The organs at Notre-Dame-de-Paris, Paris IV

This masterpiece of early-Gotic architecture was built between 1163-1345, replacing a Merovingian Cathedral, St. Stephen. During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, the cathedral was much altered, as Gothic style was considered outdated. During the revolution, many of the treasures of the cathedral were destroyed. The cathedral's organ and great bell Emmanuel (15 th century) managed to avoid being destructed. The badly damaged cathedral was restored in 1845- 1870 by Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. In fact, quite a few parts of the present cathedral do originate from the 19th century! From 1991 onwards, a major program of maintenance and restoration has been carried out. In the future, new and comprehensive restoration works have to be carried out. Both its exterior and its interior are overwhelming - a maginifcent housing for its organ! The devastating fire of April 15, 2019 severely damaged the building. In 2020, it was decided to rebuild the destroyed or severely damaged parts identically. Notre- Dame is scheduled to reopen to the public on December 8, 2024.

Maurice Duruflé: ... placed an a dais situated in the middle of a spacious organ loft with thé immense nave of the cathedral in het organist's view. Like a ship's captain on the bridge, he takes in the great open sea. It is an absolutely intoxicating experience. (L'Orgue, no 162, april-june 1977) Louis Vierne: At Notre Dame, with the console about seven feet out from the case, the player hears the sound directly and in all its power. It is a joy seldom experienced elsewhere.

Pierre Cochereau at the start of his position (1955)

1402 - Frederic Schambantz (1)

1415 - Jean Chahancel (6)

1458 - Jean Bourdon (6)

1473 - Jean Robelin (5)

1540 - Pasquier Bauldry (6)

1564 : Nicolas Dabenei (6)

1609/1620 - Valeran de Hewn (2)

1636/1646 - Pierre Thierry (5)

1672 - Jacques Carouge (2)

1691 - Alexandre Thierry, Hippolyie Ducastel (6)

1699 - Jean Bessart (6)

1733 - Francois Thierry (3)

1788 - Francois-Henri Clicquot (3b)

1812 - Pierre-Francois Dallery (6)

1833 : Louis-Paul Dallery (6)

1868 et 1894 - Aristide Cavaille-Coll (3)

1904 - Charles Mutin (5)

1932 - Société Cavaille-Coll, Joseph Beuchet (6)

1963/1966 - Jean Hermann & Robert Boisseau (3a)

1975 - Jean-Loup Boisseau (6)

1992 - Boisseau, Cattiaux, Emeriau, Giroud,

Societe Synaptel (3)

2014 - Bertrand Cattiaux, Pascal Quoirin (2)

2024 - Cattiaux-Chevron, Quoirin, Sarelot (5)

V/131/117 - transmission électrique/numériques

Composition

La console

Organistes titulaires Olivier Latry, Vincent Dubois et Thierry Escaich Titular organist adjoint : Thibault Fajoles Titular organist of the choir organ Yves Castagnet Organistes titulaires émérites: Jean-Pierre Leguay et Philippe Lefebvre Famous organists in the past : Louis-Claude Daquin, Claude-Bénigne Balbastre, Nicolas Séjan, Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet Charpentier, Louis Vierne, Léonce de Saint-Martin, Pierre Cochereau. Maesses with grand-orgue Saturday 6 PM, Sunday 10 AM, 11:30 AM, 6 PM Sunday vespers 5:15 PM, Mass 6 PM Audition Sunday, 4 PM Concerts Tuesday, 8:30 PM Videos Olivier Latry Vincent Dubois Johan Vexo Philippe Lefebvre Jean-Pierre Leguay Pierre Moreau Léonce de Saint-Martin Audio Léonce de Saint-Martin Interview

