Archer, Violet, 1913-2000

Violet Louise Archer[1] CM (April 24, 1913 – February 21, 2000) was a Canadian composer, teacher, pianist, organist, and percussionist. Born Violet Balestreri in Montreal, Quebec, in 1913, her family changed their name to Archer in 1940. She died in Ottawa on 21 of February 2000.[2]

Education and teaching career
Archer earned an L MUS from McGill University in 1934, and a B MUS from McGill in 1936 where she studied composition with Douglas Clarke.[3] She travelled to New York City in the summer of 1942 where she studied with Béla Bartók, "who introduced her to Hungarian folk tunes and to variation technique.[3] She taught at the McGill Conservatory from 1944–1947.[3] Later in the 1940s she studied with Paul Hindemith at Yale. She earned a B MUS from Yale in 1948, and a M MUS also from Yale in 1949.[3] From 1950–1953 Archer was Composer-in-Residence at the University of North Texas.[4] From 1953 through 1961 she taught at the University of Oklahoma.[5] Returning to Canada in 1961 for doctoral study at the University of Toronto, she set that aside when, in 1962, she joined the Faculty of Music at the University of Alberta. There she would become chairman of the Theory and Composition Department. She remained at the University of Alberta until her retirement.[3] Her notable students include Larry Austin, Jan Randall, Allan Gilliland, and Allan Gordon Bell.

Musical career
Archer built a career as a musician and composer in addition to her teaching. She played percussion with the Montreal Women's Symphony Orchestra from 1940 to 1947,[6] a time period when major municipal orchestras were not admitting women to their ranks.[7] In addition to percussion, Archer played clarinet and strings,[8] and worked in Montréal as an accompanist and organist.[6] As a composer, Archer's prolific work of more than 330 compositions included traditional and more contemporary works for instrument and voice.[2] Examples of her wide-ranging work include a 1973 comic opera, Sganarelle, the film score for a 1976 documentary, Someone Cares, and experimentations with electronic music.[6] Her music has been described as "Archer is noted for her 90 compositions written for novice performers, which she wrote to encourage musicians and audiences of all levels to enjoy and understand key elements of modern music like harmony, melody, and rhythm.[6]

Awards and honours
Archer has received honorary degrees from McGill University (1971), University of Windsor (1986), University of Calgary (1989), Mount Allison University (1992), and University of Alberta (1993).[9] In 1983, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[10][11]

In Edmonton the Violet Archer Festival in Edmonton in 1985 was the first festival to honour a living Canadian composer.[12] She is memorialized at Violet Archer Park in the Parkallen neighbourhood of Edmonton.[12] In Calgary, the Prairie Region of Canadian Music Centre Library is home to The Violet Archer Library which holds over 20,000 scores.[13][14]

The Canadian indie rock band The Violet Archers is named for Archer.[15]

Violet Archer, distinguished composer and teacher, was born Violet Balestreri (Archer is the English translation of the Italian name) in Montreal on April 24, 1913. She studied piano and organ and received a B.Mus. in composition from McGill University in 1936, and studied organ with John Weatherseed at the Royal Canadian College of Organists. Throughout her years in Montreal, Archer was an active soloist, accompanist, and private music teacher as well as a percussionist with the Montreal Women's Symphony under the direction of Ethel Stark. She obtained her B..Mus. and M.Mus degrees in composition from Yale (1948 and '49). Amongst her teachers were Bela Bartok and Paul Hindemith. She was composer-in-residence at North Texas State College (1950-1953), and taught at Cornell University (1952) and the University of Oklahoma (1953-1961) before coming to the University of Alberta (1962-1978). Other professional activities included work on behalf of the Canadian Folk Music Society, the Canadian Association of University Schools of Music, and serving as the Western Canadian representative of the Canadian League of Composers for a number of years. Violet Archer was one of Canada's most significant composers with a catalogue of some 335 works that included compositions for orchestra, choir, organ, and solo piano. Dr. Archer was the recipient of countless honors and awards in recognition of her outstanding achievements. Besides receiving numerous honorary degrees, Archer was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983; received the Canadian Music Council's Composer of the Year award in 1984; and in 1987 had the Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region library at the University of Calgary named after her. Other honors, among many, included being inducted into the Cultural Hall of Fame in Edmonton, and receiving the Sir Frederick Haultain prize for her contribution to music in 1987. Violet Archer passed away in Ottawa on February 21, 2000 at the age of 86.