Renew: The Great Organ
Estimated Cost: €4,050,000
Creating beauty through music and singing inspires the hearts and minds of all who enter The American Cathedral in Paris. This extensive and long-awaited restoration project will include, but will not be limited to, the following.
Pipework
We will rescue and repair the original Cavaillé-Coll pipework, using the same materials, design principles, scaling, and voicing parameters as laid out in Aristide Cavaillé-Coll’s original design. All new pipework installed will blend seamlessly into the sound of the original pipes as they are restored.
Gallery Organ
We will rebuild and reposition the gallery organ at the rear of the nave, which has been out of commission for almost three years. For the first time in almost fifty years, the splendor of the stained glass window at the back of the nave will be completely revealed.
The new gallery organ will be rehoused in two freestanding, custom built organ cases, one under each of the arches at the rear of the nave, resting on four elegant, decorative wooden columns that will allow continued free access under the arches.
Chancel Organ
We will reposition the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the chancel to bring as much sound to the nave as possible.
The organ chambers and divisions will be rearranged and repositioned to improve sound egress so both the choir and those seated in the nave can enjoy fuller, clearer music.
Over time pipes have become overcrowded, limiting or preventing access for essential maintenance and cleaning. Through this effort, maintenance access to the chancel organ will be optimized.
We will install two new decorative wooden cases with identical facades to house the chancel organ on opposite sides of the choir.
Consoles and System
Two new consoles will be installed: a movable console that will add versatility of use, and a repositioned, fixed console near the chancel organ.
A modern technical system to operate the entire instrument will be installed. We will update all mechanical, electrical, and cabling equipment, eliminating safety and fire hazards.
This organ project is major and is expected to take approximately thirty-six months to complete, beginning in 2023 with phase one work on the gallery organ. The plan is that throughout the project either the chancel or the gallery organ will be operational to allow for organ music to continue without interruption.
Click on the slides below to learn more about the current state of the organ.
A Long Time Coming
The organ has been a concern for years, and has been the subject of much consideration, many studies, and much behind-the-scenes work that has led the Vestry, in 2022, to approve a current Capital Campaign with the objective of raising enough money to fully restore and renew the instrument to its fullest potential. Three articles in the Cathedral's biannual publication, Trinité Magazine, tell the story of the organ's history, trace the growing concern over its decline, and interim 'band-aids' applied to help keep it limping along.
