Joseph Casavant
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Joseph Casavant (1807 – 9 March 1874) was a French Canadian manufacturer of pipe organs, and the founder of the firm Casavant Frères.
Originally a blacksmith, Joseph gave up his trade at age 27 to pursue classical studies. He happened upon a 1766 treatise by Dom 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 in St. 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 of Ottawa 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.
