OLIVIER GLANDAZ - ORGAN BUILDER

La Trinité - Paris

This document would not be complete without some words concerning the magnificent organ on which I almost began my career. I will not retrace the history of the instrument, as there are numerous internet articles on the subject.

This organ is interesting because of its exceptional sonorous balance and the mixtures it allows, from the most poetic to thundering cascades. It is an edifice of vast dimensions on which one must play with articulation, otherwise the sound is pasty. I find it lacks some colored stops, an observation Messaien also wrote to me a year or two before he died. I can't bear hearing several stops, like the Pedal Plein-Jeu or the Great Cymbal and the Swell Cymbal. The Positiv , however, is one of the most complete examples in this style. The reeds are exceptional, some foundations are round, even lyric, a bit like the voices of some Wagnerian sopranos: the low notes warm and generous, gaining in intensity as they approach the high tones. As for the mixtures, they seem to me bland and colorless .

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll

March 16, 1869 - Camille Saint-Saëns played the dedication of the Sainte-Trinité organ

with Ch.M.Widor and César Franck

Charles Marie WIDOR played the dedication at La Trinité

(picture at Saint-Sulpice)

1988 - © Olivier Glandaz

One can regret some minor modifications in the character of some of the foundations stops, notably the principals of the Grand- Orgue and Positif divisions.

I remember the arrival of Yanka Hekimova the very last evening I had finished a general tuning after the most recent major restoration. She played the Vierne toccata with amazingly original registrations; I was captivated, spellbound by what I heard.

My friends Arnaud de Beauregard or Vincent Crosnier sometimes help me by staying at the keyboard while I tune the instrument. Often they play on after the job is done and each time I marvel again. Even today they show me new sounds, even though I have spent 28 years with this organ. When they come to help me out, and stay after the task is over to play on, I have the impression that I am hearing a new instrument.

I therefore sincerely encourage those who read these pages to invite one of them to give a concert. You will be able to discover other facets of your organ.

2007 / 2008 Bernard Dargassies helps me on my work on this large organ. On 2008 Spring, we worked on chests.

The two Olivier by the church - © Olivier Glandaz

The Organ (blue italic by O.Messiaen)

The organ was built for the church by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and inaugurated in 1869only two years after the completion of the building. The organist was Charles-Alexis Chauvet and he will hold the position until his death in 1871. The same year, after the events of the « Commune » damaged the organ, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll completely rebuilt it. The appointed new titular is Alexandre Guilmant. He will continue to play the organ until 1901, and most of his published organ music was conceived while he was titular of this great instrument.

The façade of the case, with the pipes of the 16’ Montre of the Grand-Orgue displayed in three towers and several flats, has changed very little since its installation.

The first proposal Cavaillé-Coll submitted for the Trinité organ was for a three-manual instrument of 36 speaking stops. As is often the case, some changes were made in the original proposal, and the instrument as finally built had 46 speaking stops. Later, Guilmant sent a letter asking for additional stops on Swell division. He did not get what he was asking for.

In 1901, organ buider Merklin executed restoration works and made some simple tonal changes. From 1902 to 1929, Charles Quef is the titular of this instrument.

In 1930, I’m appointed as titular organist. In 1934-5, on my request; a restoration is carried out by organ building firm Pleyel-Cavaillé-Coll. The following modifications are made:

Complete restoration of the mechanical system, dust removal from the pipes, some revoicing of old stops.
Addition of 7 new stops:

on Positif : Principal 8’, Cor de nuit 8’, Nazard 2 2/3’, Tierce 1 3/5
on Récit : Bourdon 16’, Nazard 2 2/3', Cymbale III
Relocation of the 4’ Flûtes from the reed chests to the main chests with the foundation stops.
Addition of two combination pedals : Pedal Introduction (Pedal Stops ON); Grand-Orgue to Grand-Orgue 16’.
Addition of Barker levers to the Positif.

nave and organ 1930

The now 53-stop organ was reinaugurated on May 28, 1935 with a recital by Marcel Dupré and his former student, Olivier Messiaen.

From 1962 to 1967, organ building firm Beuchet-Debierre carries out a third restoration, under the supervision of Joseph Beuchetsenior, voicing by Michel Mertz, maintenance by Jean Perrouxand Eugène Picaud(whose son, Jacques Picaud, continued with his work until his death in 1981 then by Olivier Glandaz). Restoration works included:

A new console built by Beuchet (specially by René Oré). It will stay for a full year under the porch before being installed in the gallery. The old one is dismantled and destroyed.

