Sacré-Coeur 1 2
35, rue du chevalier-de-la-Barre, 75018 Paris Orgue de tribune1898 - Cavaillé-Coll
1919 - Mutin
1931 - Cavaillé-Coll
1948 - Jean Perroux
1959 - Beuchet-Debierre
1985 - Renaud
2003 - Dargassies
2013 - Muhleisen
IV/79 - mechanical traction
Photos GO/console: Pierre Marteau Photos interior: Victor Weller
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica is an immense basilica in a
Roman-Byzantyne style, built as a national penance
for the defeat of France in the 1871 Franco-Prussian
War and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871.
Construction of the Basilica started in 1876 with
Abadie as the lead architect. When Paul Abadie died
in 1884, he was succeeded by Lucien Magne, who
added an 83 meter (272 ft) tall clock tower. The
Savoyarde clock installed here is one of the world's
largest. Construction was finished in 1914 and it was
consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.
Baron Albert de l'Espée, who already owned two large
Cavaillé-Coll organs, ordered an organ for 100,000 francs
to occupy a gigantic room in his 20,000 m2 Ibarritz castle in
the Basque Country (south of Biarritz). The huge organ hall
was 22 meters long, 14 meters wide and 17 meters high.
The organ built for this occasion by Cavaillé-Coll was a
copy of his best concert organ located in the hall of the
Albert Hall in Sheffield since 1873.
The instrument of 1989 included 70 stops on four
keyboards (61 notes) and a 32-note pedalboard. The
amphitheater console included the draw for double-acting
stops and pneumatic motors operated the transmissions.
Three divisions had expression and there were three 32
’pedal and three undulating stops.
In 1903, the baron wishing to sell his castle, sold his organ
to Charles Mutin, ACC’s successor, for an unknown price.
He remained in the workshops of Paris until 1913 and was
transferred to the Sacré-Coeur in 1914 where he was
housed in the buffet built by the architect Lucien Magne.
The instrument was inaugurated by Marcel Dupré, Abel
Decaux and CM Widor in October 1919. On this occasion
Dupré played the "Salvum fac populum tuum" for organ
and trumpet choir by C.M. Widor.
Restorations took place in 1930-1931 by Société Cavaillé-
Coll, in 1948 by Jean Perroux and in 1959-60 by Beuchet-
Debierre. Several stops were added to obtain a more "neo-
classical" character. During that restoration, the central
part of the organcase was suppressed on demand of the
clergy to expose the stained glass window behind the
organ. This meant that the Montre had to be shifted and
the swellcase of the Solo had to be divided into two parts
(in 1985, the inferior part of the removed case was
rebuild).
The latest restoration was in 1985 by Jean Renaud from
Nantes with the aim to get back to the original symphonic
character of the organ. Since then, the organ has not
undergone any major work other than the restoration of
the main wind tunnel, located in the attic of the basilica.
This work was carried out by Muhleisen in 2013.
This organ has various exceptional characteristics:
•
three of four manuals are expressif
•
it has manuals of 61 tones
•
it has reeds on the Solo 'en chamade' of 16', 8', and 4',
hidden behind the buffet
Approx 70% of the pipes is of Cavaillé-Coll.
Source: www.facebook.com/aristidecavaillec0ll and Victor
Weller.
Organiste titulaire
Claudine Barthel, Philippe Brandeis, Gabriel
Marghieri.
Concerts
Only Christmas Eve 10p.m.
Masses with organ
Friday 3p.m.; sunday 11a.m., 6p.m., 10p.m., vespers 4p.m. Videos Philippe Brandeis
The organs of Paris
Sacré-Coeur 1 2
35, rue du chevalier-de-la-Barre, 75018 Paris Orgue de tribune1898 - Cavaillé-Coll
1919 - Mutin
1931 - Cavaillé-Coll
1948 - Jean Perroux
1959 - Beuchet-Debierre
1985 - Renaud
2003 - Dargassies
2013 - Muhleisen
IV/79 - mechanical traction
Photos GO/console: Pierre Marteau Photos interior: Victor Weller
Baron Albert de l'Espée, who already owned two large
Cavaillé-Coll organs, ordered an organ for 100,000 francs to
occupy a gigantic room in his 20,000 m2 Ibarritz castle in the
Basque Country (south of Biarritz). The huge organ hall was
22 meters long, 14 meters wide and 17 meters high. The
organ built for this occasion by Cavaillé-Coll was a copy of his
best concert organ located in the hall of the Albert Hall in
Sheffield since 1873.
The instrument of 1989 included 70 stops on four keyboards
(61 notes) and a 32-note pedalboard. The amphitheater
console included the draw for double-acting stops and
pneumatic motors operated the transmissions. Three
divisions had expression and there were three 32 ’pedal and
three undulating stops.
In 1903, the baron wishing to sell his castle, sold his organ to
Charles Mutin, ACC’s successor, for an unknown price. He
remained in the workshops of Paris until 1913 and was
transferred to the Sacré-Coeur in 1914 where he was housed
in the buffet built by the architect Lucien Magne.
The instrument was inaugurated by Marcel Dupré, Abel
Decaux and CM Widor in October 1919. On this occasion
Dupré played the "Salvum fac populum tuum" for organ and
trumpet choir by C.M. Widor.
Restorations took place in 1930-1931 by Société Cavaillé-Coll,
in 1948 by Jean Perroux and in 1959-60 by Beuchet-Debierre.
Several stops were added to obtain a more "neo-classical"
character. During that restoration, the central part of the
organcase was suppressed on demand of the clergy to
expose the stained glass window behind the organ. This
meant that the Montre had to be shifted and the swellcase of
the Solo had to be divided into two parts (in 1985, the inferior
part of the removed case was rebuild).
The latest restoration was in 1985 by Jean Renaud from
Nantes with the aim to get back to the original symphonic
character of the organ. Since then, the organ has not
undergone any major work other than the restoration of the
main wind tunnel, located in the attic of the basilica. This
work was carried out by Muhleisen in 2013.
This organ has various exceptional characteristics:
•
three of four manuals are expressif
•
it has manuals of 61 tones
•
it has reeds on the Solo 'en chamade' of 16', 8', and 4',
hidden behind the buffet
Approx 70% of the pipes is of Cavaillé-Coll.
Source: www.facebook.com/aristidecavaillec0ll and Victor Weller.
Organiste titulaire
Claudine Barthel, Philippe Brandeis, Gabriel Marghieri.
Concerts
Only Christmas Eve 10p.m.
Masses with organ
Friday 3p.m.; sunday 11a.m., 6p.m., 10p.m., vespers 4p.m. Videos Philippe Brandeis