Ronald Napier

Career Highlights

Ronald Napier studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London, England (1947–48), after which he moved to Toronto with his wife, German opera singer Gerda Nielson. He joined BMI Canada (now PRO Canada) in 1956 and served as head of publishing (1959–69), and thereafter as manager of Concert Music Administration until his retirement in 1984.

Napier served as chairman of the Canadian Music Library Association (1965–66) and of the Canadian Music Publishers Association (1966–68), president of the Canadian Music Council (1973–75), secretary of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (1974–76), and president of that organization (1978–79).

An amateur recorder player, Napier has edited Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's Twelve Sonatas, Opus 2 for recorder and continuo (1966–67, 1990) and the collection Baroque Arias and Dances for recorder duet (1968). Through his Avondale Press, Napier has published his own A Guide to Canada's Composers (1973, 1976), Joseph Macerollo's Accordion Resource Book (1980), and Gerda Nielson's A New Guide to Good Singing (1975). In 1986 Napier moved to Vancouver, and Avondale began publishing music by Canadian composers and books on music pedagogy. By 1989 the catalogue included chamber music and works for piano solo by Violet Archer, Keith Bissell, Jean Coulthard, Kenneth Meek, and Barbara Pentland.

Personal Life

Ronald Napier’s first wife was Gerda Nielson (Nielsen) (born 17 September 1906 in Breslau, Germany; died 28 January 1977 in Toronto, ON). She was a dramatic soprano with the Dresden and Wiesbaden state operas and Covent Garden (1925–48), and a voice teacher in Toronto (1948–76). She became a naturalized Canadian in 1935.

Ronald Napier married again soon after Gerda’s passing in 1977. He moved to Vancouver with his second wife, Winnifred McIntosh.

Honours

In 1984 he was awarded the Canadian Music Council Medal.