Noël Ferdinand Lionel Daunais, (December 31, 1901 – July 18, 1982) was a French Canadian baritone and composer.
Life
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Daunais studied singing with Céline Marier and harmony and composition with Oscar O'Brien. In 1923 he won first prize at the Montreal Musical Festival. He made his professional opera debut in January 1926 as Ourrias in Charles Gounod's Mireille at the Orpheum in Vancouver. The following March he gave his first recital at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Daunais was also awarded the Prix d'Europe in 1926 which provided him with the opportunity to pursue studies in Paris with Émile Marcellin at the Opéra-Comique. In 1929 he joined the roster of principal artists at the Opera of Algiers. With that company he sang several leading roles, including Escamillo in Carmen, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Giorgio Germont in La traviata, Lescaut in Manon, and Valentin in Faust.
Upon his return to Canada in 1930, Daunais performed with the Bytown Troubadours at the third annual CPR Festivals in Quebec City. At the festival he also portrayed Samuel de Champlain in Healey Willan's The Order of Good Cheer. Later that year he made his debut with the Société canadienne d'opérette in Montreal as Clément Marot in André Messager's La Basoche. He performed frequently with that company through 1935.
In 1932 Daunais founded the Trio lyrique (TL) whose original members also included contralto Anna Malenfant and tenor Ludovic Huot. Jules Jacob replaced Huot in the early 1940s. Daunais recruited pianist and composer Allan McIver to serve as the group's accompanist and arranger. All of the arrangements performed during the TL's performance history were by McIver, including arrangements of many of Daunais's compositions.
In 1933 the TL was engaged by CRBC for its network series One Hour with You, on which the group performed for 87 weeks. In the 1934 the TL released the LP album Chansons de Lionel Daunais for Radio Canada International. In 1936 the group performed for the CBS radio network in New York where McIver was also engaged as a staff arranger. The TL continued to perform actively in public concerts and on CBC Radio programs like The Play of the Week, Light Up and Listen. and Serenade for Strings up until the mid-1960s when it disbanded. The group re-united briefly in the autumn of 1971 for CBC broadcasts honoring Daunais and his work. In 1984 the album Le Trio lyrique chante Lionel Daunais was released; containing music from the ensemble's many radio broadcasts.
Honours
In 1965, he was awarded the Bene merenti de patria. In 1977, he was awarded the Calixa-Lavallée Award. In 1978, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1982, he was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier.
Discography (as a composer)
12 Chansons The Canadian Encyclopedia
Lionel Daunais, baritone
John Newmark, piano
Radio-Canada International, RCI 107
1954
Transcription: Lionel Daunais Discogs.com
Bruno Laplante, baritone
Louis-Philippe Pelletier, piano
Radio-Canada International, RCI 294
1971
D’amour et de fantaisie Discogs.com
Lionel Daunais, baritone
John Newmark, piano
Sélect, CC-15.087
1974
Chansons de mon pays Discogs.com
Ensemble Vocal Katimavik
André Beaumier, choir conductor
Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 502
1979 (1977?)
Anna Malenfant chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com
Anna Malenfant, contralto
Janine Lachance, piano
Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 511
1984
Lionel Daunais chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com
Lionel Daunais, baritone
Janine Lachance and John Newmark, piano
Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 512
1984
Le Trio Lyrique chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com
Trio Lyrique
Allan McIver, piano
Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 513
1984
Le Bestiaire Discogs.com
Christine Lemelin, mezzo-soprano
Réjean Coallier, piano
Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE 565
1990
Lionel Daunais : L’hommage de ses interprètes Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec Lionel Daunais, baritone Anna Malenfant, contralto Trio Lyrique Janine Lachance and John Newmark, piano Box set, 5 CDs Fonovox, VOX-7839-2 1997