Video of the tribune and the console

Photos Case: Vincent Hildebrandt Console: Victor Weller

Videos | Olivier Latry

Videos | Vincent Dubois

E6 The first organ was mentioned as early as 1357. In 1403, a new one was built. Up to 1730, it went through lots of changes and expansions. 1730-1733 The current organ was built by François Thierry between 1730 and 1733. It reused some parts from the old organ: the back positive case and its pipes, a few other pipes, and some medieval framework elements. He created a new 24-foot display case (just the great division, the current case) and a new instrument with 47 stops across 5 manuals and pedal. A wrought-iron balustrade with gold leaf ornaments was added to enclose the gallery. The organ was powered by twelve bellows operated by four men. 1783-1788 François-Henri Clicquot renovated and enlarged it. The back positive case was rebuilt by sculptor Caillou. The metal pipes of the Positive and Great were recast. New stops were added to the Positive and Bombarde, and the Echo division was redesigned. The great division case from Thierry was deepened. 1812 Overhauled by Pierre-François Dallery. Revoicing of the principals and some pipe swaps between stops. 1833 Overhauled by Louis-Paul Dallery. A new wind supply was installed, but it didn't work out well. 1864-1868 During the cathedral restoration, Viollet-le-Duc had the back Positive removed (it's still stored in the south tower), and Aristide Cavaillé-Coll turned the Clicquot organ into a symphonic one. Cavaillé-Coll reused about 30 old stops and designed a new setup with 86 stops across 5 manuals and pedal. He replaced the window console with an independent, reversed one and added Barker machines for the actions. 1904 Overhauled by Charles Mutin. • Several stop changes and additions. • Replaced acoustic reed pipes with full-length ones. 1932 Overhauled by Joseph Beuchet. • Keyboard order changed for better playability. • New stops added to Pedal, Grand Chœur, and Récit. • Work on the mixtures. • Brakes added to the front Montre. 1959-1966 At Pierre Cochereau's initiative, Jean Hermann (and later Robert Boisseau after Hermann's death in 1964) electrified and revoiced it, stripping away its symphonic character. • Electrified key and stop actions. • New console installed. • 11 new stops added to the Petit Pédale. • All mixtures redesigned around a 32' plenum. • Chamades added on top of the case. • Grand-Chœur reeds revoiced in a neo-classical style. • Small French Récit created. • Principals depavillonné, especially Clicquot's originals. • Wind pressures equalized. 1990-1992 A major restoration by Boisseau & Cattiaux, Emeriau, and Giroud restored its 19th-century symphonic character while keeping the 32' Grand Chœur classiques as rebuilt last century. • Replaced electric action and combination system. • Revoiced several Cavaillé-Coll stops altered in the 1960s. • Repavillonné the principals. • Restored multiple wind pressures. • Restored harmonic mixtures. • Added a tierce to the cymbale. • Added a 2 2/3' quint and 8' clarinet (Cavaillé copies) to the Récit. • Removed or redesigned 1960s/70s mixtures. • Added 8' trumpet and 4' clarion en chamade inspired by St-Sernin. 2012-2014 A new restoration by Bertrand Cattiaux and Pascal Quoirin. Work included: New digital key action. Fixed sagging pipes. Full cleaning and overhaul. Converted the "petite pédale" into a "résonnance" division. High-pressure pneumatic motor registers replaced Cavaillé- Coll's drawstops. Video Montage en cours Rénovation orgue Notre-Dame April 15, 2019 A very, very dark day in Paris, France, and the world's history: Notre-Dame was badly damaged by a huge fire. Thanks to the airtight, fireproof stone vault, the great organ was spared! The pipes could have melted but were just filled with lead dust. 2019-2024 Windchests cleaned at Quoirin's workshop in Saint-Didier and restored by Manufacture Languedocienne des Grandes Orgues in Lodève (Hérault). Pipes, spared by the fire but covered in soot and lead dust, fully renovated at Cattiaux- Chevron in Liourdres, Corrèze. After restoration finished late 2022, reassembly in the west gallery started early 2023. In 2024, each of the 8,000 pipes (fully renovated by Cattiaux- Chevron) was individually voiced and tuned. The organ was inaugurated en belssed during the re-opening of the cathédrale on Decembre 7, 2024. The organ's pipework currently includes 33 pre-Revolution stops, and about fifty from Cavaillé-Coll.