Neuilly-sur-Seine

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

158 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine

Orgue de tribune OdC >

Saint Jean Baptiste was built in 1831 in a neoclassical style. It suffered serious damage during the 1870 war and then again during the Commune uprising in 1871. From 1911 to 1918, the church was renovated under the leadership of Abbé Salomon, gaining a chapel, meeting rooms, and a presbytery. Architecturally quite simple, this monument follows a basilical plan. The entrance features a pediment topped with a cross and adorned with a Lepaute clock from the Bagatelle estate. Inside, several 17th- and 18th-century paintings are listed as historic monuments. The main altar is crowned by a striking Crucifixion and flanked by two early-18th-century gilded wooden angel statues.

C3 The Great Organ was built in 1873 by Eugène et John Abbey in an older case. In 1904, Charles Mutin did some maintenance works and modified the organ slightly. Between 1937-38 the house Pleyel replaced the transmissions. In 1971, the organ was reconstructed by Jean Bourgarel, who ireplaced some romantic stops with mutations; the rees of the Récit were removed as were all the mechnaical parts and manuals. A électropneumatic system was installed with a new console. En 1983, Jacques Barberis did some maintenance works. In 1992, Jean-Pierre Swiderski partly electrified this instrument. In 2023, the German organ builder Gerhard Grenzing has been selected to carry out the restoration and enlargement of the Abbey organ. Grenzing proceeded to the complete dismantling of the instrument in June 2023 and transport the instrument to his workshops. The main lines of the project: (1) To preserve, restore and enhance the buffet with the removal of lateral additions. (2) To restore the keyboards of "Grand-orgue" and "Récit expressif" by the Abbey brothers. (3) To extend the Pedal to 32 notes. (4) To add a new sound plan "Grand-chorus expressive" on a new windchest, placed on the rear upper tribune with its wind power supply complement. (5) Install a new electric transmission, a new console with three keyboards and pedalboard with a computer. The essence of the project of this restoration was to preserve the organ in a layout that has certainly evolved compared to the primitive organ (the Abbey-Mutin state of 1904), but which remains coherent by increasing it with an additional manual to enrich the sound palette in the same spirit. The mechanical transmission of 1904 that was not returned gave way to an electronically managed transmission. All the vital organs of the organ are preserved and restored (framework, case, tank, windchests, expressive box). The complements only concern the added sound plane. A new three-manual console with pedal was built. A state-of-the-art combinator completes this set. Visually, the side additions to the sideboard are removed due to their poor quality and inelegance. The organcase is thus much better showcased. The sound plan of Pédale, which has remained almost unchanged since the beginning of the twentieth century, remains in this state except for its range, which is extended to 32 notes, in order to meet the requirements of the great organ repertoire. The sound plan of the Grand-orgue keyboard returns to its 1904 stoplist with the exception of the 16' reed stop which is replaced (as in the Bourgarel state) by a Cornet stop with V ranks allowing to maintain a certain aesthetic openness without distorting the instrument since the 16' reed not restored in this location is present in the Grand-chœur. The Récit retains its 8-stop windchest to return to its particular Abbey stoplist: Wooden Bourdon, Narrow Gamba, without 8' Flute... The absence of this last stop is not detrimental since it is planned for the Grand-chœur. The Grand-chœur is an added keyboard of French aesthetic. Its pipes are placed on the upper gallery, hidden behind the case. Its stops complement the existing manuals in a resolutely symphonic perspective by allowing, among other things, the following uses: a large rich and diversified organ base, the possibility of constituting a second plein-jeu, in response to that of the Grand-orgue; a 16' bassoon as a soloist also allows a complement to all the reeds; an 8' solo clarinet. This Grand- chœur is enriched by a windchest independent of mutations placed in its own expressive box, with the aim of using the resulting 16' mutations to flesh out the Pedal. The colours offered by the multiple mutations also make it possible to do justice to the music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (the presence, among other things, of an Eleventh stop whose specific tuning allows the coveted quarter-tones to be heard in some contemporary music). Read more (in French)

Restoration works 2023-2025 Restoration consisting of restoring the instrument to its almost primitive Abbey Mutin state of 1904 and increasing it with an additional keyboard to enrich the sound palette in the same spirit. The mechanical transmission of 1904 that was not returned gave way to an electronically managed transmission. All the vital parts of the organ are preserved and restored (framework, case, tank, windchests, expressive box). The additions only concern the added sound plane. A new three-manual console was built and equipped with a computer. The work was carried out by the Grenzing organ factory with the participation of Denis Lacorre. • 2024 Grenzing console in nineteenth century style (in oak) with three manuals and a pedalboard. Three expressive boxes. • Original wooden windchests preserved and restored in 2024. New windchest (2024) for the Grand-Chœur and the Mutations. • Restoration of the wind tunnel and installation of a new engine in 2024. • Original Abbey pipework (Grand-orgue, Récit and Pedal) restored and refurbished in 2023-2025. Cornet of Jean Bourgarel's Grand-orgue restored and revoiced. New pipework by Gerhard Grenzing for the sound plan of the Grand-chœur and Mutations. • Voicing of the instrument by André Lacroix and Denis Lacorre in 2024-2025. Stoplist 2024 Read more (in French)

Titular organist Olivier d'Ormesson Parish website Video Olivier d'Ormesson Photos Organ: Olivier d'Ormesson & Vincent Hildebrandt