In the plan to maintain the cultural heritage of the City of Paris, this organ is among the four prestigious and emblematic instruments, classified as Historic Monuments, requiring a fundamental restoration.Restoration issuesBuilt in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a buffet dating from 1757, reusing part of the piping of the earlier instrument, the organ of the Church of SaintGermain-l'Auxerrois was, before the Revolution, in the Sainte-Chapelle. It was transferred in 1791 and its integration into this new building was the subject of much debate. The instrument underwent expansion work by Pierre and François Dallery in 1792, followed by further transformations in 1813, 1826 and 1840 by the Dallerys, then in 1850 by Ducroquet, in 1865, 1881 and 1900 by Merklin and in 1981 by Adrien Maciet. He never knew a state that could be described as definitive.Paradoxically, the prestige of the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois church, parish of the kings of France, the fame of Clicquot, the innovative design of the buffet and the richness of its stylistic evolution, make this organ one of the most interesting in the capital. To stop the inevitable degradation of the organ, a conservatory operation was carried out by the City of Paris in 2008 and entrusted to the builder Laurent Plet. With the partial removal of the piping, an inventory was carried out as part of a preliminary study carried out by Christian Lutz, a technician-counsel for the State.The eventful history of the instrument today gives us a great heterogeneity of heritage elements and makes the definition of a future restoration complex. Long desired by the organists of the last third of the twentieth century, the return to the Clicquot organ can hardly be envisaged because there are too few components of the organ of 1771 and one would lose a lot to subtract the more recent elements of a certain quality.In a desire to preserve all the old material in the organ and to identify a real musical personality, two possibilities will be presented to the National Commission of Historic Monuments which will arbitrate on the final program:•The return to the composition of Merklin of 1881 •A somewhat "classicized" compositionExpected work time: 24 monthsCall to Patronage: 1140,000 euros, exclusive the costs related to the project management, which will be borne by the City of Paris.Source
Saint-Germain-de-l'Auxerrois was the former parish of the kings of France. It was founded in the 7th century and rebuilt several times, giving mixtures of several styles (Roman, Gothic and Renaissance). During the Wars of Religion, the souding of its bell marked the beginning of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when thousands of Huguenots were murdered. The north tower was added in 1860 as part of the Mairie of the 1st Arrondissement.Since September 1, 2019, this Church is the home of the liturgy of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
E4The organ comes from the Sainte-Chapelle. It was built in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a case built in 1756 and 1757 by the carpenter Lavergne after a drawing by Pierre-Noël Rousset. It was a large 8 feet of four keyboards and pedalboard. In 1790, the Sainte-Chapelle was disused, the instrument was then bought by the parish of St Germain l'Auxerrois and then reassembled. Sound material from the old organs of the Ecole Militaire and the collegiate church of Saint-Honoré were also incorporated into the instrument, which was transfered by Pierre Dallery (associated with François-Henri Clicquot before the latter's death in 1790). During the 1st half of the nineteenth century, the instrument underwent various modifications, but it was between 1838 and 1841 that Louis-Paul Dallery made important transformations: modification of the composition, reconstruction of the wind tunnel, installation of a German pedalboard for the organist of the time, Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly, who wished to be able to play the works of JS Bach. The organ then had 36 stops. Dallery added a Bourdon 8 to the great organ, a Clarinet 8 to the positive, an Cor Anglais to the Récit and increased the pedal by eight notes, with a new German pedal.The instrument then has 4 manual keyboards. From 1847 to 1850, the instrument was restored by Ducroquet, who significantly modified the instrument: he reduced the number of manual keyboards to three, rebuilt the large organ bases, built a new expressive Récit, and replaced the Tierce of the positive by a Salicional of 4. In 1864, the instrument was somewhat reworked by Joseph Merklin who had taken over Ducroquet's Parisian workshops. The foundations were flagged but the old reeds remained intact, with the exception of the 2nd trumpet of great organ shifted into a Bombarde 16. The pedal base was rebuilt and a Barker machine added for the great organ and couplings. The organ then had 35 stops on 3 keyboards and pedalboard. In 1900, a major lifting was carried out by Joseph Gutschenritter. Between 1970 and 1980, Adrien Maciet carried out various works. He replaced the stops of Salicional 8, the Flute 4 and the Clarinet 8 by a Tierce, a Cromorne and two mixtures. Clicquot's 2nd Trumpet 8, modified by Merklin, was restored.From 1995 to 2005, the degraded instrument became silent. In 2005, the Parisian builder Michel Goussuput the organ back in the wind.In 2008, an overhaul was carried out by Laurent Plet. Maciets additions have been reclassified and realigned. The original reeds are recalibrated, thus restoring the Grand Jeu of Cliquot. Merklin's additions and voicings are preserved and restored. The same goes for Ducroquet's Récit, which has become inaudible and regains its presence. 21 out of 33 stops date back to the 18th century.Expected: an overhaul by Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat.Similar to the organs at St. Roch and St. Laurent, this organ has two faces: a classical face and a 19th century-face.