All mechanical action parts were systematically destroyed except for the squares located under the valves and were replaced with electric action components.
Additional toe boards installed in Grand-Orgue and Positif chests.
Addition of a combinatory of adjustable general combinations.
Installation of an enclosed wind chest on Positif that includes the decomposed Cornet, the Piccolo and the Clarinette.
Addition of seven new stops:

on Positif : Clairon 4’, Flageolet 2’, Fourniture IV

on Récit : Bombarde 16’, Tierce 1 3/5’

on Grand-Orgue : Cymbale IV

on Pédale : Plein Jeu IV

In the 1979 restoration, contract by Jacques Picaud, René Oré, François Sebire and Olivier Glandaz rebuilt the electro-numatic system. The last high pipes of the Piccolo are changed to pipes of greater scale.

"the two Olivier" - © Olivier Glandaz

In the 1992-1993 restoration works by myself, Olivier Messiaen requested that certain foundation stops be given a greater sound presence by progressively increasing their intensity towards the high notes. Certain reeds stops will also be increased in intensity and power. A few nicks will be lessened so that the ensemble will be less "gambed" and the attack will be particularly neat and the voicing will give each stop a very specific brightness. The last high pipes of the Piccolo are changed to pipes of greater scale.

For this work Messiaen wished that the Cymbale of the Grand-Orgue Division be dimished: the complete fourth rank has been blocked except the last five notes. The third rank has also been blocked from Ut1 to Sol3. Il also included:

Removal, revision and cleaning of all pipeworks;

rebuilding of pipe hooks in the main organcase with new metal and repairs to the bodies;
work on certain lips, repairs to crushed feet;
replacement of nearly all the wind ducts;
rewiring of the console;
revision of action of keys and stops;
complete cleaning, complete revoicing

The Trinité organ remains a Cavaillé-Coll instrument in all its importance and its magnificence. Original stops are preserved. This organ is particular because each stop has its own personnality, they can be considered as solo stops. This is what Olivier Messiaen often said and it can be verified in each of his organ works where the sound mixtures are very special and can be heard only on his organ.

Two or three years after the death of Messiaen, Jean Bonfils who was the Messiaen's assistant for more than 40 years, has prefered to leave and gave his demission to the parish. Jean Bonfils gave me a call and said to me:

"Dear Olivier, I am sorry to tell you that I won’t be coming to play at Trinité Church any longer. I prefer to leave rather than endure this new situation, one that is as disastrous as it is deplorable. Sharing the position in this way has become intolerable for me. I hope to still have the opportunity of seeing you, perhaps somewhere else.

I renew all my thanks for your exceptional work and unwavering loyalty.

My friendly wishes and affectionate feelings accompany you in this new and tiresome situation."

notes from Messiaen to Olivier Glandaz

1992 - 1993 restoration - © Olivier Glandaz

René Oré has built this console. I've asked to him to come to Paris in 1992 to restaure it

(René Oré has also built the consoles of Ste-Clotilde, St-Etienne du Mont, Angers cathedral, Angouleme cathedral, Nantes cathedral, St-Marcel Church, Palais des Congrès)

In 1988 - 1990 - 1991 Olivier Messiaen wrote to me several letters asking some more additional stops.

The City of Paris did not agree !

Here is what Olivier Messiaen has to say about this instrument:

As it stands now, the Sainte-Trinité instrument is a masterpiece. Original stops by Cavaillé-Coll have been preserved and I have personally insisted on the fact that these stops should retain their wonderful original voice. The various stops added during the restoration works consideraly enrich the instrument with mixtures (pleins jeux, nasards, tierces) and a complete battery of reeds. The electrification and the addition of general combinations resulted in faster response and more frequent and more varied changes of colours. Nevertheless, the most beautiful voices remain those of Cavaillé-Coll: the montres, the flutes, the very powerful reeds, the extraordinary Basson 16' and the wonderful Quintaton 16' on the Positif: they were all designed and built by Cavaillé-Coll.

We often compare the organ in St. Trinité with the one in St. Clothilde (César Franck, Charles Tournemire have been organists). These two organs are brother instruments and were both built by Cavaillé-Coll during relatively the same period. But each one has its own qualities because acoustics are different in both churches.

