The Great Organ of Beauvais Cathedral
Built in the late 1970s, the current instrument comprises around 5,500 pipes and 77 stops. Through its power, its tonal range, and its versatility, it ranks among the great organs of France.
An instrument designed for the cathedral’s space
Installed at the west end of the cathedral, aligned with the choir, the Great Organ occupies a vast gallery built specifically to house it.
The oak casework and the large metal pipes form a monumental architecture that converses with the Gothic volumes of Saint-Pierre.
The instrument can render a very wide range of styles, from early music to great symphonic and contemporary works.
The organs through time
Several instruments succeeded one another in the cathedral before the current Great Organ was built.
A new Renaissance organ
An instrument is built in the south transept, probably with three manuals and a pedalboard.
An experimental organ
Organ builder Cosyn creates a large instrument in the south transept, reusing several older stops.
Destruction
The bombing of Beauvais shatters the great organ, which then falls silent for more than thirty years.
Reconstruction
Danion-Gonzalez dismantles what remains, then builds the new instrument at the back of the nave.
The earlier organs
The existence of an organ in the cathedral is documented as early as 1530, when the chapter decided to replace an older instrument.
The organ built between 1530 and 1532 stood in the south transept, near the baptismal font chapel. Its exact composition remains poorly known, as the chapter’s archives were lost in a fire in 1940.
A bomb that struck the building in June 1940 completely shattered the instrument.
The new instrument
The current Great Organ was built by the Danion-Gonzalez firm under the direction of the Ministry of Culture. A few elements of the earlier organ were incorporated into the new instrument.
- 77 stops;
- around 5,500 pipes;
- oak casework;
- large façade pipes 11.70 meters long;
- maximum diameter of around 40 centimeters.
Installing the Great Organ
After the dismantling and inventory work begun in November 1970, it was decided to place the new organ in a more traditional position, at the back of the nave.
Assembling an instrument of this scale required bringing particularly imposing pipes into the cathedral and close coordination between organ builders, architects, and the Historic Monuments authorities.
The small choir organ installed in 1850, meanwhile, has been preserved and remains in working order.
Building the gallery
The cathedral’s wooden west end was entirely reworked so that the arch and the rose window would sit at a harmonious height relative to the new organ.
Four piers support the gallery. Anchoring them required excavations beneath the cathedral floor.
These archaeological investigations uncovered the foundations of the transept and part of the apse of the earlier cathedral.
The qualities of the great organ
Its composition and dimensions make it possible to tackle a particularly wide-ranging repertoire.
Power
The instrument can fill the cathedral’s immense volume without losing the clarity of its lines.
Variety of timbres
Its 77 stops offer a great diversity of colours, from the softest sounds to the full ensemble.
Flexibility
The design of the console and the action makes registration changes and orchestration easier.
Repertoire
The organ brings out works ranging from the Middle Ages to contemporary composition.
Jean Galard
Jean Galard’s playing spans a very wide repertoire, from the Middle Ages to contemporary music. He is also renowned for his talent as an improviser.
In his view, the Great Organ of Beauvais possesses particularly luminous tones and remarkable orchestration possibilities for an instrument of this size.
In 1989, he premiered an Oratorio de la Genèse in the cathedral. He also teaches organ and improvisation.
Plan your visit
The Great Organ comes fully into its own during services, concerts, and musical events held in the cathedral.
