This photo may not be used without permission.
1983/84 academic year
R. Braley Photo may not be used without permission.
This photo may not be used without permission.
KELSEY JONES
was born June 12, 1922 in South Norwalk, Connecticut, but grew up mainly
in Portland, Maine. His early memories of music appreciation began in
the early 1930s when he was taken to the Sunday afternoon concerts of
the Portland Symphony Orchestra (a Works Progress Administration project).
It was at this time that he began studying tuba and piano.
His father formed a family orchestra with Betty on violin, Frances, cello,
Kelsey, piano and father on flute. Betty was four years older than Kelsey
and Frances, six. (Betty died at the age of 84 on July 8, 2002. Her husband,
Warren survives, as does her son Ian Frances Gray is a widow.) Kelsey's
first public performance was as Betty's accompanist at her high school
graduation in 1936.
In 1938 Betty began studies for her Bachelor of Arts at Mount Allison
University with music courses at their Conservatory of Music. Kelsey was
doing poorly at high school, although he was in demand as a jazz pianist
in various clubs. Betty secured him an interview with Professor Harold
Hamer at Mount A and it was arranged that he would complete his high school
diploma at the Mount A Academy for Boys as well as enrolling in the university
for the Bachelor of Music degree.
From 1939-42 he continued his studies while earning money at college as
a founding member of the jazz band and as a dining room waiter. He continued
playing a clubs around Portland. During the war years he was employed
in an optics factory at Harvard University.
In his Mount A years his girlfriend was Rosabelle Smith, of Truro, N.S.
--a talented pianist who also was studying at the Conservatory. They married
in 1942 and lived in the U.S. until the war was over. He returned to Mount
A after the war and apparently his Mount A B.Mus. degree was not granted
until 1946, according to his notes, but he was not at Mount A 1942-46.
In 1947 he took his B.Mus at the University of Toronto under Sir Ernest
MacMillan. In '47 - '48 the Joneses were in Sackville, N.B. where Kelsey
was on the faculty at the Music Conservatory. In 1948 he completed studies
for his Doctorate of Music under Professor Leo Smith and Dr. Healey Willan
at the University of Toronto. In 1949 he and Rosie went to Paris where
he studied under Nadia Boulanger.
In 1950 Jones was founding conductor of Saint John Symphony Orchestra
and put together about 45 musicians from the Saint John area, assisted
by his wife, an accomplished pianist. It was at this time that they began
performing together as a two-piano team which took them to concert stages
from one end of Canada to the other. The symphony, first in the Maritime
provinces, was a huge success. In 1953 it was time to move on and the
Joneses went to Montreal to continue their careers.
Kelsey Jones (harpsichord) was a founder of the Montreal Baroque Trio
along with Melvin Berman (oboe), and Mario Duschenes (flute and recorder),
a classical group that performed all across Canada and on the CBC. His
career widened when he joined the faculty of the Conservatory of Music
of McGill University, eventually becoming a professor. When he retired
in 1984 he was selected to be Professor Emeritus.
By about 1960 he and Rosie found a summer refuge in southern Quebec and
began to establish a new home, moving to Cook's Lines in Hinchinbrook,
south of Huntingdon. Their three acres contained a deserted farmhouse
which they refurbished, and straddled the U.S.-Canada border. In following
years they were welcomed by the local farming community and friends of
the Joneses followed them to this "Shangri La", establishing
a sort of community. Included were the families of a Carleton University
professor, a Montreal advertising executive, a Toronto educator and educational
TV Producer Ranald Ide '40, and a retired Canadian Army officer Tom Sailman
'40. To the wonder of the surrounding agriculturists, the group spent
summer after summer helping out in the hay fields in return for generous
assistance in establishing their new homes
It was at about that time that Kelsey’s career moved from performing
and teaching into composing and his works were often heard on the CBC
when performed by symphony orchestras across Canada. His compositions
included many for the piano, chamber music, symphonies, concertos, an
opera, an oratorio, and a symphonic jazz presentation.
The Joneses moved to Cook's Lines permanently in 1971 as he continued
teaching at McGill, the couple spending part of each year touring Europe.
In 1974 Rosie suffered a car accident that made her a paraplegic, but
although confined to a wheelchair, she and Kelsey designed and purchased
a recreational vehicle that took them all around the continent for many
years, finally setting up a winter home in Florida after Kelsey retired
in 1984 to devote his time to taking care of his wife. In 1992 Rosie fell
from her chair, further injuring herself and having to remain in the Huntingdon
Chronic Care Hospital until her death in December 1995.
Kelsey mourned Rosie for years, but continued to spend winters in Florida
until 2002 when he moved into a retirement home in Montreal. After a year-long
struggle with his health, Kelsey died in hospital at 3:45pm on October
10th. He is survived by his sister Frances, nephew Ian Gray and close
friends.
Kelsey Jones (June 17, 1922 - October 10, 2004) was a pioneering performer, respected composer and gifted pedagogue. Professor Emeritus at McGill University, Kelsey was retired and living on the Canada-US border (this is literally the case as his property is divided by the border) since 1984. He was a good friend for about 30 years, and as a result I have many of his papers, some of his manuscripts, and all of the scores for his works as well as most of his broadcast performances, all of his performances that are on record, and all of his works that have been released on vinyl.
