Harmonium (band)
| Company type | Musical ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1972 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
Area served | French-speaking Canada, Quebec, Canada |
| Products | Progressive rock music albums and live performances |
Harmonium was a Canadian progressive rock ensemble established in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec. It rose to become one of the leading musical groups in French-speaking Canada throughout the 1970s.
Formation and Harmonium (1972–1974)
Serge Fiori, the lead singer and guitarist, encountered Michel Normandeau, who also contributed vocals and guitar, in November 1972. Together with bassist Louis Valois, they formed Harmonium in 1973. That November, the band made their initial radio broadcast on CHOM-FM, performing "Pour un instant," "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres," and "Un refrain parmi tant d'autres." The first two songs were professionally recorded for their self-titled debut album, which achieved notable commercial acclaim and sparked a sold-out tour throughout Quebec and other French Canadian regions.
Although Richard Beaudet joined the lineup as a flute and saxophone player in 1973, he did not participate in the debut album recordings and was succeeded by Pierre Daigneault in April 1974. On April 27, 1974, Harmonium featured on the CBC Radio show The Entertainers. In August of the same year, pianist and synthesizer specialist Serge Locat became part of the group.
Les cinq saisons (1974–1975)
Their sophomore release, Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison, commonly referred to as Les cinq saisons, quickly gained widespread acclaim. This concept album consists of five tracks representing different seasons, with the concluding piece being an extended instrumental that introduces a fictional fifth season. The band collaborated with guest artists such as Judi Richards, who provided vocal textures on "Histoires sans paroles," and Marie Bernard, who contributed Martenot waves on "En pleine face."
At the Juno Awards of 1976, Harmonium earned nominations for Group of the Year and their album Les cinq saisons was nominated for Best-Selling Album of the Year. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked this album 36th among the top 50 progressive rock albums and honored it as the finest progressive folk record.
L'heptade (1976–1977)
On February 12, 1976, Harmonium signed a contract with the Quebec division of Columbia Records, known as CBS Disques. Drummer Denis Farmer, previously associated with Ville Émard Blues Band and other groups, joined late that February after performing alongside Fiori and Valois in Bo Diddley's live band in Montreal. The double album L'Heptade, released in November 1976 following extensive recording sessions at Fiori's residence in Saint-Césaire, explores seven phases of consciousness. The opening track "Comme un fou" and closing track "Comme un sage" represent a journey from madness to wisdom. Normandeau, who co-authored much of the material, departed early during the recording sessions.
Between September 1976 and June 1977, the band completed a tour consisting of 110 performances segmented into three parts featuring varied setlists and staging. In January 1977, three session musicians from L'heptade were officially incorporated: flutist and saxophonist Libert Subirana; pianist and vocalist Monique Fauteux; and guitarist Robert Stanley, who had previously collaborated with Farmer. A scheduled fifteen-date tour across Mexico in February 1977 was abruptly canceled and replaced by Stringband.
European tour and break (1977–1978)
In August 1977, Locat disclosed that Fiori had prohibited him from contributing compositions, prompting his decision to leave the group and focus on a solo project. Nonetheless, he stayed with the band until November 1977 to complete a European tour supporting Supertramp.
After Locat's departure, Harmonium paused their activities to concentrate on individual endeavors. Fiori partnered with Richard Séguin to release Deux cents nuits à l'heure in May 1978, an album that featured several members of Harmonium as session musicians. Meanwhile, Valois produced and played on Marie-Claire Séguin’s record, which also involved Farmer and Stanley.
U.S. tour, intended fourth album, and breakup (1978–1979)
Although a comprehensive American tour was canceled in spring 1978, Harmonium performed select concerts in Berkeley and Los Angeles during September 1978. These performances were captured by the National Film Board of Canada and later issued as Harmonium en Californie in October 1979. Following Locat's exit, keyboard duties were assumed by Yvan Ouellett and subsequently by Jeff Fisher.
Fiori departed the band after the U.S. shows in late 1978 and toured early 1979 with Séguin as part of the Fiori-Séguin duo promoting their collaborative album. Prior to his exit, much of a fourth album scheduled for March 1979 had been composed. Without Fiori, the remaining members—Valois, Farmer, Stanley, Subirana, and Fauteux—continued developing plans for this project in early 1979; however, it ultimately never came to fruition.
Legacy
A live double album titled Harmonium en tournée, featuring a June 1977 Vancouver performance of L'heptade, was released in August 1980.
In Bob Mersereau's The Top 100 Canadian Albums published in 2007, all three of Harmonium’s studio albums were included among Canada’s top 100 records. They stood out as the only francophone Quebec albums alongside Jean-Pierre Ferland’s Jaune.
To commemorate its fortieth anniversary, a remixed edition named L'heptade XL was issued on November 18, 2016. This version aligned more closely with Fiori’s original artistic intent, presenting a more spacious sound compared to the initial mix. It also featured an additional live track from 1977 titled "C'est dans le noir," recorded at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and made available on iTunes. The DVD Viens voir le paysage, which documents one of these performances, was released concurrently.
In 2018, Harmonium was honored with a special Prix Félix at the 40th Gala de l'ADISQ despite having never received awards during their active years due to disbanding before the ceremony’s establishment.
December 2019 saw the release of Harmonium XLV, a remix sourced from original master tapes that included an alternate version of "Pour un instant". Although a reissue of Les cinq saisons was announced, it remains unreleased as of 2024.
In 2020, Simon Leclerc arranged a full orchestral interpretation of Harmonium’s repertoire with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Issued under the title "Histoires sans paroles : Harmonium symphonique," this album earned high praise from Serge Fiori, who described it as possibly the definitive rendition of his compositions. The recording is accessible exclusively via mail order or digital download.
Studio albums
- Harmonium (1974; re-released as Harmonium XLV in 2019)
- Les cinq saisons (1975)
- L'Heptade (1976; reissued under the title L'heptade XL in 2016)
Live albums
- Harmonium en tournée (1980)
Singles
- "Pour un instant" / "100,000 Raisons" (1974)
- "Dixie" / "En pleine face" (1975)
- "C'est dans le noir" (2016)
Videography
- Harmonium en Californie (1979) (produced by the National Film Board of Canada)
- Viens voir le paysage (2016)
Members
- Serge Fiori – lead and harmony vocals, guitars, mandolin, harp zither, flutes, percussion (1972–1978)
- Michel Normandeau – harmony vocals, guitars, harmonica, accordion, dulcimer (1972–1976)
- Louis Valois – harmony vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, Moog Taurus synthesizer (1973–1979)
- Richard Beaudet – flute, saxophone, clarinet (1973–1974)
- Pierre Daigneault – flutes, saxophone, clarinets, recorder (1974–1976)
- Serge Locat – keyboards, mellotron, synthesizers, organs (1974–1977)
- Denis Farmer – drums and percussion (1976–1979)
- Libert Subirana – harmony vocals, flutes, saxophone, clarinets (1977–1979)
- Monique Fauteux – harmony vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano (1977–1979)
- Robert Stanley – electric guitar (1977–1979)
- Yvan Ouellet – piano, keyboards, synthesizers (1978)
- Jeff Fisher – piano, keyboards, synthesizers (1978–1979)