Joseph Quesnel
Joseph Quesnel was a notable figure born in 1746 in Saint-Malo, France, who became an influential merchant and cultural contributor in Canada. After a varied career at sea, which included travels to several regions such as India and Brazil, he settled in Bordeaux, where he partnered with his uncle in business. His journey took a significant turn in 1779 when he was detained by the British Royal Navy while transporting supplies to North America; this led to his eventual settlement in Montreal in 1780. There, he married Marie-Josephte Deslandes and raised a family of thirteen children, establishing himself as a local trader.
Quesnel's contributions to Canadian culture were marked by his passion for the arts. He introduced theatrical productions to Montreal, defying church disapproval, and became the first to compose an operetta in Canada with his work "Colas et Colinette." His plays often sparked controversy, addressing themes relevant to French Canadian identity and society. Quesnel's legacy includes not only his theatrical works but also poetry and original music, reflecting his commitment to enriching the cultural landscape of early Canada. He passed away in Montreal on July 3, 1809.
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Joseph Quesnel
Playwright
- Born: November 15, 1746
- Birthplace: Saint-Malo, France
- Died: July 3, 1809
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Biography
Joseph Quesnel was born in 1746 in Saint-Malo, France, the third child of Isaac Quesnel de La Rivaudais, a wealthy French merchant, and Pélagie-Jeanne-Marguerite Duguen. Quesnel studied at the Collège Saint-Louis in Saint-Malo before following family tradition to become a sailor, traveling to Pondicherry, India, and then to Madagascar, French Guiana, the West Indies, and Brazil, before settling back on dry land in Bordeaux, France. In Bordeaux, he established a partnership with his uncle, Louis-Auguste Quesnel.
In the autumn of 1779, while commanding the ship L’Espoir, bound for North America and allegedly transporting war supplies to aid the American colonists against Britain, Quesnel was detained by Britain’s Royal Navy when L’Espoir was captured. Though he was not imprisoned, Quesnel was forced to remain in British-controlled land in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Quebec’s governor, Sir Frederick Haldimand, knew Quesnel’s family and allowed the Frenchman his freedom to settle in Canada. Quesnel arrived in Montreal in 1780, and in April he married Marie-Josephte Deslandes, also a native of Saint-Malo; her mother had moved the family to Montreal in prior years. The couple had thirteen children, and Quesnel became a local trader and merchant.
After some years in Montreal, Quesnel found himself missing some of the indulgences he had enjoyed in France, and he determined to bring those traditions to life in Canada as well. Having studied literature and music in his homeland, Quesnel began producing plays in Montreal, with the first two productions being Jean-François Regnard’s Retour imprévu and Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian’s Deux billet. Quesnel’s new endeavors met with disapproval from the church, which announced that all who attended the plays would forfeit their access to absolution. Quesnel and his troupe nevertheless persisted, and in 1790 they performed Quesnel’s own Colas et Colinette, the first operetta composed in Canada.
Quesnel continued writing plays, some of which brought controversy because of their subjects; the never-performed play L’Anglomanie; Ou, Dîner à l’anglaise, for example, mocked French Canadians who idealized and tried to emulate English society. In addition to his plays, Quesnel also wrote poetry and independent musical pieces. He died in Montreal on July 3, 1809.