Article

Joseph-Désiré Marcoux

Published Online May 15, 2007

Last Edited December 15, 2013

Joseph-Désiré. Marcoux Clarinetist, farmer, b Beauport, near Quebec City, 20 May 1850, d St-Prime, Lac St-Jean, Que, 5 Feb 1888. He taught himself music and took part in all the musical soirées in the Beauport region.

Marcoux, Joseph-Désiré

Joseph-Désiré. Marcoux Clarinetist, farmer, b Beauport, near Quebec City, 20 May 1850, d St-Prime, Lac St-Jean, Que, 5 Feb 1888. He taught himself music and took part in all the musical soirées in the Beauport region. As a soloist with the Notre-Dame de Beauport Concert Band, founded in 1875 and directed by Joseph Vézina, he enjoyed great success at the Montreal Musical Jubilee in 1878. In 1885 he settled at St-Prime, in the Lac St-Jean district, and was placed in charge of musical organizations there. He was founder in 1887 and conductor of the Roberval concert band - the Union musicale Sainte-Cécile - and gave free lessons to each of the instrumentalists. He died after an accident at work. His daughter Albertine recounted his life in Musicien et paysan, fatal destin d'un agriculteur-musicien (Quebec City 1957).