The grand organ of Notre Dame de Vimoutiers

The **grand organ of Notre Dame de Vimoutiers** is a little known organ made by Aristide Cavaille-Coll in 1899 as one of the last organs to leave his workshop before his death. The organ sustained only minor changes throughout its lifespan, and was recently restored to the Cavaille-Coll specification. The organ was played by famous organists such as Vierne, Guilmant, Pincemaille, and Cochereau. The organ is a national historic monument as of March 2012.

## The history of the organ

The church is the second church of the region, and it's conduction was completed in 1896, and the organ was made in 1898, and delivered in 1899. In the time when the grand organ was under construction, a small choir organ by Peirre Clergeau and a harmonium are used to accompany the services. This choir organ would be restored by Cavaille-Coll when the main organ was installed in 1899. The organ was funded by Eugene Laniel. Despite Aristide still being alive, the contact for the organ was signed by Charles Mutin, and he probably made most of the organ's pipes as well. The original contract called for 30 stops and 2000 pipes, but this number would not be achieved as the Plein-jeu of the grand orgue was reduced from 5 ranks to three, making the pipe count 1664 in reality.

In 1905, Charles Mutin returns to Vimoutiers to perform maitnence on the organ. It goes without any other work until 1945, when Pierre Chéron performs work to clean and fix the organ after the church was hit during a allied bombing raid of german troops in the area. The organ is alted by Jules Lambert in 1952, featuring the additon of 4 stops to the positif on a tubular pneumatic chest above the case, as well as the voix humaine of the recit being replaced by a cymbale. In 1972, Antoine Séquiès again restores the organ. Following the organ's appointment to the position of natonal historic monument, fundrasing for a proper restoration was begun. The Lambert additions are removed in 2018 by Robert Freres, and the organ is restored to Cavaille-Coll's specification. The console is slighty altered (covering of the stop holes drilled by lambert), and the old foot-pump feeders are releathered & reconnected. The organ has been in regular use since then, used in both concerts and service.

## Technical details

The organ case is divided into two identical organ cases on each side of the large glass window. The left case contains the grand orgue and the positif. The Positif is parallel to the façade, arranged with the bass pipes in the middle and the treble pipes on the sides, like the French classical recit. Behind this is the grand orgue, it's wind chest is perpendicular to the façade, and it is chromatic in arrangement, with the basses at the back of the case and the treble at the front. The largest bass pipes of the grand orgue stops, all made of wood, are conveyed to the back wall of the case. The right case contains the recit expressif, contained in a swell box with two pairs of swell shades, one opening behind the façade and the other to the space between the organ cases. The pedal is divided over both sides, located at the very back of the cases. Some of the very lage bass pipes lay sideways along the side walls of the cases.

The console is located between the two cases, slighy closer to the grand orgue side, facing the recit side. The jeux de fonds stops are located on the left side jamb and the jeux de anches are located on the right. The Pedalboard is flat and has 30 notes, and the manuals have 56 notes. The grand orgue and it's couplers are assisted by a barker machine to lighten the touch. This machine is located under the windchest of the grand orgue, just behind the console.

The winding system consists of two bellows connected by a flexible wind line in the bottom of each case. Connected by metal rods, these two bellows are linked to act as one large one, and one of these pairs is located in each case to supply wind. The barker machine has two of its own concussion bellows to supply the wind. In the tower behind the grand orgue side, there are two static bellows that store the initial wind that is generated by a pair of feeders powered by one calcant on a stepper-like device. Only the grand orgue and recit wind chests have proper double laythes for the jeux de anches; the positif and pedale only have reversibles for thier singular stop that woulf fall under jeux de anches (trompette and bombarde respectively).

## Specification

### (I) Grand Orgue

*Barker lever for key and coupler action.*

Jeux de fonds:
 Flûte harmonique
 Salicional

*See below for full data for great.*

10 stops, 12 ranks.

### (II) Positif

 Unda Maris
 Flute Dulce
 Trompette

### (III) Recit-Expressif

Jeux de fonds:
 Viole de gambe
 Flute Octaviante
 Basson et Hautbois

*See below for full data for recit.*

Jeux de anches:
 Basson
 Trompette

10 stops, 10 ranks.

### Pedale

 Bombarde

4 stops, 4 ranks.

### Combination pedals

Listed left to right as they appear at the console.

*Orage pedal, I/P, II/P, III/P, Appel Bombarde 16 (ped), Anches grand orgue, Appel Trompette (pos), Anches recit, Expression recit, Grand orgue sub octave, Grand orgue unsion off, II/I, III/I, Recit sub octave, III/II, Tremulant Recit.*