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News Release97-07 Two Firsts for National Library of Canada's Latest PublicationOttawa, September 8, 1997 -- The National Library of Canada has released The André Prévost Fonds, the first in a series of numerical listings (finding aids) on Canadian composers and musicians. This work is also the first publication prepared specifically for the Library's Web service. The listing describes documents held in the collection of the National Library's Music Division. The fonds, which consists mostly of records covering Prévost's composing and teaching, was acquired from Prévost in 1995. "The elements of Prévost's musical career are as diverse as they are significant," said Timothy Maloney, Director of the National Library's Music Division. "In respect to the accomplishments, the character and the talent of this man, The André Prévost Fonds is necessarily extensive, and includes items like biographical documents, correspondence, poems, drawings, and audio recordings. Certainly, this publication and, indeed, the entire series, will inspire and enhance the knowledge of musicologists from Canada and abroad." In 1951, André Prévost began his studies at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal and, in the early 1960s, completed his training in France at the Conservatoire de Paris and the École normale de musique. Returning to Québec in 1962, he started teaching, becoming a professor in 1965 in the Faculty of Music at the Université de Montréal. He is now retired. Throughout his career, Prévost has received commissions for his works from such sources as Youth and Music Canada, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Festival international de Lanaudière. He has also been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the MSO prize for his work, Fantasmes, and the Festival du disque prize for his Sonate pour violon et piano. In addition to The André Prévost Fonds, the National Library is preparing finding aids on the work of other notable Canadian contributors to the field of music. These publications will be released between the fall of 1997 and the winter of 1998. The publications will give information on the Library's holdings on the Mathieu Family, Robert Fleming, Jacques Hétu and Otto Joachim. Researchers interested in The André Prévost Fonds can browse the publication at the Library's Web site (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/music/index-e.html#fonds). The site also provides instructions for ordering print copies. The four other publications in the series will be available in this same electronic format, with print copies being sold on request. "Print on demand" represents a new direction for the National Library in the preparation and distribution of its publications, one that is in keeping with an overall shift within the Canadian public service towards electronic publishing. - 30 - Information:
Pierre Ostiguy |