Jean François Joseph Élysée Aviragnet, born on in
Port Louis
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...
(
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
) and died in 1908, was a professor of literature and music. Having emigrated to the United States, he served as the director of the Bucknell School of Music from 1890 until his death.
Family
Élysée Aviragnet was the son of a merchant of Bordeaux origin, Pierre Aviragnet, who settled in Mauritius, where he married Lise Chauvot in 1827.
He married Lucie Hippolyte Anaïs de Ravel de L'Argentière, from a Dauphinoise family of
La Mure
La Mure () is a commune in the Isère département in southeastern France. It is located south of Grenoble on the plateau Matheysin.
Population
Sights
* The Chemin de fer de la Mure is a small touristic train using a railway initially buil ...
established in Mauritius, on in Port Louis.
From 1850 to 1864, he and his family owned the Château du Grand Clapeau in
Blanquefort Caychac (Gironde).
Biography
Élysée Aviragnet studied at the Sorbonne. He then taught classical literature and Romance languages in France, Mauritius, and
Port of Spain
Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...
(
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
).
He later emigrated to the United States, where he became a professor of music. When
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...
in
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Williamsport and north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The population was 5,158 as of the United States Census 202 ...
established a school of music in 1890, he was appointed its director, a position he held until his death. He promoted the development of various musical disciplines and popularized music practice throughout the university.
He died in 1908 and was buried in Lewisburg Cemetery.
Photograph of Élysée Aviragnet's grave in Lewisburg Cemetery
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviragnet, Elysee
1828 births
1908 deaths
Bucknell University faculty