Pelletier, Romain-Octave, 1843-1927 : An organist, pianist, composer, educator and musicologist born in Montréal, Romain-Octave Pelletier began playing the organ at the Collège de Montréal, and studied the basics of music with his brother Orphir Pelletier. Organist at the cathedral of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur from 1857 to 1867, he also studied law and in his early twenties was accepted as a notary, a profession he would practise only marginally. During a visit to Hartford, he met the organist Samuel P. Warren and on his return, became organist at the church of Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur, remaining there from 1867 to 1875. In 1871, he travelled to Europe, where he studied with a number of well-known musicians including William Thomas Best, Antoine-François Marmontel, and Nicolas-Jacques Lemmens.
In 1872, Romain-Octave Pelletier returned to Canada and devoted himself to his career as an organist and teacher. After giving the inaugural performances of a number of Casavant organs in Canada and in the United States, he travelled to Europe in 1990 with the Casavant brothers. A few years later, he was appointed professor of piano at the McGill Conservatory. A talented educator, he also taught in a number of educational institutions including the École normale Jacques-Cartier, the Institut Nazareth, and the convent of the Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jésus and de Marie. He served five terms as president of the Académie de musique du Québec.
In addition to his collected lectures (Le toucher du pianiste, L'Étude de la littérature du piano, L'art pianistique, and Le Guide du professeur de piano), Romain-Octave Pelletier was the author of musical works including Dix petits morceaux pour l'orgue (opus 3), Six pièces d'orgue, Quatre Noëls anciens pour choeur et orgue, Scherzo pour piano and La Marche Prince Arthur pour piano ou harmonie. In 1919, he received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal.
Lemaire-Pelletier, Athaïs, 1845-1926 : Born in Saint-Benoît, Athaïs Lemaire was the daughter of Luce Arthémise Barcelo and Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire, president of the Legislative Council and member of the Executive Council in the cabinet of Boucher de Boucherville from 1874 to 1876. Athaïs Lemaire married Romain-Octave Pelletier in 1869 and among their children were Frédéric, Romain, and Victor Pelletier.
Pelletier, Frédéric, 1870-1944 : A man of many talents, Frédéric Pelletier was a choir director, music critic, composer, physician and municipal public servant. He received his musical training mainly from his father (piano), Guillaume Couture (voice), and Achille Fortier (harmony and counterpoint). Although he was a licensed physician, he soon left that profession to concentrate on music and journalism. He was the author of numerous articles in major daily newspapers including La Patrie, La Presse and Le Devoir, where a few years later he became music critic and columnist, a position he occupied from 1916 to 1944. Editor-in-chief of the monthly publication Entre-Nous from 1929 to 1931, he also contributed to various periodicals including Musical America, La Lyre, L'Art musical, and La Quinzaine musicale et artistique.
Choir director at the churches of Saint-Léon in Westmount, Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur and Sainte Brigitte, Frédéric Pelletier founded the Société chorale Saint-Saëns in 1992 and directed its production of Samson and Dalila. President of the Académie de musique du Québec from 1932 to 1935, he also taught music history for several years at Conservatoire national de Montréal and the École supérieure de musique d'Outremont. His musical works include a Messe de Requiem, a Stabat mater, oratorios La Rédemption and Le Tryptique d'oraisons, and the play Ludus puerilis pour orgue, orchestrated by Rosario Bourdon and performed at a Société des concerts symphonique de Montréal concert in 1943.
Pelletier, Romain,1875-1953 : Romain Pelletier studied piano and organ with Arthur Letondal, and voice and harmony with Achille Fortier. Organist and choir director at the church of Saint-Léon in Westmount from 1909 to 1951, he also taught music at the Institut Nazareth. In 1927, he was a founding member of the Société des artistes musiciens de Montréal.
Pelletier, Victor, 1881-[19-] : Victor Pelletier became a cellist with Goulet's Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and its secretary around 1900. He later pursued a career in accounting.
