Rolland D'Amour

D'Amour, Rolland

(Joseph Prosper Jean-Baptiste) Rolland D'Amour-. Choir master, actor, bass, composer, (Lac Mercier, Labelle County, Que, July 26, 1913 - Montreal, September 25, 1993) After making his debut as an actor, he attended voice classes under Georges Toupin in 1948 and studied tonic solfa and composition with Frank Mella (1951-55). He wrote the lyrics and music for some 50 songs, of which "Nuage dans le bleu" won the grand prize in the Marly-Polydor Competition (Montreal 1949) and "Vent d'automne" won first prize in a competition sponsored by the weekly Radiomonde (Montreal 1950). His songs have been recorded by Estelle Caron, Rolande Désormeaux, Lucille Dumont, and Fernand Robidoux. He wrote both the librettos and music for two musical comedies, Céline (1959) and Gatineau (1961), both of which were very popular when presented on CBC TV. He played the role of Flagosse Berrichon in the TV series Rue des Pignons. Rolland d'Amour was soloist (1950-80) and choir master (1965-80) at St-Viateur Church in Outremont. He also composed an Ave Maria," an O salutaris," a Pater noster," and three masses (1969, 1970, 1972).