Léon Ringuet

Ringuet, Léon

Léon Ringuet (b Ringuette). Bandmaster, composer, organist, pianist, teacher, b Louiseville, near Trois-Rivières, Que, 3 Jan 1858, d St-Hyacinthe, Que, 20 Sep 1932. His early musical training took place at the Collège de St-Césaire, near Montreal, and at St-Joseph U in Memramcook, NB. He later studied in Montreal with Paul Letondal (piano) and Romain-Octave Pelletier (organ). He moved to St-Hyacinthe in 1880 and was for more than 50 years organist-choirmaster of the cathedral and conductor of the Philharmonic Society Concert Band; he also served 1885-1928 as conductor of the 84th Battalion Infantry Band and in 1930 he became conductor of the Drummondville Concert Band. He wrote over 100 pieces (Opus 107 was published in 1919), including numerous parlour pieces, marches for concert band, and pieces for organ, piano, and violin; they were published in the USA by Coleman and Presser and in Canada by Archambault and Whaley Royce. He contributed to several music journals, including The Etude. In 1941 the town of St-Hyacinthe built a bandshell and dedicated a plaque in his memory. Léon-Ringuet Ave, Montreal, was named after him in 1972, and the Salle Léon-Ringuet on the St-Hyacinthe campus of the Bourgchemin regional Cegep was inaugurated in 1976.