Le buffet de la grande orgue de Saint-Omer
The spectacular baroque façade and ensemble of this Cavaillé-Coll organ was sculpted and crafted in Danish oak by the Piette family (a father, two sons who were both master sculptures, and a son-in-law) from 1716-1721 for the Cathédrale Notre Dame in Saint-Omer. The instrumental workings of the Saint- Omer organ, originally constructed in 1717 by the Desfontaines brothers of Douai, had been denatured over time by repairs and transformations. In 1855 Arisitide Cavaillé-Coll reworked and rehabilitated the organ. The Cavaillé-Coll family was a line of famous French organ makers of the 18th and 19th centuries; in those days the making of masterpieces was often a generational family business.
Vocabulary
un facteur d'orgue: an organ maker
le buffet d'orgue: the organ cabinetry
un chef-d'oeuvre: a masterpiece
©2012 P.B. Lecron
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