François du Moussart

Moussart, François du

François du. Drummer Moussart. Organist, music teacher, b Ennelat, near Clermont, Auvergne, France, ca 1646, d? The Jesuit Relations (vol 49) mentions in July 1665 that a drummer of one of the military companies that had arrived that year, a 19-year-old named François du Moussart, 'was given to us by sieur la Tour, his Captain, because he was an excellent musician; but with the design that we should do him the charity of making him study.' The 1666 census lists François du Moussard (sic), 23, maître de musique, as one of the 'hommes de travail' at the Collège de Québec. According to Auguste Gosselin (Amtmann Music in Canada), the young man played the organ at the parish church 1666-70, but no documentary evidence was found by Amtmann to prove this. Nothing is known about du Moussart's later life.