In the plan to maintain the cultural heritage of the City of Paris, this organ is among the four prestigious and emblematic instruments, classified as Historic Monuments, requiring a fundamental restoration. Restoration issues Built in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a buffet dating from 1757, reusing part of the piping of the earlier instrument, the organ of the Church of SaintGermain- l'Auxerrois was, before the Revolution, in the Sainte- Chapelle. It was transferred in 1791 and its integration into this new building was the subject of much debate. The instrument underwent expansion work by Pierre and François Dallery in 1792, followed by further transformations in 1813, 1826 and 1840 by the Dallerys, then in 1850 by Ducroquet, in 1865, 1881 and 1900 by Merklin and in 1981 by Adrien Maciet. He never knew a state that could be described as definitive. Paradoxically, the prestige of the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois church, parish of the kings of France, the fame of Clicquot, the innovative design of the buffet and the richness of its stylistic evolution, make this organ one of the most interesting in the capital. To stop the inevitable degradation of the organ, a conservatory operation was carried out by the City of Paris in 2008 and entrusted to the builder Laurent Plet. With the partial removal of the piping, an inventory was carried out as part of a preliminary study carried out by Christian Lutz, a technician-counsel for the State. The eventful history of the instrument today gives us a great heterogeneity of heritage elements and makes the definition of a future restoration complex. Long desired by the organists of the last third of the twentieth century, the return to the Clicquot organ can hardly be envisaged because there are too few components of the organ of 1771 and one would lose a lot to subtract the more recent elements of a certain quality. In a desire to preserve all the old material in the organ and to identify a real musical personality, two possibilities will be presented to the National Commission of Historic Monuments which will arbitrate on the final program: • The return to the composition of Merklin of 1881 • A somewhat "classicized" composition Expected work time: 24 months Call to Patronage: 1140,000 euros, exclusive the costs related to the project management, which will be borne by the City of Paris. Source

Saint-Germain-

l'Auxerrois

2, Place du Louvre, 75001 Paris

Gallery organ Choir organ >

E4 The organ comes from the Sainte-Chapelle. It was built in 1771 by François-Henri Clicquot in a case built in 1756 and 1757 by the carpenter Lavergne after a drawing by Pierre- Noël Rousset. It was a large 8 feet of four keyboards and pedalboard. 1791 In 1790, the Sainte-Chapelle was deconsecrated, and the parish of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois bought and reinstalled the organ. Pipework from the old organs of the École Militaire and the collegiate church of Saint-Honoré was also incorporated. It was most likely moved by Pierre Dallery (who had worked with François-Henri Clicquot before his death in 1790). 1838–1841 During the first half of the 19th century, the organ underwent various changes, but between 1838 and 1841 Louis-Paul Dallery made major alterations: he changed the stop list, rebuilt the wind system, and added a German- style pedalboard for the organist at the time, Alexandre- Pierre-François Boëly, who wanted to play Bach’s works. The organ then had 36 stops. Dallery added a Bourdon 8′ to the Great, a Clarinet 8′ to the Positive, an English Horn to the Swell, and extended the pedal by eight notes. It now had four manual keyboards. 1847–1850 Ducroquet restored it, making significant changes: he reduced it to three manuals, rebuilt the Great windchests, created a new Swell box, and replaced the Positive Tierce with a 4′ Salicional. 1864 Joseph Merklin, who had taken over Ducroquet’s Paris workshop, reworked it slightly. He gave the foundation stops a flared voicing, but left most of the original reeds intact—except the second Great Trumpet, which was lowered to a 16′ Bombarde. He rebuilt the pedal windchest and added a Barker lever machine for the Great and couplers. The organ then had 35 stops across three manuals and pedal. 1900 Gutschenritter carried out a major overhaul. 1970–1980 Adrien Maciet did various jobs, replacing the Positive’s Salicional 8′, Flute 4′, and Clarinet 8′ with a Tierce, a Cromorne, and two mixtures. He also restored Clicquot’s second 8′ Trumpet, which Merklin had altered. 1995–2005 The deteriorating instrument fell silent. In 2005, Paris builder Michel Goussu got it blowing again. 2008 Laurent Plet overhauled it. Maciet’s additions were repositioned and revoiced, the original reeds were refitted to restore Clicquot’s Grand Jeu, Merklin’s changes and voicing were preserved and restored, and Ducroquet’s Swell—now barely audible—was brought back to life. Planned: An overhaul by the firm Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat. 22 out of 34 stops date back to the 18th century. Similar to the organs at St. Roch and St. Laurent, this organ has two faces: a classical face and a 19th century-face.

Titular organist Michael Matthes Wiliam Gross et Victor Souza, suppléants Organistes célèbres ayant illustré l’instrument : Louis-Claude Daquin (around 1738), Alexandre Boëly (1840- 1851) Parish website Videos Michael Matthes Photos Buffet : Jeroen de Haan Eglise : Vincent Hildebrandt