Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Place Frantz-Liszt, 75010 Paris

Gallery organ Choir organ >

C2 1851–1852 After submitting two proposals, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was commissioned to build the new grand organ, which was inaugurated on 26 January 1852 by the titular organist Peters Cavallo and Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wély. It was on this instrument that Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens performed several times during February 1852 before an elite audience, astonishing listeners with the perfection of his technique and the grandeur and discipline of his style. Cavaillé-Coll incorporated many innovative ideas in organ building, including the use of piston chests (a system developed around 1845 by Eberhard-Friedrich Walcker of Ludwigsburg), glass panels for the swell box, a differentiated layout of the windchests within the two cases, and the application of different wind pressures. The organ comprised 47 stops across three manuals of 54 notes each and a German-style pedalboard of 25 notes. The case, designed by the church architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff and executed by Napoléon Liénard (sculpture) and Poncet (woodwork), displays an original layout: two separate cases that leave the rose window in full view along the central axis of the façade. The left case contains the pipework of the Positif and Récit, the UT (C) chest of the Grand-Orgue’s Montre (Montre 16′, Gambe 16′, Montre 8′, Gambe 8′, Montre 4′, Voix céleste 8′), and the UT pedal chest. The right case houses the UT♯ (C♯) chest of the Grand-Orgue Montre, the two chests for the other stops of the Grand-Orgue (divided into bass and treble), and the UT♯ pedal chest. This arrangement reflects Cavaillé- Coll’s extensive experimentation with wind supply. In addition to using Barker machines for couplers and stop action, he placed the Montre ranks on two special valve chests with different air pressures. The other Grand-Orgue stops were set on two chests, each supplied with its own pressure level. A cleaning and overhaul were carried out by Cavaillé-Coll between 1859 and 1863. 1927 Work was undertaken by Charles Mutin around 1927. The exact nature of the intervention is unknown, but it likely included a reversal of the first two manuals: the Positif (originally first) became second, and the Grand-Orgue (previously second) was moved to first position. 1961–1970 Organ builder Jean Hermann began enlarging the instrument and electrifying the action. A fourth manual was planned—an expressive Echo division featuring neo-baroque stops in a style quite different from the original organ. Following Hermann’s death in 1965, the work was continued by the Gonzalez firm (Georges Danion). They restored and expanded the organ, introducing neo-classical stops and revising the wind system. • The key and stop actions were electrified. • A detached four-manual console, with pedalboard, was installed on the side gallery, although the fourth division was never built. • The manual compass was extended to 61 notes, and the pedalboard to 32 notes. Gonzalez returned in 1979 to clean the instrument after a fire in the church in 1972. 1990 Major maintenance carried out by Marc Hedelin. 2009–2011 Bernard Dargassies carried out a major overhaul, dividing the Grand-Orgue into two sections to create a Bombarde division on the fourth manual. The transmission, combination system, and stop controls were replaced, and the electric transmission multiplied. Adjustments were also made to the wind system, including the addition of a regulator for the Pedal. After flood damage, Dargassies restored the Positif windchests and performed another overhaul. The Cavaillé-Coll pipework (currently 49 ranks from the original organ) has always been preserved and remains unaltered apart from necessary repairs. The original mixture stops, however, are no longer present. Many thanks to Bernard Dragassies for his additional informations. Wind pressure

Titular organist Pierre Cambourian Famous organists in the past: G. Lemmens, Léon Boellmann, Louis Braille, Jean Costa Parish website Videos Jean Costa (audio) Photos Case: Dominiek Lust (facebook) Details case: Jeroen de Haan Church: Vincent Hildebrandt