Joseph Joachim Ulric Voyer and Marie Louise Alice Bedard
I have written about my parents and I have written about my father's parents. It would only be reasonable and fair to write about my mother's parents. There is so much to write about that I will actually have to consider what I want to include and what I want to leave out. Let's start with the basic facts.
Joseph Joachim Ulric Voyer was born on July 5, 1892 in Quebec City. According to the 1891 Census of Canada for 1891, the year before Ulric was born, his father and mother, Napoleon Voyer and Marie Rose Delina Dion were living in St. Roch at number 542. It is interesting to note that the Bedard family was living next door at 541. Ulric was the fifth of seven children. He had two brothers and two sisters who were born before him.
My grandfather was a polymath if there ever was one. He was a composer of operas, a playwright, a professor of piano, church organist, court clerk, shorthand instructor, publicity manager for J.B. Renaud (a commercial company started in 1846 by J. B. Renaud), and radio broadcaster.
Ulric married Marie Louise Alice Bedard who was, as I discovered, the proverbial girl next door. More on this later, the Bedard family was one of the original families that emigrated to Nouvelle France in the mid-1600s. There were originally a huguenot family which means they were protestant ans opposed to Roman Catholic. I will write more about the huguenots in a later post.During their 21 year marriage, Ulric and Alice parented 18 children! I could never get my head around the fact that my Voyer grandparents had 18 children. Three children did not make it past their first birthday. Here is the full list of all my aunts and uncles including my mother who, sadly, have all passed away.
Marie Madeleine Henriette (1914 - 2011)
Joseph Napoleon Raymond Gaston Voyer (1915 - 1976)
Francoise Violette Voyer (1916 - 2003)
Marie Anne Gemma Voyer (1918 - 1976)
Joseph Jean Marie Noel Voyer (1919 - 1964)
Gilberte Voyer (1920 - 1920)
Marie Alice Adrienne Louise Voyer (1921 - 2004)
Joseph Emilien Robert Michel Voyer (1922 - 1965)
Joseph Laureat Rene Voyer (1923 - 1924)
Marie Marquerite Charlotte Therese Voyer (1925 - 2013)
Marie Marquerite Suzanne Voyer (1926 - 2014)
Joseph Alphonse Guy Napoleon Voyer (1928 - 1991)
Joseph Albert Yves Voyer (1929 - 1968)
Joseph Michel Gerard Voyer (1930 - 1984)
Raymond Marie Laureat Voyer (1931 - 2005)
Marie Alma Claire d'Assisse (1932 - 2010)
Joseph Rodrique Marcel Voyer (1933 - 20150
There is one more name that I do not have to make 18 children. I suspect that it was a still born child who was not named or baptised. My grandfather, Nicklous Parent, had a still born child who was simply identified as baby girl Parent.
All of the surviving Voyer children were involved in music in some way. Madeleine studied singing. Gaston studied the clarinet. Francoise studied piano. Gemma, my mother, studied violin, the study of the violin has carried on through my family to my grandchildren. The Voyer home was a musical venue in itself, musicians and friends would drop in to play music and discuss music. Many of the important musicians of the current Quebec music scene were regulars at my grandfather's home; Edmond Trudel, conductor, F.X. Mercier, conductor, G.E. Lefebvre, orchestra director, Jean Riddez of the Opera de Paris, Henri Deyglun, librettist, Alfred Rousseau, librettist. Omer Letourneau and Honore Vaillancourt, Société canadienne d'opérette, and many others. Ulric proudly owned the white grand piano that had once belonged to Joseph Vezina, conductor and composer.
Opera was my grandfather's musical passion. During the course of his short life he wrote four operas.
Here are his early works:
Suite de Valse (1911)
Petite amie (1912)
Prend garde a l'amour - Valse chantée (1913)
Si vous m'aimer un peu (1913)
Si tu savais (1914)
Je te dirai "je t'aime" (1914)
Here is a list of his operas:
La duchesse en sabots, a one-act comic opera (1920)
Petit mouton, a four-act opera (1923)
Jean - Marie, a four-act opera (1923)
L'intendant Bigot, a three act opera (1929) This was his most successful opera and the only one that has survived to be played in the 1990s in revival largely due to the efforts of my cousin Gilles Bizier.
Ulric was working on his last, unfinished opera at the time of his death. Mademoiselle de Lanaudière.
