Bordeaux Cathedral – Choir Organ

The existence of a choir organ in the cathedral dates back to the year 1594, when a certain Guillaume added a Nazard playing “to the small organ placed on the choir rood screen”.

In 1617, Charles de la Broye cleaned and added the missing pipes and a tremblant.

In 1619, Antoine Lefebvre raised the organ whose composition became the following on a single keyboard: Montre 6 – Flute 4 – Nazard 3 – Doublette 2 – Fourniture III – Cymbal II and 3 sets of 8 feet on the pedal.

Between 1627 and 1630, Valéran de Héman raised the organ and added a clarion set and a new wind tunnel.

In 1656, Jehan Haon raised the organ.

In 1670, Father Catets, a Cordeliers religious, added a second keyboard of positive. In 1672, he repaired the wind tunnel and carried out a major cleaning.

In 1712, François Lépine raised the organ and added a new cromorne to the positive keyboard.

In 1755, François Dayries and Bernard Bégué carried out a restoration.

During the Revolution, the choir organ suffered the same fate as the main organ.

In 1842, Abbé Larroque, in sub-contracting with Nicolas Henry, proposed a choir organ which was only assembled in 1845 by Henry. In a sideboard by the carpenter Piton de Bordeaux, the organ was placed in the axis of the choir, between two pillars.

In 1873, Georges Wenner offered a choir organ for the sum of 15,000 francs. The new instrument was only installed in the course of 1874 at its current location.

In the 1970s, the Beuchet-Debierre house modified and electrified the instrument.

The buffet is made up of the woodwork of the stalls of the canons’ choir, on the epistle side. Three flat faces of seven tin pipes each make up the facade. The console is separate placed in front of the two rows of stalls. Two 56-note manual keyboards and a 32-note pedal board (borrowed pedal sets only speak on 27 notes). Electric pulling of the notes, mechanical pulling of the keys.