laurin won the AGO's Distinguished Composer Award in 2020,^[6] and the 2022 Pogorzelski-Yankee Composition Competition in 2022.^[7] She became an honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (FRCCO) in 2023.^[8]

Laurin died from cancer on August 13, 2023, at the age of 62.^[9][10]

Compositions

Organ solo

• Suite brève, op. 6, No. 1 (1984)
• Suite brève, op. 6, No. 2 (1984)
• Sonate en fa, op. 7 (1985)
• Pastorale, d’après "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus" de Lucien Daveluy, op. 13 (1988)
• Scènes Vosgiennes, op. 16 (1989)
• Improvisations pour tous les temps, op. 24 (1992)
• Variations sur un Noël lorrain, op. 26 (1994)
• Quatre pèlerinages en Lorraine, op. 30 (1996)
• Trois Pièces, op. 31 (1997–2000)
• Symphonie No. 1, op. 36 (2003)
• Acclamations, op. 37 (2003)^[11]
• Étude Héroïque, op. 38 (2004)
• Petite Suite sur un motet de Gerald Bales, op. 41 (2005)
• Douze Courtes Pièces, op. 43 (2006)
• Introduction et Passacaille sur un thème de Raymond Daveluy, op. 44 (2006)
• Prélude et Fugue en Fa mineur, op. 45 (2007)
• Partita sur "Nun danket", op. 47 (2007)
• Épilogue, op. 50 (2008)
• A Royal Canadian Fanfare, op. 53 (2009)
• Trois Bagatelles, op. 54 (2009)
• Symphonie No. 2, op. 55 (2009–2010)
• Greensboro Suite, op. 56 (2010)
• Sept Courtes Pièces, op. 58 (2010)
• Berceuse à Pierre, op. 61 (2011)
• Fantasy and Fugue on Genevan Psalm 47 (organ four hands and feet), op. 62 (2012)
• Suite in D Major for Don Menzies, op. 63 (2012)
• Douze Courtes Pièces, op. 64 (2012–2013)
• Étude-Caprice "Le rire de Belzébuth", op. 66 (2013)
• Douze Courtes Pièces, op. 68 (2013–2014)
• Poème symphonique pour le Temps de l’Avent, op. 69 (2013)
• Étude symphonique pour pédale solo: Variations sur "That Good Old Baylor Line", op. 72 (2014)
• Fantasy and Fugue in D major, op. 73 (2014)
• Aria and Fugue in A for Aaron, op. 74 (2015)
• Douze Courtes Pièces, op. 75 (2018)
• Humoresque: Hommage à Marcel Dupré, op. 77 (2016)
• Finale, op. 78 (2017)
• Hommage à Buxtehude, op. 86 (2018)
• Little Prelude and Fugue in G major, op. 87 (2018)
• Fantaisie à deux (organ four hands and feet), op. 88 (2018)
• Omaggio Festivo, op. 89 (2018)
• Sonate No. 1, op. 91 (2019)
• Ten Little Sketches for Ten Little Fingers, op. 92 (2019)
• Petit Triptyque, op. 93 (2019)
• Ouverture "Mr. Mistoffelees", op. 94 (2019)
• Fantasia quasi scherzo, op. 95 (2019)
• Variations Sweelinck, op. 96 (2019)
• Poème symphonique en l’honneur de Saint Benoît, op. 97 (2020)
• Bagatelle burlesque: Hommage à Beethoven, op. 98 (2020)
• Cantabile à deux (organ four hands and feet), op. 99 (2020)
• Thirteen Easy Pieces, op. 100 (2020)
• Cinq Courtes Pièces, op. 100b (2020)
• Fantasy and Fugue on a Swedish Folk Song, op. 102 (2020)
• Toccata for a Great Space, op. 103 (2020)
• A Festive Portrait (Fanfare), op. 105 (2021)
• Diptyque, op. 107 (2021)
• The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow (organ and narrator), op. 108 (2021)
• Sonate No. 2 "Saint Luke", op. 109 (2022)
• Impromptu on "Adoro Te Devote", op. 109b (2022)
• Ubi Caritas et Amor, op. 110 (2022)
• Douze Courtes Pièces, op. 112 (2023)

Organ with other instruments

• Acclamations (two trumpets, trombone and organ), op. 37 (2003)^[12]
• Fantaisie (harp and organ), op. 52 (2009)
• Sonate (horn and organ), op. 60 (2011)
• Introduction et Allegro (oboe and organ), op. 65 (2012)
• Capriccio quasi burlesco (alto saxophone and organ), op. 83 (2018)
• Sonate (flute and organ), op. 84 (2018)
• Te Deum (brass quintet, timpani and organ), op. 90 (2019)

Piano solo

• Quatre Pièces, op. 1 (1981/rev. 1987)
• Sonate, op. 2 (1982)
• Quatre Pièces, op. 3 (1983/rev. 1987)
• Hommage à Fauré, op. 5 (1984)
• Intermezzo, op. 8 (1986)
• Trois chants sans paroles, op. 49 (2009)
• Parfums, op. 81 (2017)
• Esquisses d'été, op. 82 (2017)

