This beautiful work of art was the first work of art to be sponsored and installed in the metro. It was one of the series of historical works foreseen by art director Robert Lapalme, and was underwritten by the now-defunct Steinberg grocery chain and was inaugurated on 20 December 1967.
Click here for high-resolution panoramic view (2308 × 800 px, 700 kb) The huge work is composed of thousands of layered pieces of glass backlit by 105 lighting tubes and supported by a tonne of steel. The glass surface is rippled, causing the brilliant colours to shimmer ethereally. The work was originally intended to be an homage to four important Quebec musical artists: the composers Calixa Lavallée, Guillaume Couture, and Alexis Contant, and soprano Dame Emma Albani.
However, though their figures dominate, the artist chose to trace the history of music in Montreal, from its very beginnings — Aboriginal music, and the first concert in the colony, commanded by Jacques Cartier in 1535. The work traces a timeline from left to right, with a number of historical highlights, significant figures, concert halls, and other illustrations symbolizing the state of music at particular times, in a florid but delicate style and interpreted through captions. At the end, the experimental music of the modern day is symbolized by an explosion of fiery shades.
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