Marguerita Spencer

Marguerita "Rita" Spencer (December 28, 1892 – May 5, 1993) was a Canadian pianist, organist, composer and educator.[1]

She was born Marguerita MacQuarrie in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and studied music there[2] and at the Halifax Ladies' College, where she studied organ, piano and cello.[3] She then studied nursing at the Toronto General Hospital, graduating in 1921. In 1922, she married Roy Aubrey Spencer; the couple moved to Saskatoon, where her husband taught engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Spencer continued her musical education there, studying with Lyell Gustin, and also earned a Licentiate in Music from McGill University.

During World War I, she played accompaniment for silent movies; she also played concerts for troops during both World Wars. Spencer performed on CBC radio and played with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.[2][1]

Her compositions include Prairie Suite No. 1 and 24 Preludes. She experienced sight problems later in life and used a tape recorder and transcriber.[1]

In 1986, she was the subject of a CBC television documentary.[4]

Spencer died in Saskatoon at the age of 100.[1]

References

1. "Spencer, Marguerita (Rita) (1892–1993)". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan.
2. "Spencer, Marguerita, 1892-1993 (Musician; composer)". Saskatchewan Archival Information Network collections.
3. Younger, Marian (1976). Some outstanding women : they made Saskatoon a better community.
4. "Music in Saskatoon". The Canadian Encyclopedia.