There is so much more to say about my grandfather, in fact, it could probably fill an entire book. My cousin, Gilles Bizier has written extensively about Ulric Voyer and he has many of his writings published on the internet which I will link to. There is no doubt that I will return to Ulric Voyer again but this all for now.
Joseph Joachim Ulric Voyer was born on July 5, 1892 in Quebec City. According to the 1891 Census of Canada for 1891, the year before Ulric was born, his father and mother, Napoleon Voyer and Marie Rose Delina Dion were living in St. Roch at number 542. It is interesting to note that the Bedard family was living next door at 541. Ulric was the fifth of seven children. He had two brothers and two sisters who were born before him.
My grandfather was a polymath if there ever was one. He was a composer of operas, a playwright, a professor of piano, church organist, court clerk, shorthand instructor, publicity manager for J.B. Renaud (a commercial company started in 1846 by J. B. Renaud), and radio broadcaster.
Ulric married Marie Louise Alice Bedard who was, as I discovered, the proverbial girl next door. More on this later, the Bedard family was one of the original families that emigrated to Nouvelle France in the mid-1600s. There were originally a huguenot family which means they were protestant ans opposed to Roman Catholic. I will write more about the huguenots in a later post.During their 21 year marriage, Ulric and Alice parented 18 children! I could never get my head around the fact that my Voyer grandparents had 18 children. Three children did not make it past their first birthday. Here is the full list of all my aunts and uncles including my mother who, sadly, have all passed away.
Marie Madeleine Henriette (1914 - 2011)
Joseph Napoleon Raymond Gaston Voyer (1915 - 1976)
Francoise Violette Voyer (1916 - 2003)
Marie Anne Gemma Voyer (1918 - 1976)
Joseph Jean Marie Noel Voyer (1919 - 1964)
Gilberte Voyer (1920 - 1920)
Marie Alice Adrienne Louise Voyer (1921 - 2004)
Joseph Emilien Robert Michel Voyer (1922 - 1965)
Joseph Laureat Rene Voyer (1923 - 1924)
Marie Marquerite Charlotte Therese Voyer (1925 - 2013)
Marie Marquerite Suzanne Voyer (1926 - 2014)
Joseph Alphonse Guy Napoleon Voyer (1928 - 1991)
Joseph Albert Yves Voyer (1929 - 1968)
Joseph Michel Gerard Voyer (1930 - 1984)
Raymond Marie Laureat Voyer (1931 - 2005)
Marie Alma Claire d'Assisse (1932 - 2010)
Joseph Rodrique Marcel Voyer (1933 - 20150
There is one more name that I do not have to make 18 children. I suspect that it was a still born child who was not named or baptised. My grandfather, Nicklous Parent, had a still born child who was simply identified as baby girl Parent.
All of the surviving Voyer children were involved in music in some way. Madeleine studied singing. Gaston studied the clarinet. Francoise studied piano. Gemma, my mother, studied violin, the study of the violin has carried on through my family to my grandchildren. The Voyer home was a musical venue in itself, musicians and friends would drop in to play music and discuss music. Many of the important musicians of the current Quebec music scene were regulars at my grandfather's home; Edmond Trudel, conductor, F.X. Mercier, conductor, G.E. Lefebvre, orchestra director, Jean Riddez of the Opera de Paris, Henri Deyglun, librettist, Alfred Rousseau, librettist. Omer Letourneau and Honore Vaillancourt, Société canadienne d'opérette, and many others. Ulric proudly owned the white grand piano that had once belonged to Joseph Vezina, conductor and composer.
Opera was my grandfather's musical passion. During the course of his short life he wrote four operas.
Here are his early works:
Suite de Valse (1911)
Petite amie (1912)
Prend garde a l'amour - Valse chantée (1913)
Si vous m'aimer un peu (1913)
Si tu savais (1914)
Je te dirai "je t'aime" (1914)
Here is a list of his operas:
La duchesse en sabots, a one-act comic opera (1920)
Petit mouton, a four-act opera (1923)
Jean - Marie, a four-act opera (1923)
L'intendant Bigot, a three act opera (1929) This was his most successful opera and the only one that has survived to be played in the 1990s in revival largely due to the efforts of my cousin Gilles Bizier.
Ulric was working on his last, unfinished opera at the time of his death. Mademoiselle de Lanaudière.
There is so much more to say about my grandfather, in fact, it could probably fill an entire book. My cousin, Gilles Bizier has written extensively about Ulric Voyer and he has many of his writings published on the internet which I will link to. There is no doubt that I will return to Ulric Voyer again but this all for now.
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