Restoring the "Voice" of Notre-Dame

By Amanda Saris

When the fire broke out in Notre-Dame in Paris on April 15, 2019, the fears were that the building and all of its contents would be destroyed. The spire and roof did collapse, leaving the nave filled with debris, but the worst was avoided thanks to the firefighters of Paris. Notre Dame itself was saved, along with many priceless works of art. One historically important work of art that came out of the fire almost unscathed was the great organ known as the ‘voice’ of Notre Dame Cathedral. This major organ overlooks the nave of the cathedral from the second story, with the west rose window glowing behind it. The extent of damage to it was water damage and contamination with lead dust particles from the roof and spire. There is also a second, smaller organ in the building, the choir organ, that was extensively damaged from water. It is not clear if this organ will be able to be restored.

Great organ at Notre-Dame.  Nav reet rana, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Pipe organs have an extensive history in Notre Dame, and the cathedral has musically influenced people for generations. Let’s dive into the history behind it all. It is believed that the pipe organ was invented during the time of ancient Greece. It was at first a simplified version of what we know today. Organs began to appear in Christian churches in approximately the 10th century and by the 17th century the modern structure of the organ was being used. It wasn’t until the mid 1300’s that an organ appeared in Notre Dame itself, according to medieval sources. Prior to the addition of an organ, music was still present in the cathedral. However, it consisted only of chants sung by the clergy. It would have been difficult for church goers to hear the chants considering how massive the cathedral is. The incorporation of organ music would have allowed Parisians to hear the music more clearly and from further away.

Choir organ at Notre-Dame.  Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The original pipe organ at Notre Dame lasted for a long time and was restored twice, once in the 1700’s and then the 1800’s. In the 1860’s during the great restoration of architect Viollet-le-Duc, the pipe organ was completely revamped. Organ builder Aristide Cavaille-Col was enlisted to carry out the renovations. He dismantled the original organ and used fragments from it in the creation of the new one. Aside from a handful of minor restorations in the mid 20th century and early 2010’s, this organ has resided in the cathedral for several hundred years.

The great organ has approximately 8,000 pipes, making it the largest organ in all of France. The three main components of a pipe organ are the pipes, the keyboard console, and the wind chest. Each set of pipes has its own pitch, allowing for different notes to be played. High pitched pipes appear squatter in proportions, while low pitched pipes are slenderer. The keys simply allow and disallow wind to be released from the wind chest. As the air moves from the wind chest through the pipes, it produces the sound.

Luckily, the great organ had no actual damage from the fire itself, but it did sustain water damage. The firefighters put a lot of emphasis on keeping fire out of the western end of the cathedral. The stability of the building itself depended on the bell towers which make up much of the west façade of Notre Dame. As a result, the organ took on a lot of water. Adding to that, there was a lot of lead dust from the collapse of the spire and roof. The lead dust coated the organ and its pipes. Major restorations are needed to both repair and clean the musical instrument. The two main focuses are the 8,000 pipes, and the wind chest.

Workers in the interior of the cathedral, October 2019.  Ministère de la Culture, CC BY-SA 3.0 FR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/fr/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

In order to begin the restoration process, experts had to disassemble the organ starting with the removal of the keyboard console. Once that was removed, the painstaking process of removing individual pipes for transportation began. Restoration and cleaning will largely take place in a warehouse in Paris, not on site. However, the sideboards, and some pipes are in too fragile of condition to be moved. They will be taken care of on site. To help protect what remains of the great organ from falling debris, there has been a net placed over it. Officials are hoping to successfully repair and reassemble the organ as soon as possible. After that, the organ will be tuned and ready to play again for all to hear.

There are concerns from musicologists on how the great organ will sound once all is said and done. Decisions on how the cathedral will be restored may alter the soundscape that all modern-day people have associated with Notre Dame. Floor heights, thickness of stone, and the shaping of new vaults will all play a role in how sound will be perceived, as the organ’s soundwaves bounce off the walls and ceiling. Any drastic changes may forever alter the sound of the organ. Should architects try to maintain the exact dimensions and details of the cathedral before the fire, just for the sake of maintaining the soundscape? Would it be a bad thing to modernize the sounds of Notre Dame?

It is doubtful the sounds we have been so accustomed to are the same ones heard in the 14th century. The cathedral has withstood the test of time but has not come out unscathed. With every restoration project, war, and disaster, Notre Dame has evolved as a whole. Perhaps we should allow the soundscape to follow suit, as the cathedral closes another chapter in its long but fascinating history. One thing that will forever remain constant is Notre Dame will never lose her ‘voice’.

Sources:

Willi Apel. “Early History of the Organ.” Speculum, no. 2 (Spring 1948):191-216. JSTOR.

Neville Fletcher and Suszanne Thwaites. “The Physics of Organ Pipes.” Scientific American 248, no. 1 (Winter 1983): 94-103. JSTOR.

Dany Sandron and Andrew Tallon. Notre Dame Cathedral Nine Centuries of History. University Park: The Pennsylvania University Press, 2013. Kindle.