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Aix-en-Provence, cathedral organ
a witness of the modernizing folly
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Aix-en-Provence is the city near St. Maximin and it is the
church metropolis of the Provence. The story of the instrument in the Aix
cathedral is exemplary for many other
historical organs not only in France but also in other parts of Europe,
especially those affected by the "Regensburg reform" of the church music.
The Chapitre of the cathedral of the St. Salvator in Aix-en-Provence
decided in 1743 to built a new instrument, the work was entrusted to fr.
Jean Esprit Isnard, dominician friar, who was celebrated French organbuilder
at that time.
In 1745 the instrument was ready on
the Gospel side of the Choir of the Cathedral. On the opposite side, a
mirror - mute - facade was erected, for the esthetical balance.
The organ was fortunate enough to survive the French
revolution without major damages.
In 1802, Thomas Laurent Borme has started some
reparations of the instrument. In 1834 further reparations were made by
Gazeau. Needless to say that the reparations usually ment also alterations
of the instrument, partly also because it was damaged by fallen piece of
roof. The instrument had at that time 4 manuals and 44 stops. |
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However, complete
destruction of the historical instrument was done not by the forces
of the nature but by humans. In 1849, organbuilder Ducroquet
was entrusted with complete transformation of the instrument according to
the romantic fashion of the time. So, the unused "old"
parts of the Isnard magnificent opus was sold cheap to
nearby village and only the organ case with the facade pipes remained as a
witnesses of past glory of the instrument. Not enough, the Isnard work had
to undergo further humiliation. His front pipes were
used as a mere decoration (!) of the mirror facade on the opposite
(epistle) side of the choir. Into the historical case,
Ducroquet constructed completely new instrument with 3 manuals and 38 stops.
The destruction of the historical instrumental parts was complete.
However, the instrument did not suit the taste of his users
very long. In 1880, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (the celebrated master) was asked
to make some alterations. His work included mainly alterations of the
mechanical parts (tracker) where Barker machine and a new console were
introduced. Well, today we mostly regret these "innovations" but at that
time they seemed to be the top technology and among other things they also
served to support the vane glory of 19th century organbuilders.
Nothing was known about the short lifetime of those pneumatic devices.
The tonal plan of the instrument was not changed much by A.
Cavaillé-Coll, he is
believed to alter 5 stops only. |
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irony, his stops were mostly replaced some 40 years after by Merklin, who in
1917 made another "adaptation" of the organ. This time it was in the
"neo-classic" fashion. The romantic stops (which seemed so precious some
decades earlier) were replaced and some aliquotes were introduced. The
restoration comission in 1972 had a difficult task to decide to which state
of the instrument the organ should be restored to... They decided to return
the Ducroquet state, because 32 stops out of 38 bore still his name. The
Cavaillé-Coll's extant elements are: the Barker
machine, the console, the keyboards, the drawstops, pistons, rollerboards
and 2 stops: Gambe and the Céleste of the récit.
In 2001, new profound restauration of the instrument was necessary (the
mechanical parts connected with the "romantic" style of organbuilding have
relatively short lifetime), several new stops were introduced: Trompette and
Gambe on the G.O., Voix humaine on Récit, Picolo 1'
on the Positiv.
Nothing remained from the 18th century
Isnard work, except the wooden parts of the case... The organ which
was fortunate enough to survive various historical misfortunes as wars,
catastrophes and similar did not survive the ultimate catastrophe: the man
and his unstable wishes. C'est la vie, as
French people say. And indeed, there are hundreds of organs with similar
fate, thousands of average "symphonic" organs built into precious historical
cases. The rare extant really historical instruments shine as a diamonds in
the ocean of mediocrity. St. Mary Magdalene probably kept her protective
hand over the Isnard organ of St. Maximin so that we can find after 250
years in its original state! |
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Sources:
- Ph. Cicchero: Les orgues des Cathédrales de France.
EMA, 1999.
- J. R. Cain - R. Martin - J. M. Sanchez: Les Isnard.
Une révolution dans la facture d'orgues. Edisud: Aix-en-Provence,
1991.
- Information from Association Orgue Plus (http://www.orgueplus.net)
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