Sacré-Coeur 1 2

35, rue du chevalier-de-la-Barre, 75018 Paris Orgue de tribune

1898 - 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 tribune

1898 - 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