Casavant Frres is oldest North American organ builder
July 19th, 2010
There are a number of companies out there for anybody looking for a modern fine-quality organ, but there’s only one that can claim the title of oldest organ builder in North America. That would be Casavant Frres (Casavant Brothers) of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which was founded in 1879. The “brothers” were Joseph-Claver and Samuel-Marie, who worked in their father’s shop before Claver went to France to apprentice with John Abbey. The two brothers toured Europe together, taking in the best of what those shops had to offer, before finally building their factory on the site of their father’s old workshop.The Casavants built their first organ in the following year, a two-manual, 13-stop production which was installed in the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Montreal. This piece was renowned for its professional painting and casework. Tubular action was added in 1909, and 1959 modifications made the piece completely electric. Obviously, Casavant organs are built to last, and to grow and change with the times.Technology at Casavant Frres was never at a standstill. The brothers were the first to investigate tubular traction in 1884, and later investigated electricity with Dr. Salluste Duval and Father P.A. Choquette, a professor in physics from St. Hyacinthe Seminary.The early 20th century saw a downturn in quality as budget cuts led to poor production standards. However, enough people continued to buy these shoddy instruments to keep the company in business up through the 1950s, when Charles Perrault became manager and helped restore the sound of the instruments. Their popularity has continued through the later half of the century, with continuing progress in artistic design. Casavant Freres’ record has proven their ability to remain at the forefront of the industry for an impressive length of time, and buyers can rest assured that a Casavant product is an investment to count on.