Organ in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, France
The ancient organ in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris was built in the reign of Louis XV by Thierry Leselope and the best workmen of his time. In the Eighteenth Century repairs and additions were made by the celebrated Cliquot. Further repairs were made by Dalsey from 1832 to 1838, and in 1863 the French Government confided the complete reconstruction of the instrument to Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. He spent five years over the work, and the new organ was solemnly inaugurated on the 6th of March, 1868.
It will be noticed that this illustration is not a photograph, but a wood engraving, drawn by hand, and the artist was evidently not a musician—he only shows 38 keys on each manual; there should be 56.
It stands in a gallery over the west door of the Cathedral. It has five manuals of 56 notes each, CC to g3, pedal of 30 notes, CCC to F; 86 sounding stops “controlled by 110 registers”; 32 combination pedals, and 6,000 pipes, the longest being 32 feet. The action is Cavaillé-Coll’s latest improvement on the Barker pneumatic lever. The wind reservoirs contain 35,000 litres of compressed air, fed by 6 pairs of pompes furnishing 600 litres of air per second. Here is the specification:
| PEDAL ORGAN (16 STOPS). | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Principal-Basse | 32 | Quinte | 5 2/3 |
| Contre-Basse | 16 | Septième | 4 4/7 |
| Grosse Quinte | 10 2/3 | Centre Bombarde | 32 |
| Sous-Basse | 16 | Bombarde | 16 |
| Flute | 8 | Trompette | 8 |
| Grosse Tierce | 6 2/5 | Basson | 16 |
| Violoncelle | 8 | Basson | 8 |
| Octave | 4 | Clairon | 4 |
| FIRST CLAVIER (GRAND CHOEUR), 12 STOPS. | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Principal | 8 | Larigot | 1 1/3 |
| Prestant | 4 | Septième | 1 1/7 |
| Bourdon | 8 | Piccolo | 1 |
| Quinte | 2 2/3 | Tuba Magna | 16 |
| Doublette | 2 | Trompette | 8 |
| Tierce | 1 3/5 | Clairon | 4 |
| SECOND CLAVIER (GBAND ORGUE), 14 STOPS. | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Violon-Basse | 16 | Octave | 4 |
| Montre | 8 | Doublette | 2 |
| Bourdon | 16 | Fourniture, 2 to 5 ranks | |
| Flute Harmonique | 8 | Cymbale, 2 to 5 ranks | |
| Viola de Gambe | 8 | Basson | 16 |
| Prestant | 4 | Basson-Hautbois | 8 |
| Bourdon | 8 | Clairon | 4 |
| THIRD CLAVIER (BOMBARDES), 14 STOPS. | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Principal-Basse | 16 | Quinte | 2 2/3 |
| Principal | 8 | Septième | 2 1/7 |
| Sous-Basse | 16 | Doublette | 2 |
| Flute Harmonique | 8 | Cornet, 2 to 5 ranks | |
| Grosse Quinte | 5 1/3 | Bombarde | 16 |
| Octave | 4 | Trompette | 8 |
| Grosse Tierce | 3 1/5 | Clairon | 4 |
| FOURTH CLAVIER (POSITIF), 14 STOPS. | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Montre | 16 | Flute Douce | 4 |
| Flute Harmonique | 8 | Doublette | 2 |
| Bourdon | 16 | Piccolo | 1 |
| Salcional | 8 | Plein Jeu, 3 to 6 ranks | |
| Prestant | 4 | Clarinette-Basse | 16 |
| Unda Maris | 8 | Cromorne | 8 |
| Bourdon | 8 | Clarinette Aigue | 4 |
| FIFTH CLAVIER (RECIT EXPRESSIF), 16 STOPS. | |||
| FEET. | FEET. | ||
| Voix Humaine | 8 | *Prestant | 4 |
| *Basson-Hautbois | 8 | *Plein Jeu, 4 to 7 ranks | |
| *Diapason | 8 | Quinte | 2 2/3 |
| *Flute Harmonique | 4 | Octavin | 2 |
| Voix Celeste | 8 | Cornet, 3 to 5 ranks | |
| *Flute Octav | 4 | Bombarde | 16 |
| Voile de Gambe | 8 | Trompette | 8 |
| Quintaton | 16 | Clairon | 4 |
The printed specification kindly furnished to us by Dr. William C. Carl, of New York, who obtained it specially from Mr. Charles Mutin, of Paris, Cavaillé-Coll’s successor in business, is not clear on the matter of couplers. Apparently all the manuals can be coupled to the Grand Choeur; the Grand Orgne and the Grand Choeur to the Pedals; and each manual has a suboctave coupler on itself. One of the combinations to the Pedal organ is designated, “Effets d’orage”—a thunder stop.
The organ was completely overhauled and renovated by Cavaillé-Coll shortly before his death (in 1899) and the stops marked * were inserted in the Swell (Recit Expressif) in place of others. The inauguration announcement states that it is one of the largest and most complete in Europe, and that independently of the perfection of the mechanism it possesses a power and variety of tone hitherto unknown in organ building, and now only realized for the first time. It is undoubtedly Cavaillé-Coll’s finest work, and a lasting monument to his genius.