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The Great Organ of the Cathedral of Monaco

June 1, 2012
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The new Thomas organ of Monaco is a completely new instrument in a resolutely contemporary façade

 

The present Cathedral of Monaco was consecrated in 1911; exactly one hundred years later, on December 8, 2011, the Archbishop of Monaco proceeded with the blessing of the new organ, the fourth since the consecration of the building. The first organ, attributed to François Mader, was located near the high altar; it proved to be insufficient and the need for a larger organ was rapidly felt. Charles Mutin, Cavaillé-Coll’s successor, turned it into a 50-stop instrument that he installed in two parts placed on either side of the gallery; Emile Bourdon, titular organist, inaugurated it on April 8, 1922. After fifty years of service, this organ showed signs of wear, and was replaced by a 60-stop instrument built by Boisseau; Pierre Cochereau played the opening concert on October 10, 1976. Despite work done by Tamburini in 1987, the results weren’t entirely satisfactory, and the appointment in 2006 of a new organist, Olivier Vernet, gave the impetus to consider a complete rebuild.

Following an international competition, the organbuilding company Thomas1 was entrusted with the work. It was a challenging undertaking since “the specifications forced us not only to reuse most of the existing pipes, but also to recreate their original voicing, in order to conserve the soul of the former instrument in a new body.”2 In fact, the result is a completely new organ, with the exception of some pipes that have been carefully restored (many reeds had been cut too short). The frames, case, windchests, blowers, console, transmissions, and electronic systems are new. The organ builders and architects made the bold decision to remove the organ from the gallery-alcove where it was located, and to use innovative lighting as an architectural element in its own right. Says Dominique Thomas: “We created a resolutely contemporary façade, which plays on both the lightness, transparency and light, blending harmoniously with the architecture of the Cathedral while appearing as an original work of art.” 

The instrument has 77 speaking stops (105 ranks), with 106 stops at the console (the chamades 8 and 4 being playable on all keyboards and pedal at different ranges). Manuals I (Positif de Dos), II (Grand-Orgue), and III (Récit expressif) all have 58 notes (C1–A5). Manual IV (Dessus de Récit) has 41 notes (F2–A5), and the Pédale 32 notes (C1–G3). The key action is mechanical for manuals and pedal; the stop action is electric and assisted by a combination action of 30,000 combinations. The couplers are electric, but there is also a mechanical Positif/Grand-Orgue coupler so that the organist can recreate the typical “old feeling” when interpreting music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Dominique Thomas clearly explains the advantage of the electric coupling: 

 

When playing symphonic or modern organ music, electrical couplers are not a drawback to the touch of the organist and have the advantage of not obliging excessive reduction of the touch. When using Barker levers for coupling in instruments of much smaller size, Cavaillé-Coll already considered the full opening of the pallet when the organist’s finger was still only half way down an advantage. 

 

There is also a playback system that enables organists to listen to their own playing from the nave.

The wind supply is particularly well designed: two Ventus blowers, 140 mm and 160 mm water column respectively, feed primary reservoirs that provide wind to wedge bellows for the Positif, Grand-Orgue, and Dessus de Récit. The Récit expressif, in turn, receives its wind from two reservoirs that feed the bass and treble separately, ensuring perfectly stable wind, while the wedge bellows give some flexibility for playing the classic repertoire. The wind pressures used are: 

Chamades: 91mm

Positif de Dos: 78mm

Grand-Orgue: 91mm

Récit expressif: 106mm

Dessus de Récit: 91mm

Petite Pédale: 112mm

Grande Pédale: 134mm.

Dominique Thomas describes the tonal architecture as “primarily a French classical organ, opening toward the symphonic style.”
 This organ falls in the French neo-classic organ tradition with its three traditional divisions, large symphonic Récit, and the well-furnished Pédale. This concept was first highly prized in the 1930–50s, then severely criticized in the 1960–70s. But it was, in fact, above all the modifying of existing instruments, both classic and symphonic, that was the subject of vehement condemnations.3 What matters most, after all, is the resulting sound, and there is no denying that the new organ of Monaco is an amazing musical instrument. As Olivier Vernet quite rightly wrote: “As a synthesis of the past with the most elaborate contemporary technology, this wonderful instrument, thanks to the huge variety of its tonal palette, is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.”

 

Photo credit: Jean-Louis Coignet, unless indicated otherwise

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