Organiste titulaireMichael MatthesFamous organists in rthe past: Louis-Claude Daquin (around 1738), Alexandre Boëly (1840-1851)Concerts SometimesMasses with organSaturday6:30 PM, Sunday 10:00, 11:30 AM, 5:45 PM (vêpres) , 6:30 PMVideosMichael MatthesAll organs built before the revolutionPhotos of the organ: Jeroen de Haan
1771 - FH Clicquot (1)1791 – Pierre Dallery (5)1809 - François Dallery (6)1827 - François et Paul Dallery (6)1841 - Louis-Paul Dallery (5)1848 - Ducroquet (3a)1864 - Joseph Merklin (3a)1900 - Joseph Gutschenritter (5)1970/80 - Adrien Maciet (3b)2008 - Laurent Plet (4)
E4The organ comes from the Sainte-Chapelle. It was built in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a case built in 1756 and 1757 by the carpenter Lavergne after a drawing by Pierre-Noël Rousset. It was a large 8 feet of four keyboards and pedalboard. In 1790, the Sainte-Chapelle was disused, the instrument was then bought by the parish of St Germain l'Auxerrois and then reassembled. Sound material from the old organs of the Ecole Militaire and the collegiate church of Saint-Honoré were also incorporated into the instrument, which was transfered by Pierre Dallery (associated with François-Henri Clicquot before the latter's death in 1790). During the 1st half of the nineteenth century, the instrument underwent various modifications, but it was between 1838 and 1841 that Louis-Paul Dallery made important transformations: modification of the composition, reconstruction of the wind tunnel, installation of a German pedalboard for the organist of the time, Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly, who wished to be able to play the works of JS Bach. The organ then had 36 stops. Dallery added a Bourdon 8 to the great organ, a Clarinet 8 to the positive, an Cor Anglais to the Récit and increased the pedal by eight notes, with a new German pedal.The instrument then has 4 manual keyboards. From 1847 to 1850, the instrument was restored by Ducroquet, who significantly modified the instrument: he reduced the number of manual keyboards to three, rebuilt the large organ bases, built a new expressive Récit, and replaced the Tierce of the positive by a Salicional of 4. In 1864, the instrument was somewhat reworked by Joseph Merklin who had taken over Ducroquet's Parisian workshops. The foundations were flagged but the old reeds remained intact, with the exception of the 2nd trumpet of great organ shifted into a Bombarde 16. The pedal base was rebuilt and a Barker machine added for the great organ and couplings. The organ then had 35 stops on 3 keyboards and pedalboard. In 1900, a major lifting was carried out by Joseph Gutschenritter. Between 1970 and 1980, Adrien Maciet carried out various works. He replaced the stops of Salicional 8, the Flute 4 and the Clarinet 8 by a Tierce, a Cromorne and two mixtures. Clicquot's 2nd Trumpet 8, modified by Merklin, was restored.From 1995 to 2005, the degraded instrument became silent. In 2005, the Parisian builder Michel Goussuput the organ back in the wind.In 2008, an overhaul was carried out by Laurent Plet. Maciets additions have been reclassified and realigned. The original reeds are recalibrated, thus restoring the Grand Jeu of Cliquot. Merklin's additions and voicings are preserved and restored. The same goes for Ducroquet's Récit, which has become inaudible and regains its presence. 21 out of 33 stops date back to the 18th century.Expected: an overhaul by Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat.Similar to the organs at St. Roch and St. Laurent, this organ has two faces: a classical face and a 19th century-face.
Organiste titulaireMichael MatthesFamous organists in rthe past: Louis-Claude Daquin (around 1738), Alexandre Boëly (1840-1851)Concerts SometimesMasses with organSaturday6:30 PM, Sunday 10:00, 11:30 AM, 5:45 PM (vêpres) , 6:30 PMVideosMichael MatthesAll organs built before the revolutionPhotos of the organ: Jeroen de Haan