Cavaille-Coll and the Musicians: A Documented Account of the First Thirty Years in Organ Building, 2 Volumes

Two volumes, hardbound, 10-1/4" x 7" overall, 1,534 pages. At no time in its long history has the organ been more thoroughly transformed within a short time than in France during the 1840's. An astounding development was set in motion by the invention of pneumatic devices to assist the manual key touch and the coupling of keyboards. Barker's invention was the crucial ingredient; but it was the young and venturesome Aristide Cavaille-Coll, rather than the established organ builders, who recognized that the little machines provided the key to a new tonal world. Thus, Cavaille-Coll gained a place in history. The extended success of his enterprise relied upon the favorable response of musicians as well as those who controlled the allocation of funds. For this reason, an account of his early years in business includes the reactions of the world about him, and of his own success in exerting control over those reactions. This is not a technical study. No tables of measurements, scales, or other precise data will be found, other than what appear in the letters and contracts included in the archives of the company until 1859. The author presents a chronological account of the influences exerted upon Cavaille-Coll's thought and activity as seen through the documents themselves and the criticisms of his contemporaries. There are also facts concerning musicians in Cavaille-Coll's circle, including new information on his relationship with Cesar Franck and the famous organ at the Church of Ste. Clotilde, Paris. The numerous letters, contracts, and progress reports (all published here for the first time) clear up, once and for all, certain lingering problems about the Ste. Clotilde specification and the registration of Franck's organ works. Author Fenner Douglass (1921-2008) wrote on organ performance and organ music history, most notably this 2-volume set and another book on French organs and music. He taught for many years at the Oberlin Conservatory, then Duke University.

Text: English, French