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Sainte

Madeleine

Place de la Sainte-Madeleine, 75008 Paris

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The construction La Madeleine started in 1764 according to a design by architect Pierre Constant d'Ivry, similar to that of the Invalides church. When he died in 1777 his successor, Guillome-Martin Couture, started with a new design, based on the Panthéon. In 1806, Napoleon decided to build a temple in honor of his army on this place and he appointed Pierre- Alexandre Vignon who started with a new design again: a temple based on the 'Maison Carrée', an ancient Roman temple in the French city of Nîmes. With the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, which honored the French Army, the new temple was looking for a new function. After the fall of Napoleon King Louis XVIII determined that it would be used as a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The July Monarchy rededicated as a monument of national reconciliation, and the nave was vaulted in 1831. In 1837 it was briefly suggested that the building might best be utilized as a train station, but the building was finally consecrated as a church in 1842. The Madeleine is built in the Neo-Classical style. 52 Corinthian columns surround the temple, each of them twenty meter high. The pediment sculpture of the Last Judgement is by Lemaire, and the church's bronze doors bear reliefs representing the Ten Commandments. The temple's facade acts as a great architectural counterbalance to the colonnaded facade of thePalais Bourbon across the river. Inside, the church has a single nave with three domes over wide arched bays, lavishly gilded in a decor inspired as much by Roman baths as by Renaissance artists. At the rear of the church, above the high altar, stands a statue by Charles Marochetti depicting St Mary Magdalene being lifted up by angels which evokes the tradition concerning ectasy which she entered in her daily prayer while in seclusion. The half-dome above the altar is frescoed by Jules-Claude Ziegler, entitledThe History of Christianity, showing the key figures in the Christian religion with — a sign of its Second Empire date — Napoleon occupying centre stage.
C3 The Great Organ was completed in 1846, but the plaque of the console reads: "Cavaillé-Coll Père et Fils, facteur d'orgues du Roi, 1845". At that time, Dominique and his son Aristide Cavaillé-Coll were still partners. The two builders had just completed the great organ of Saint-Denis, and the instrument of the Madeleine was one of the first instruments built in the capital. At that time, the organ had 4 keyboards and 46 stops. The entire piping was enclosed in a single case, removing the notion of the contrast between Positif and Grand-Orgue. 1927 The instrument remained intact until 1927, when Mutin performed an overhaul, removed Bourdon 8 and Octavin from the Récit to place a Gambe and a Celeste. 1956-1957 Overhaul and extension by 6 stops by Ets Roethinger (work directed by R. Boisseau): Installation on the Bombarde of a Fourniture IV ranks and a Cornet III ranks on the upper board of the 2nd Trumpet of Cavaillé-Coll. ransformation of said Trumpet into Bombarde 16, by shift. Added a Prestant 4 and a new Cymbal to the Swell . 1970-1971 Restoration by Danion-Gonzalez: Removal of Barker machines (deposited at the Musée du Conservatoire). Electrification of note drawing and stops (direct electric traction for G-O, Bomb. and Pos, electro-pneumatic for Pedal and Swell), New console. with extension of manual keyboards to 56 notes. 32-note pedalboard. New windchests for Pedal and Swell, Change of composition: At the G-O: addition of Piccolo 1 and Cornet V ranks, At the Swell: suppression of the Gambe and the Celeste of Mutin to place a Bourdon 8 and a Larigot 1 1/3 At the Pedal: New Flute 4; voicingby J.-M. Cicchero. 1983 Repair of all the wind supply by Gonzalez. 1988* Dargassies has restored stops transformed or added in 1970: their sound did not correspond to anything: RE Plein Jeu too thin, Octavin 2 replacing a Doublette 2, BO: Octavian flute 4 which had been cut in 1955, GO Piccolo 1 added in 1970 far too skinny, Cornet GO enlarged and moved. As early as 1970, the traction of the PE and RE notes was electropneumatic. However, the GO, PO, and BO had direct electric traction. The sensitivity was very bad, so in 1986 it was replaced by electro-pneumatic machines. 2001-2002 Dargassies added the two stops en chamade that had been planned by Cavaillé-Coll. 2008 At the Récit, there was only one windchest, and the pipes were packed and difficult to tune. In 2008, Dargassies split it in two and put a walkway between it. The stops sound much better and are more easy to tune. This organ has 46 stops out of the original 48, i.e. nearly 95% of the original sound material from 1846. The wind chests are by Cavaillé-Coll with the exception of those of the Pedal and the Swell, which are by Gonzalez. In this organ is the first set of Voix Céleste installed in the world. *a big thank you to Mr Bernard Dargassies for this information.
Organiste titulaire François-Henri Houbart Olivier Périn (titulaire adjoint) Organiste suppléant: Jean-Louis Vieille-Girardet Famous organists in the past: Fessy, Lefébure-Wély, Saint- Saëns, Dubois, Fauré, Dallier, Mignan, Jeanne Demessieux, Odile Pierre. Concerts Monthly on Sunday 4PM Masses with organ Saturday 6PM, Sunday 10h30AM, 6PM; Videos François-Henri Houbart Hendrik Burkard Audio (Festivo) Jeanne Demessieux (Franck) Jeanne Demessieux Jeanne Demessieux Photos organ case: Jeroen de Haan Other photos: Victor Weller & facebook
1846 - Cavaillé-Coll (1) 1927 - Mutin (5) 1957 - Roethinger-Boisseau (2) 1971 - Danion-Gonzalez (3a) 1983 - Gonzalez (5) 1988 - Dargassies (5) 2002 - Dargassies (2) 2008 - Dargassies (6)

