The dismantling of the Grand organ of the cathedral of Paris has just begun. While the instrument was spared by the fire of April 15, 2019, its condition requires careful restoration which should be completed in 2024.
“It was a very delicate phase, a source of great stress for all of us”, explained Christian Lutz, consulting technician for historic monuments in the columns of Figaro on August 1, 2020.
Restoration work on the large organs began with the dismantling of the instrument console, made of oak and weighing half a ton, comprising five manuals for the hands, one for the feet, and 115 stops. Spared by the fire, the instrument is clogged with soot and dust.
It took 25 minutes to bring the whole thing down thirteen meters below. But the most important work remains to come, the task of “dismantling each of the 8,000 pipes of the 115 stops of the instrument” to clean them, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, president of the public establishment responsible for the restoration of Notre -Lady, presented to AFP.
The soldier mentioned that the timetable decided by President Emmanuel Macron will be respected, since “we have long prepared and planned this meticulous operation so that the great organ can sound on April 16, 2024”.
Another challenge is that of analogous conservation and restoration. The storage conditions will be essential so that “all the harmony, all the original sound of the organ remains intact after the procedures”, adds Mario d’Amico, the site manager.
The organ of Notre-Dame de Paris dates from 1733. It is the largest in France, along with that of Saint-Eustache.
