Conrad Latour

Latour, Conrad

Conrad Latour. Choirmaster, musicologist, teacher, editor, b Montreal 3 Dec 1899, d there 23 Oct 1975. After attending secondary school in Ottawa, he entered the Oblate Order in 1918 and was choirmaster 1920-30 at the Scolasticat St-Joseph in Ottawa. He was ordained priest in 1925. He took voice lessons with Jean Riddez and then attended the Schola cantorum in Paris for one year, where he studied Gregorian chant with Amédée Gastoué and Guy de Lioncourt. He also studied with Dom Lucien David.

While Latour was the director of choirs 1930-9 at Sacré-Coeur Church, he founded, and directed 1931-9, the school of music at the University of Ottawa and his Schola cantorum 1934-9, and was music director 1936-9 of CBC radio's 'L'Heure dominicale'. He was choirmaster at the Oblate Seminary of Chambly, Que, 1939-41; at St-Pierre Church in Montreal 1948-51; and at Rouyn College. He taught various subjects at the college until his retirement in 1973.

Latour's publications include the six editions of Recueil de cantiques (Ottawa 1931-60, a total of 70,000 copies printed), Pie X le musicien (Ottawa 1929), Le Cantique liturgique (Ottawa 1938), Chants populaires pour les missions et les retraites, heures saintes,... (Ottawa 1938), and Cantuale ad Benedictionem SS Sacrementi (Rouyn, 1955, 1958).