Pierre-Olivier Lyonnais | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Pierre-Olivier Lyonnais

Pierre-Olivier Lyonnais, (Bossu or Bossue, dit Lyonnais). String-instrument maker, b Quebec City 12 Jul 1798, d there 8 Sep 1860. A roofer by trade, he suffered a fall ca 1820 which left him disabled.

Lyonnais, Pierre-Olivier

Pierre-Olivier Lyonnais, (Bossu or Bossue, dit Lyonnais). String-instrument maker, b Quebec City 12 Jul 1798, d there 8 Sep 1860. A roofer by trade, he suffered a fall ca 1820 which left him disabled. Since he had to support his parents, he made small carvings until ca 1825, when he took up violin making, probably at the instigation of Adam Joseph Schott, a bandmaster stationed in Quebec City. One of the first makers of string instruments in that city, Lyonnais is said to have built more than 80 violins, violas, and cellos, assisted for some dozen years by his nephew Joseph.

See also Roch Lyonnais and LéonLyonnais (his grandnephews); and Cyrille-Roch Lyonnais (his great-grandnephew).

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