Notre Dame
de Paris
6 Parvis Notre-Dame , 75004 Paris
Orgue de choeur OdT>
1869 - Merklin (buffet)
1968 - Boisseau
1970/1978/1989 - Jean-Loup Boisseau
2005 - Philippe Guyonnet & Bertrand Cattiaux
April, 15, 2019
A very, very black day in the history of Paris, France and
the world: Notre-Dame-de-Paris is severly damaged by a
great fire. The choir organ has been flooded severely and
is profoundly damaged.
The organ builders Cattiaux-Chevron have completed the
dismantling of the most fragile parts of the instrument in
July 2021. The few reusable parts of the instrument were
stored elsewhere.
Organiste titulaire
Yves Castagnet & Johann Vexo
Famous organists in the past: Michel Chapuis, Jacques
Marichal, Mgr Jehan Revert
Videos
Johan Vexo (Bach)
Johann Vexo (Couperin)
There is third organ, a portable instrument for continuo
to accompany the Notre-Dame de Paris choir school’s
ensembles and soloists (I/5).
The choir organ was an instrument of Robert Boisseau
in the old buffet.
Several instruments have followed one another in the
choir of the cathedral. A Daublaine-Callinet of ten stops
in 1839 not powerful enough and sold in 1841 to St
Michel at Cordes-sur-Ciel not far from Albi where it
remains today and with the addition of a pedal stop.
TRhen a second organ of the same organ maker in 1841
installed on the right side. But its aesthetics and its
installation did not suit Viollet-le-Duc, it was thus sold to
the Saint-Etienne church in Roanne (Loire).
Viollet-le-Duc choose a 17 stops Merklin organ with a
Gothic case designed by Viollet-le-Duc himself, installed
on the left side of the choir.
The restoration by Joseph Merklin in 1890 opens the
transformation of the transmission into electro-
pneumatic and the addition of combinations, but as this
modernization is not reliable, the house Mutin
(successor of Cavaillé-Coll) is asked to deal with the
restoration. Other interventions followed (Beuchet in
1938, Hermann in 1953) without allowing the
instrument to function properly.
The organ builder Robert Boisseau who modernized
the great organ of Notre-Dame under the leadership of
Pierre Cochereau was asked to build a new organ in the
case of 1863. The instrument was delivered in 1969: it
included 28 stops on two keyboards (56 notes) and
pedal board (30 notes). A 16 ’flute was added to the
pedal in 1970 outside the buffet. A 4 ’ clairon and
electronic combiner are installed further on.
(Source: facebook @Aristide Cavaillé-Coll)
In 2005, the organ was cleaned by Philippe Guyonnet
and tuned by Bertrand Cattiaux. In 2010, further works
were carried out by Bertrand Cattiaux and a new
console was installed.
This organ is built in a French-classical style.
Drawing of a choir organ by Viollet le Duc
(projet was never realized)
The old console
The choir organ after the fire
On the right: the choir organ , second half of 19th century