In the world, there are many instruments that are larger than the one in St. Trinité. Among these, the organ in the Immaculate-Conception Basilica in Washington (USA), the organ in St. John-the-Divine Cathedral in New York (USA) and the large French instruments: St. Ouen in Rouen, Notre-Dame , Sacré-Coeur-de-Montmartre and Saint-Sulpice in Paris. All these instruments are beautiful, imposing. The organ in St. Trinité equals them in power, in majesty and may surpass them in mystery and poetry.

The famous Quintaton 16' on the Positif is without any doubt unique in the world: "I have never heard, anywhere in the world, a sound of such quality". The complete organ repertoire can be played on this instrument: it is not only a Romantic instrument for playing shattering toccatas or César Franck's sweetnesses. The instrument has many mixtures that perfectly fit the music of Cabezon, Frescobaldi, de Grigny and the beauty of its cornets (and specially the Cornet on the Positif being the solo cornet of the instrument) admirably fits Johann Sebastian Bach's ornated chorals. The individual personnality of each stop is perfectly adaptable to modern literature, from Marcel Dupré and Charles Tournemire to contemporary composers.

A few additional notes: the very hermetic and efficient expression box of the Récit generates so to speak a double keyboard: all stops can be played fortissimo and pianissimo with all halfway nuances. The Positif has also an expression box that encloses the Clarinet, all the decomposed Cornet (Cor de nuit 8, Flûte 4, Nasard 2 2/3, Flageolet 2, Tierce 1 3/5) and Piccolo 1. The flues are full and smooth, the foundations are very noble, the small mixtures are striking and very distinctive, the cornets are present, the pleins jeux are sparkling, the reeds are brilliant and very loud. The combination Gambe-Voix céleste is delightful when played pianissimo. The Hautbois on the Récit is very delicate: it can be played in chords which is very rare. The Basson 16' on the Positif is very powerful, it has an extraordinary low voice in the extreme low notes and is reminiscent of Fafner the Dragon or the Beast from the Apocalypse. On the opposite, the Nasard 2 2/3, the Octavin 2, the Tierce 1 3/5 on the Récit - the Flute 4 on the Grand-Orgue - lend to beautiful birdsongs and picture the full virtuosity and the brilliance of the warbler, of the thrush, of the nightingale.

Now, about the Quintaton 16 on the Positif: it is the most original and most poetic voice of the instrument. Combined to the Nasard in the high notes, it produces very beautiful soli; played on this stop, melodic arabesques, fancy sketched scrolls develop unique charm, softness, and power of captivation. The tutti is extremely powerful, even overwhelming, but without hardness: it is perfectly matched with the church's acoustics.

The word "acoustics". We will talk about this concept. Acoustics plays a large role in churches. When the nave is too large, the pillars too numerous, and with projecting ornements, its role can be harmful: sound overlaps, harmonics are fuzzy and part of the music is lost in the confusion. When the nave is too small and ornementation is absent, the sound gets thinner, becomes dry and loses poetry.

At Sainte-Trinité, acoustical proportions are good: no dryness, no interference but a sufficent quantity of "aura" and sound rebound allows harmonic poetry and precision of attacks. If the organist knows how to use the registration and spare, from time to time, useful silences, all the music goes across and speaks within the most thundering crash as are the most mysterious and distant details.

Léon Souberbielle, Olivier Messiaen, Olivier Glandaz

the two Olivier at the organ

"the two Olivier" - private collection under copyright

The master and his organ techician

Short articles found on internet:

The original Cavaillé-Coll organ will be equiped with seven new stops in 1934 by Pleyel plus an addition of a Barker machine to the Positif division. The transmissions will be electrified in the Sixties by Beuchet-Debierre under the direction of Jacques Picaud.. The instrument will then be equiped with a new three manuals console plus combination action. Eight new stops have been added, on a total of sixty one stops who will contribute to its enrichment of mixtures (plein jeu, nazards, tierces) and very complete reeds. Two more restorations will be done in 1979 (Jacques Picaud & Olivier Glandaz) and 1993 by Olivier Glandaz. The current famous organ known as the most perfect state with the one of Saint-Eustache will be held by Olivier Messiaen from 1931 to his death in 1992.

The Organ at the Trinity was rebuilt extensively twice during Messiaen's 60 year tenure yet barely warrants a mention. Olivier Glandaz has written extensively about his relationship with Messiaen the Organist at the end of his life and again - he would have had interesting things to say.