Chamber music

• Trio (flute, viola and piano), op. 17 (1990)
• Poème chorégraphique (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, timpani, triangle, xylophone, and string quartet), op. 18 (1990)
• Quatuor (string quartet), op. 19 (1990)
• Sonate (violin and piano), op. 23 (1993)
• Divertissement (vibraphone, marimba and piano), op. 25 (1993)
• Festivals (violin and piano), op. 27 (1994)
• Sonate (flute and piano), op. 29 (1995)
• Deux Noëls (string quartet or string orchestra), op. 32 (1998)
• Fantaisie sur un thème japonais (string quartet), op. 34 (1999)
• Poème d’après le texte du Psaume 122 (string quartet and narrator ad lib.), op. 35 (2001)
• Sonate (violin and viola), op. 40 (2005)
• Sonate (viola and piano), op. 42 (2006)
• Suite (harp and string quartet), op. 101 (2020)
• Three Canadian Scenes (flute and piano), op. 104 (2021)

Vocal works

• Trois fables de La Fontaine (voice and piano), op. 9 (1987)
• Cantate sur l’hymne Veni Creator (voice and organ), op. 10 (1987)
• Le bestiaire, sur des poèmes d’Apollinaire (voice and piano), op. 22 (1992)
• Quatre cantiques (voice and organ), op. 31b (1997)
• Trois mélodies sur des poèmes d’Anne Hébert (voice and piano), op. 33 (1999)
• Psaume 112 (voice and organ), op. 39 (2004)
• Chant pour un Québec lointain – 1e cycle (voice and piano), op. 57 (2010)
• Chant pour un Québec lointain – 2e cycle (voice and piano), op. 70 (2014)
• Chant pour un Québec lointain – 3e cycle (voice and piano), op. 71 (2014)

Choral works

• Trois arrangements de folklore (SATB choir or male choir and piano), op. 1b (1982)
• Messe pour les fêtes solennelles (SATB choir, chamber ensemble and organ), op. 4 (1983)
• Cantique "Je te révère" (male choir or vocal quartet and organ), op. 4b (1983)
• Dix cantiques traditionnels (SATB choir and organ), op. 6b (1984)
• Deux arrangements de Noël (SATB choir and organ), op. 7b (1985)
• Trois motets en l’honneur de la Sainte Famille (SATB choir a cappella), op. 14 (1989)
• Messe de louange (SATB choir, soloists and organ), op. 15 (1988)
• Deux folklores (male vocal quartet and piano), op. 22b (1992)
• Motet "Adoro Te" (SATB choir with organ or piano ad lib.), op. 51 (2009)
• Motet "Filiae Regum," en l’honneur de Sainte Anne (SATB choir and organ), op. 67 (2013)
• Anthem "Saint Joseph, Canada Belongs To Thee" (SATB choir and organ), op. 75Bb (2017)
• Cantate brève "Tranquilles épiphanies" (SATB choir and piano), op. 76 (2015)
• Hymne de reconnaissance à Jean Coutu (SATB choir and piano), op. 80 (2017)
• "Dedisti Domine:" Motet en l’honneur de Saint Clément (SATB choir and organ), op. 85 (2018)
• Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (SATB choir and organ), op. 106 (2021)

Concertos

• Concerto (vibraphone, marimba and strings), op. 21 (1992)
• Concerto (piano and orchestra), op. 46 (2008)
• Concerto in D (organ, string orchestra and timpani), op. 59 (2010)

Miscellaneous Works

• Fantaisie (guitar), op. 28 (1995)
• Quatre Préludes (harpsichord), op. 48 (2007)

Transcriptions for Organ

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto en ré mineur, BWV 1052 (movements 2 & 3. Rachel Laurin op. 30b, 1996)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantaisie chromatique et fugue, BWV 903 (Rachel Laurin op. 30c, 1996)
• Johannes Brahms: Variations et Fugue sur un thème de Handel (Rachel Laurin op. 11, 1988/rev. 1997)
• Franz Liszt: Sonate en si mineur (Rachel Laurin op. 20, 1991)

Selected Discography

• Rachel Laurin: Oeuvres pour orgue. Variations sur un noël lorrain, op. 26. Suite brève op. 6, Nos. 1 & 2. Scènes vosgiennes, op. 16. Rachel Laurin, historic organs in the Vosges (Cornimont, Longchamp, Dignonville). Longchamp: Vosges DJA 95 (1996). 1 CD.
• Raymond Daveluy: Cinq Sonates. Rachel Laurin, organ at the Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Montréal. Montréal: CBC Records (1996). 2 CD's.
• Rachel Laurin plays Liszt & Brahms. Organ transcriptions: Franz Liszt, Sonata in B minor. Johannes Brahms, Variations and Fugue on theme by Handel, op. 24. Rachel Laurin, organ at the Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Montréal. Düsseldorf: Motette Ursina 12261 (1999). 1 CD.
• Éternel Bach: Transcriptions pour orgue. J. S. Bach: Four Schübler Chorales. Organ transcriptions by Edward Shippen Barnes, Marcel Dupré, Maurice Duruflé, Rachel Laurin, and Edward Power Biggs. Rachel Laurin, organ at the Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Montréal. Montréal: Fidelio (1998). 1 CD.
• Hommage à Conrad Letendre. Works by Raymond Daveluy, Rachel Laurin, and Conrad Letendre. Rachel Laurin, organ at the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-L'Évangéliste in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec. Ottawa: Rachel Laurin RL 292392 (2002). 1 CD.
• The power of the organ. Works by J. S. Bach, Boëllmann, Clérambault, Daquin, Franck, Gigout, Liszt, Vierne, and Widor. Rachel Laurin, organ at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Ottawa. Montréal: Fidelio (2004). 1 CD.