Monsieur Pointu

Paul Cormier (10 May 1922 – 7 June 2006) was a violinist from Quebec, Canada, known by his stage name Monsieur Pointu.[1]

Early life

Cormier was born in Les Escoumins, North Shore, Quebec, into a family of traveling musicians.[2] He began learning to play the fiddle at the age of nine.[3] He served in the military during World War II.[4]

Career

As a young man, Cormier played violin on CBJ radio in Chicoutimi, and later in dance clubs and hotels in Montreal.[2] He performed with musicians Willie Lamothe, Marcel Martel, Roger Miron, and Paul Brunelle,[4][5] and also as an opening solo act at concerts. In the 1970s he toured in Europe and Africa with singer Gilbert Bécaud, taking on the stage name Monsieur Pointu,[6][7] and also hosted a television folk music series on Télé-Métropole.[2]

Cormier played the sound track for an animated film about his music, Monsieur Pointu, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1976.[8][3][9] In 1977 he performed at the Fete Nationale in Montreal's Olympic Stadium to a crowd of 40,000.[10]

Cormier died June 6, 2006, in Blainville, Quebec.[6] After his death, Cormier's violin was donated to the Jules Saint-Michel violin museum.[11]

References

  1. ^ "A violinmaker practices his timeless craft in the heart of Montreal". Apr 21, 2012, Hamilton Spectator
  2. ^ a b c "Mort de Monsieur Pointu". Radio Canada, June 8, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Monsieur Pointu". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Il y a 11 ans, la Beauce accueillait «Monsieur Pointu»". Beauce Magazine, Yvon Thibodeau
  5. ^ "Qui est Monsieur Pointu?". Le Jornal de Quebec, 11 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Monsieur Pointu meurt à l'âge de 84 ans". TVA Nouvelles, 7 June 2006.
  7. ^ Michel Venne; Miriam Fahmy (2006). L'annuaire du Québec 2007: le Québec en panne ou en marche ?. Les Editions Fides. p. 186. ISBN 978-2-7621-2746-1.
  8. ^ "Monsieur Pointu". Collections page. National Film Board of Canada.
  9. ^ "The Choices ". March 27, 1976, The Ottawa Journal Section 3, Page 37
  10. ^ "Celebration explodes as Fete Nationale opens". Medicine Hat News, June 24, 1977, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
  11. ^ "Dans l'atelier de Jules Saint-Michel, luthier". 24 Montreal, 08/03/2012. Jean-François Villeneuve