Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is the oldest existing organ building company in North America.
History
The company was significant until today by the Canadian brothers Joseph- Claver (1855-1933) and Samuel -Marie Casavant (1859-1929), founder of the sons of the blacksmith and organ builder Joseph Casavant. The brothers went in 1878 to France, where they learned at John Abbey in Versailles and Aristide Cavaillé -Coll. They visited organ builder and visited important organs in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and England. Upon her return to Canada she founded in 1879 in Saint- Hyacinthe Casavant Frères company. The following year, their first two-manual organ for the Chapelle Notre -Dame-de -Lourdes in Montreal was. Your first three-manual organ, created in 1885 for Saint- Hyacinthe Cathedral, was taken by the Organ Historical Society to the list of historically significant organs in North America in 1999.
International recognition was the four-manual organ for the Notre- Dame Basilica in Montreal from the year 1891. 1895 was followed by the first organ in the United States in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In addition to other organs in North America originated instruments in France, West Indies, South and Central America, South Africa and Japan. 1930 Casavant Frères was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Antwerp. Casavant organs were played by organists such as Alexandre Guilmant, Louis Vierne, Charles- Marie Widor, Joseph Bonnet, Edwin Henry Lemare, Gaston Dethier, Charlers Courboin and Seth Bingham.
After the death of Claver Casavant, the organist and organ builder Stephen Stoot became artistic director of the company. His organ in the church of Saint Roch is an early example of a North American organ, which corresponded to the ideas of organ motion.
In the early 1960s returned Casavant under the German organ builder Karl Wilhelm and the Swiss organ builder Hellmuth Wolff significant participation to organs with mechanical action back. Under the artistic direction of Gerhard Brunzema ( 1972-79 ), the Casavant organs approached on to the ideal of the North German Baroque organ. Jean -Louis Coignet, artistic director from 1981 brought the symphonic sound idea of the French organ building in the company. Since 2004, Jacquelin Rochette is the successor of Coignet.
President of Casavant Frères were Clavers after the death of the son of his brother Samuel, Aristide Clave (until 1938 ), and Samuel's son Fred N. Oliver (up to 1959). Then followed Jules Laframboise ( 1959-61 ), Charles Perrault ( 1961-71 and 1972-74 ), Lawrence I. Phelps ( 1971-72 ), Paul Falcon ( 1974-76 ), Bertin Nadeau ( 1976-80 ) and since 1980 Pierre Dionne.
Casavant Frères organ built their 100th in 1899, 500th in 1912, the 1000th in 1923, and by 1996 there were 3750 instruments.