L.J. Oscar Fontaine

Fontaine, L.J. Oscar

L.J. Oscar Fontaine. Composer, organist, teacher, b St-Hyacinthe, Que, 4 Jul 1878, d New Bedford, Mass, 3 Mar 1950. The son of a superior-court judge in Richelieu County, Fontaine studied piano in St-Hyacinthe with Léon Ringuet, then in Nicolet, Que, with Octave Chatillon. In Montreal he worked with R.-O. Pelletier (piano and organ) and Guillaume Couture (theory). He was assistant organist at St-Hyacinthe Cathedral and organist 1904-10 at Notre Dame Church in Fall River, Mass, then at St Antony's Church in New Bedford. He devoted his later years to private teaching. His many pieces for piano or piano duet were published in Boston by Thompson, in London by Leonard, in Montreal in the journal La Lyre, and in Philadelphia in the internationally circulated magazine The Etude (Presser). Fontaine also wrote several masses, motets, other choral pieces, and songs, reaching Opus.184 by 1942. Few Canadian-born composers of piano music have had as wide an exposure.