I have information on where various materials, including scores and parts, can be found if you are looking to perform any of his works.
The following is a nearly-complete list of the works of Kelsey Jones, many of which have been recorded and published. All works are available through the Canadian Music Centre and/or McGill University, Faculty of Music.
If you would like additional information, please contact me at R.Braley@Videotron.ca / Rick Braley
| TITLE / DETAILS | TIME | YEAR | INSTRUMENTATION | RECORDING |
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| Jack and the Beanstalk | 12:00 | 1954 | Narrator, SATB & orchestra (also an arrangement for piano 4-hands and rhythm band) | (home recording - K. & R. Jones - 1954) |
| Miramichi Ballad | 13:30 | 1954 | Full orchestra | R.C.I. ACM 24 * |
| Fantasy on a Theme | 1976 | Full orchestra | no recording | |
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| Nursery Suite (contains: "Old King Cole", "Solomon Grundy" & "The Brave Old Duke of York".) | 6:00 | 1954 | Child's voice, chorus, piano 4 hands, rhythm band | (home recording - K. & R. Jones - 1954) |
| Nonsense Songs (Five Limericks & The Table and the Chair (E. Lear)) | 3:05 | 1955 | SATB | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Songs of Time (R. Herrick, T. Jordan, F. Quarles, J. Webster) | 13:35 | 1955 | SATB, pf 4- hands | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| To Musicke (R. Herrick) | 16:15 | 1957 | Song Cycle for Contralto & Piano | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Songs of Experience (W. Blake) | 6:50 | 1958 | SATB | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Songs of Innocence (W. Blake) | 15:50 | 1961 | Soprano & chamber orchestra | (CBC Broadcast - G. Craig, K. Jones & McGill Chamber Orchestra; 1961) |
| Psalm Forty-Nine | 1962 | Baritone & piano | C.B.C. I.S. | |
| Prophecy of Micah (Adap. R. Jones) | 23:05 | 1963 | SATB | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Kishamaquac Suite (N. B. folk songs adap. R. Jones) | 11:00 | 1971 | SATB | (CBC Broadcast, 1971) |
| Hymn to Bacchus (R. Herrick, adap. R. Jones) | 20:23 | 1972 | SATB & pf 4-hands | (CBC Broadcast - Tudor Singers with D. Morton & E. Masters; 1972) |
| Songs of Winter (early Cdn. poets, adap. R. Jones) | 1973 | Soprano, Contralto & Piano | no recording | |
| Da Musica, Con Amore (R. Jones) | 8:42 | 1977 | Mixed choir & brass quintet | (International Music Day Concert; October 1, 1977) |
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| Suite for Flute and Strings | 19:35 | 1954 | Solo Flute & String Orchestra | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Four Pieces for Recorders | 7:00 | 1955 | Recorders | Baroque Records |
| Mosaic | 1956 | Flute, viola & harp | no recording | |
| Sonata da Camera | 10:35 | 1957 | Flute, oboe & harpsichord | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Prelude, Fughetta and Finale | 12:17 | 1963 | Violin, cello & Harpsichord | no recording |
| Quintet for Winds | 13:05 | 1967 | Wind Quintet | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Sonata da Chiesa | 11:20 | 1967 | Flute, oboe & harpsichord | C.B.C. R.C.A. |
| Adagio, Presto and Fugue | 23:00 | 1973 | String orchestra | (McGill Chamber Orchestra Premiere; March 16, 1972) |
| Passacaglia and Fugue for Brass Quintet | 8:50 | 1975 | Brass Quintet | McGill Records & R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Musica d'Occasione | 1978 | Brass Quintet | no recording | |
| Three Preludes and a Fugue | 16:50 | 1982 | Saxophone Quintet | S. R.C.I AMC 24 |
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| Sam Slick (R. Jones) | 1967 | Chamber opera for 8 soloists & orchestra | (CBC Broadcast - 1967) | |
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| Introduction and Fugue | 9:25 | 1959 | Violin & piano | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Scherzo | 3:43 | 1961 | Violin & piano | (H. Bress & C. Reiner - CBC Broadcast, 1961) |
| Theme and Variations | 17:30 | 1961 | Piano 4 hands | (CBC Broadcast; R. & K. Jones) |
| Passacaglia | 10:00 | 1961 | Piano | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Rondo for Solo Flute | 25:15 | 1964 | Flute | R.C.I AMC 24 |
| Five Pieces for Piano | 1964 | Piano | (Poems on Ottawa - CBC broadcast 1966) | |
| Jazzum Opus Unum | 15:05 | 1977 | Jazz band | McGill Records |
| Six Love Pieces (unpublished manuscript in my possession) | ~15:00 | 1999 | 2 Pianos | (compilation recording of early unpublished works performed by K. & R. Jones) |
* R.C.I. AMC = Radio Canada International, Anthology of Canadian Music (released in 1986)
The above table is not based on that of the Canadian Music Centre, but if you would like to see the materials that they hold in their library on Kelsey Jones click here.