At the age of five years he showed a passion for music.  His parents took him to France and put him in the celebrated institution of Sainte Croix.  He was prepared for the Conservatory of Paris by the great pianist, Marmontel, and passed a brilliant entrance examination in
1903.
                          …
He graduated in 1905 and has since been in concert work in Paris and in the West Indies. He has written several compositions, notable among them is Aphrodite.  Monsieur Elie is expected in the United States soon.

The development of the Haitian classical
music takes its origin all the way back to the independence of Haiti.  The Haitian classical music (mizik savant ayisyen) had a distinctive palette based on French models of culture then later African musical concept was added to it. The mizik savant ayisyen was called the music of the elite.

In 1807, musical education became part of the curriculum of the greatest schools in the country.  Around 1817, the teaching of music appreciation, solfegio, voice and instrumental technique was outlined by the department of public instruction.  In 1830, was born a great man Occilius Jeanty, Sr. mathematics, music composition, and teaching were his strength.  Among his musical works were some overtures, chanson creoles, and Haitian meringues.  The meringue was a musical genre that is obviously carrying an African influence, a mixture of Petro and Congo, a set of complex rhythms found in the vodu culture as part of the Ifa corpus. Therefore, the meringue possesses its own style expressing the soul of the Haitian people.

In this anthology presented by the Cultural Enlightenment Association of Ife, the past is meeting the present to shape the future.  You will be enjoying the works of Occide Jeanty (Invocation), a meringue and a waltz by Solon Verret, two old chants from the mountains and a Haitian legend by Justin Elie, Scherzo and Sobo are directly taken from the vodu idiom and a meringue (La Dangereuse) by Ludovic Lamothe.