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Cavaillé-Coll 1-2-3-4

Post-classical period

Upon his arrival in Paris in 1833, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was awarded a contract for a large organ for the basilica of Saint-Denis. This highly innovative instrument would become a model for the more than 600 organs which he would built until his death in 1899. The main innovations of Cavaillé-Coll, incorporated in this organ in their early forms: the Récit-expressive (swell box), which would become the most important keyboard in his symphonic period stops like the flute harmonique and the voix céleste new voicing techniques, which gave a complete freedom of mixing timbres (funds, mixtures and reeds) divided windchests, allowing the use of higher wind pressures where appropriate and an appel anches, permitting to add or subtract all reeds of a keyboard as a group by means of a pedal. introduction of the Barker machine to lower the effort needed to pressing the keys, in particular when playing on coupled keyboards. Cavaillé-Coll built ten (still existing) organs in Paris between 1833 and 1850 (the ‘post-classical’ period), among which the organ in Sainte-Madeleine. Next: - the ' operatic' period (1851-1871) - the ´ symphonic ´ period (1872-1898)
Organs of Paris

Cavaillé-Coll 1-2-3-4

ORGANS OF PARIS © 2024 Vincent Hildebrandt ALL ORGANS

Post-classical period

Upon his arrival in Paris in 1833, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was awarded a contract for a large organ for the basilica of Saint-Denis. This highly innovative instrument would become a model for the more than 600 organs which he would built until his death in 1899. The main innovations of Cavaillé-Coll, incorporated in this organ in their early forms: the Récit-expressive (swell box), which would become the most important keyboard in his symphonic period stops like the flute harmonique and the voix céleste new voicing techniques, which gave a complete freedom of mixing timbres (funds, mixtures and reeds) divided windchests, allowing the use of higher wind pressures where appropriate and an appel anches, permitting to add or subtract all reeds of a keyboard as a group by means of a pedal. introduction of the Barker machine to lower the effort needed to pressing the keys, in particular when playing on coupled keyboards. Cavaillé-Coll built ten (still existing) organs in Paris between 1833 and 1850 (the ‘post-classical’ period), among which the organ in Sainte-Madeleine. Next: - the ' operatic' period (1851-1871) - the ´ symphonic ´ period (1872-1898)