CADORET, Charlotte

Charlotte Augustine Cadoret, also known in religious life as Sister St-Jean-du-Sacré-Coeur of the Congregation of Notre-Dame, was a Canadian educator, composer and pianist. She was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 29 February 1908 to Canadian parents, and died in Montréal on 7 March 1995. Cadoret studied music and education in Montréal, receiving a teaching diploma in 1928 and a Bachelor of Music in 1931. Her career was closely connected with Catholic music education in Québec and with the École normale de musique, where she served as director from 1942 to 1954.
As a composer, Cadoret wrote mainly sacred and vocal music. Her output includes choral works, masses, cantatas, songs and arrangements of folk songs. Her music reflects the strong connection between music pedagogy, religious institutions and choral practice in mid-twentieth-century French Canada. She was also active in the Canadian Folk Music Society, later known as the Canadian Society for Traditional Music, becoming a member in 1959 and serving as vice-president from 1976 to 1982.
Among her known works are Messe à Notre-Dame, written for two equal voices and organ, and choral pieces such as Bone Pastor, Ecce fidelis and Parce Domine. Her song A Cradle Song, for medium voice and piano, with words by Padraic Colum, was published by G. Schirmer in New York in 1944.