Marie Marguerite Denise Canal
Born: 29 January 1890, Toulouse, France
Died: 27 January 1978, Cépet, France
BIOGRAPHY MUSIC RECORDINGS SOURCES
Marie Marguerite Denise Canal, a French conductor, composer, and music educator, was born in Toulouse to a musical family. A prodigy at the Paris Conservatory while studying with Paul Vidal, she excelled in harmony, piano, and fugue. In 1917, Canal earned the unique distinction of being the very first woman to conduct an orchestra in France.
In 1920, Canal won the Grand Prix de Rome for Don Juan, a “scène dramatique” with 3 singers (Don Juan, Elvire, and the Statue du Commandeur) plus orchestra, about the notorious Don Juan. Performances were held in 1920 and 1921.
She was later appointed to teach solfege to singers at the Paris Conservatory. She left her post briefly to stay in Rome but returned to Paris again to teach at the Conservatory for many more years.
Canal wrote chamber works, works for orchestra, an opera, and more than 100 songs for voice and piano, some of which are unpublished. Trained as a singer, she composed vocal music with lyricism and expression while often revealing her experiences in love, her feelings for children, and for the sea near Brittany. Many of her early works were published by her husband, Maxime Jamin, until their divorce when Canal refocused her energies on teaching her students rather than finishing her compositions. Once retired, she suffered from poor health and lived out her life near Toulouse.