III/60 - traction électrique

composition

Photos console: Jeroen de Haan
The organs of Paris

Sainte

Madeleine

Place de la Sainte-Madeleine, 75008 Paris

Orgue de tribune OdC >

ORGANS OF PARIS © 2024 Vincent Hildebrandt ALL ORGANS
Organiste titulaire François-Henri Houbart Olivier Périn (titulaire adjoint) Organiste suppléant: Jean-Louis Vieille-Girardet Famous organists in the past: Fessy, Lefébure-Wély, Saint-Saëns, Dubois, Fauré, Dallier, Mignan, Jeanne Demessieux, Odile Pierre. Concerts Monthly on Sunday 4PM Masses with organ Saturday 6PM, Sunday 10h30AM, 6PM; Videos François-Henri Houbart Hendrik Burkard Audio (Festivo) Jeanne Demessieux (Franck) Jeanne Demessieux Jeanne Demessieux Photos organ case: Jeroen de Haan Other photos: Victor Weller & facebook
C3 The Great Organ was completed in 1846, but the plaque of the console reads: "Cavaillé-Coll Père et Fils, facteur d'orgues du Roi, 1845". At that time, Dominique and his son Aristide Cavaillé-Coll were still partners. The two builders had just completed the great organ of Saint-Denis, and the instrument of the Madeleine was one of the first instruments built in the capital. At that time, the organ had 4 keyboards and 46 stops. The entire piping was enclosed in a single case, removing the notion of the contrast between Positif and Grand-Orgue. 1927 The instrument remained intact until 1927, when Mutin performed an overhaul, removed Bourdon 8 and Octavin from the Récit to place a Gambe and a Celeste. 1956-1957 Overhaul and extension by 6 stops by Ets Roethinger (work directed by R. Boisseau): Installation on the Bombarde of a Fourniture IV ranks and a Cornet III ranks on the upper board of the 2nd Trumpet of Cavaillé-Coll. ransformation of said Trumpet into Bombarde 16, by shift. Added a Prestant 4 and a new Cymbal to the Swell . 1970-1971 Restoration by Danion-Gonzalez: Removal of Barker machines (deposited at the Musée du Conservatoire). Electrification of note drawing and stops (direct electric traction for G-O, Bomb. and Pos, electro-pneumatic for Pedal and Swell), New console. with extension of manual keyboards to 56 notes. 32-note pedalboard. New windchests for Pedal and Swell, Change of composition: At the G-O: addition of Piccolo 1 and Cornet V ranks, At the Swell: suppression of the Gambe and the Celeste of Mutin to place a Bourdon 8 and a Larigot 1 1/3 At the Pedal: New Flute 4; voicingby J.-M. Cicchero. 1983 Repair of all the wind supply by Gonzalez. 1988* Dargassies has restored stops transformed or added in 1970: their sound did not correspond to anything: RE Plein Jeu too thin, Octavin 2 replacing a Doublette 2, BO: Octavian flute 4 which had been cut in 1955, GO Piccolo 1 added in 1970 far too skinny, Cornet GO enlarged and moved. As early as 1970, the traction of the PE and RE notes was electropneumatic. However, the GO, PO, and BO had direct electric traction. The sensitivity was very bad, so in 1986 it was replaced by electro-pneumatic machines. 2001-2002 Dargassies added the two stops en chamade that had been planned by Cavaillé-Coll. 2008 At the Récit, there was only one windchest, and the pipes were packed and difficult to tune. In 2008, Dargassies split it in two and put a walkway between it. The stops sound much better and are more easy to tune. This organ has 46 stops out of the original 48, i.e. nearly 95% of the original sound material from 1846. The wind chests are by Cavaillé-Coll with the exception of those of the Pedal and the Swell, which are by Gonzalez. In this organ is the first set of Voix Céleste installed in the world. *a big thank you to Mr Bernard Dargassies for this information.
1846 - Cavaillé-Coll (1) 1927 - Mutin (5) 1957 - Roethinger-Boisseau (2) 1971 - Danion-Gonzalez (3a) 1983 - Gonzalez (5) 1988 - Dargassies (5) 2002 - Dargassies (2) 2008 - Dargassies (6)

III/60 - traction électrique

composition