- Joseph Casavant
Joseph Casavant (1807 –
9 March 1874 ) was aFrench Canadian manufacturer ofpipe organ s, and the founder of the firmCasavant Frères .Originally a
blacksmith , Joseph gave up his trade at age 27 to pursue classical studies. He happened upon a 1766treatise byDom Bédos de Celles on organ building, called "L'Art du Facteur d'Orgues", which he subsequently used to restore an instrument for l'Abbé Ducharme . He set up business inSt. Hyacinthe ,Lower Canada and received his first contract in 1840. By the time he retired in 1866, he had built 17 organs, including the ones for the Catholic cathedrals ofOttawa and Kingston.Joseph died at St. Hyacinthe on March 9, 1874; but his work was carried on by his sons, Joseph-Claver and Samuel-Marie, under the firm name of Casavant Frères.
External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=4886 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.casavant.ca/new_temp/anglais/History/history1.html Short biography on the Casavant Frères website]
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