Laurent Desmazures - Composer

Laurent Desmazures (also Desmasures; Marseille, 10 November 1714 - Marseille, 29 April 1778) was a French organist and composer, one of the most admired organ virtuosos of his time in provincial France.

He was the son of Charles Desmazures, organist and composer at the cathedral of Marseille, who was presumably his first teacher. From 1737 he held a post at the abbey of Moissac, and in the early 1750s he was organist of the cathedral of Saint-Lazare at Autun. In 1752 his opéra-ballet Les fêtes de Grenade was first performed in Dijon. In 1758 he was appointed organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Rouen, one of the most prestigious organ posts in France, which he held until 1777, when he returned to his native city as organist of the church of Saint-Ferréol. Despite having lost three fingers of his left hand, he learned to play with artificial fingers and remained a renowned virtuoso. He died in Marseille in 1778, according to tradition while playing the organ at Saint-Ferréol. Source: Rondo DB


Usual Name	Laurent Desmazures
Alternative Spellings	Laurent Desmasures
Relationships	is the son/daughter of Charles Desmazures
Links	RISM person , Encyclopedia.com (Baker's Biographical Dictionary)

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