According to the CD cover of Valse pour l'Échappée Belle/Les Saisons du Coeur he was born into a musical family. Initially an autodidact both as pianist and composer, he studied with Conrad Letendre in Montréal in 1951. In 1969 he founded the Music Section of the University of Quebec, Trois-Rivières, and taught there until his retirement in 1981. A prolific composer with many works in music and literature, he is an established composer at the Canadian Centre of Music. Of special interest to folk musicians are his works based on French-Canadian folk songs. These include: Patentages Op. 78 (48 arrangements for piano)