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Its history |
François-Henri Clicquot,
the most famous organ builder of his time. |
After the 1681 fire, a work scheme financed by a royal grant of 100.000 “livres” made it possible to have the present organ loft built by the architect Vetault- But the organ itself had to be financed.
« A great 16 feet organ »
The Chapter sold a fine cluster of tall trees situated between Smarves and Ligugé, which brought in 43.268 “livres”. A subscription went up to 12.000 “livres”, and the chapter added 1.517 “livres”.
The Chapter called on the most famous organ builder at the time, François-Henri Clicquot who went to the Canon’s house and made a contract
with them on the 13 August 1787 by the terms of which he would built a “great 16 feet” with 44 stops, 4 manuals and a pedal-board of 28 keys, 2 tremulants and 9 bellows – cost 34.000 “livres”.
The builders started work immediately. The case – drawn by Clicquot and his son – was built by the local artists Favre and Berton. But F.H.
Clicquot died just as the end was in sight, Claude-François, who completed, delivered and presented the instrument on 7 March 1791.
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Jean-Loup Boisseau Adjusting the cornet of the positive
The F.H. Clicquot organ
in St Peter Cathedral Poitiers
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Changes undergone by the instrument
Jean-Albert Villard’s researches enabled him to draw up a survey of all the charges made on the instrument since it was built.
As a matter of fact, thanks to the robustness of the organ and the great care token over the choice of the materials and building, the
instrument held out against misadventures: The most important one took place in 1838, when the rose window was taken down, leaving the organ
un- protected against bad weather and birds.
| 1813 |
Dallery – F.H. Clicquot’s mate and godson – undertook a repairing of the wind supply. |
| 1821 |
Dallery made an unwise modification of the second trumpet of the great organ. |
| 1833 |
Henry undertook a repairing of the wind supply. |
| 1871 |
Merklin replaced 9 wedge–shaped below by 2 multifold reservoirs operated by hand-pump. He replaced the bench and the French pedal-board
by a German one. |
Owing to the lack of money, the instrument did not undergo the change that Cavaillé-Coll intended to realize in order to make it become a
symphony organ. Thus, the lack of means enabled the organ to be kept as it had been conceived.
| 1926 |
The bellows were electrified; and from 1927 onwards, the builder, R. Boisseau, - - later assisted by his son, Jean-Loup – has provided maintenance to the instrument. |
| 1954 |
He adapted a modern pedal-board |
| 1967 |
He proceeded to a mechanism adjustment. |
| 1969 |
He dusted the reed-pipes. |
| 1976 |
he put the second trumpet – displaced en 1821 – back in its original position. |
This renovation allowed the battery of reed-stops to recapture its 1790 brightness and balance.
| From 1988 to 1994 |
The great relevage made by J.L. Boisseau and B. Cattiaux enabled them to put back into their original place all the parts which had been worn out by the weight of years.
The pedal-board was put back in its original up right position, and a wedge-shaped bellows – similar to the original one - was reinstalled.
With a lot of care, the instrument was tuned to the original temperament, based on 4 exact thirds and one closely approximating on A C D F G. |
Thus, we can think that today we can hear the F. H. Aliquot endowed with the same brightness, the same quality in tone as the “Messieurs du
district” heard it on 7 March 1791, for its inaugural recital.
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