Fred Payton
Prince Albert Historical Society
Driving down the 100 block of 21st Street West, I noticed that the house was up for sale. It isn’t just any house. It’s the house in which I remember Kathleen Watson living, the house in which she taught piano, in which she taught singing.
Of course it was not the only house in which she taught, but it was the house in which she lived when I knew who she was. In those days, she was never called Kathleen Watson, but rather was known as Mrs. L.M. Watson (her husband being Lionel Mervyn Watson).
Born Kathleen Lynch on April 30th 1893, she grew up in Brockville, Ontario. It was there that, at an early age, she began her development as a musician. Kathleen came west with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Lynch, at the age of eleven, when her father was transferred to Saskatoon as a superintendent with the Canadian Pacific Railway.
A few years later, Kathleen returned to Ontario to attend college, studying at the Ottawa Ladies’ College, and training under Katie Leheigh. Once she had completed her formal education, she came back west and began teaching music in Saskatoon and Sutherland (at the time a community outside the City of Bridges). In addition to teaching music, she began serving as the organist and choir director of a Sutherland church.
It was while she was serving in this capacity that Kathleen met her husband, Lionel Mervyn Watson, who was the manager of the Sutherland branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. After their marriage, the couple, as a result of his employment, moved to Regina and, subsequently to Borden, Saskatchewan. Mr. Watson retired from service with the bank on the advice of his doctors, and began employment as a representative of the Imperial Life Company. It was as an agent for this company that resulted in their move to Prince Albert in 1922.
Originally residing at 462 – 22nd Street East, the Watsons began a series of moves within the city. In 1925, they lived at 2207 – 2nd Avenue West, before moving to 306 – 19th Street West. By 1929, they were living at 230 – 19th Street West, before moving back to 2207 – 2nd Avenue West in the early 1940s. It was in 1941, at that address, that Mrs. F. Kathleen Watson was first listed as a music teacher in the Henderson’s Directory. Their last move in Prince Albert was to 135 – 21st Street West, the house in which Mr. Watson lived when he died on August 23rd, 1960. Kathleen Watson remained in the house until she moved from Prince Albert to Edmonton, Alberta, in 1968.
In the early 1930s, Mr. Watson was employed as an inspector for the Government of Saskatchewan, but by the mid-1930s he had returned to employment with the Imperial Life Company. Early in the 1940s, he served as the collections manager for the Manville Hardware Company, before accepting employment with the Prince Albert Foundry. He served as the bookkeeper/accountant for them, as well as their business manager and office manager. By 1959, he had retired. His heart, which had been giving him problems since the early 1920s was once again a cause for concern. In early 1960, he had three heart attacks, the third one fatal.
Throughout the period from the early 1940s, Kathleen was teaching voice, piano, and organ. One of her students, Vivian Miller, went on to study in Toronto before eventually becoming the lead singer in a Mendelssohn choir in Edmonton. Not bad for a person who was considered to be almost tone deaf when she started her voice lessons!
Perhaps her most illustrious student was Jon Vickers, a man who won world-wide acclaim as one of the most outstanding dramatic tenors of his time. Vickers had studied with Kathleen Watson for nearly a year prior to moving to Toronto.
Don Forbes, a supervisor of music in Vancouver, adjudicated at the local music festival one year. He was less than positive about the music the students chose to sing. But he was very positive about the manner in which Mrs. Watson’s students made the music come alive. According to him, she “made it great”.
Mossie Hancock, a well-known Saskatchewan musician, on hearing the Watsonairs, a women’s chorus which Kathleen formed and directed for many years, said, “The music under her direction was shockingly beautiful.”
Another Prince Albert director of vocal groups and voice teacher, Margo Fournier, always felt comfortable directing groups singing in French or Spanish, but never felt comfortable directing them in singing English songs. Not, however, until after Mrs. Watson taught her the beauty of the English language and how to impart the knowledge to those singing it.
During her early years in Prince Albert, Mrs. Watson often served as an adjudicator at music festivals throughout the province. However, with two young daughters, Lucille and Margaret, keeping her busy at home, she made the decision to give up such outside engagements. When she first came to Prince Albert, she served as organist and choir leader at St. Paul’s Presbyterian church and then later at Wesley United church. She also prepared her students for participation in the Prince Albert music festival, and they consistently scored more marks in the 90+ range than did those of any other local music teacher.
Both Lucille and Margaret grew up as accomplished musicians. Lucille in particular had an exceptional singing voice, something that was noted in her school’s year book. Interestingly, while attending Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, they were both considered to be gifted athletes. Both played basketball, and Lucille played hockey, while Margaret was successful in track competitions.
As the girls grew older, Mrs. Watson began a role as director of a junior choir and, in 1956 organised a women’s group which took the name Watsonairs. With the coming of television to the city, the Watsonairs became in demand for guest appearances on that media. Kathleen demanded high standards of performance from her songsters, ensuring that they rehearsed seriously and that their taped performances would always be successful.
In the early 1960s, (probably 1963) and likely at the Orpheum Theatre, (the scene of her earlier highly successful concerts) this group performed their last concert under her direction. Afterwards, it continued under the same name but under the direction of Gladys Strom. It seems that the death of her husband resulted in the loss of Kathleen’s desire for public performances.
In 1968, Kathleen Watson taught her last lessons locally and moved from Prince Albert to Edmonton where she was able to join her two married daughters and her three grandchildren. She was a great loss to this city’s music community, and should never be forgotten.
fgpayton@sasktel.net
