Ste. Marie Madeleine

St. Maximin en Var
Basilique de Ste. Marie Madeleine

Disposition | Photographs

Introduction

St. Maximin - Isnard Case The Basilica of Mary Magdalene in St. Maximin-en-Var is a huge edifice that dominates the surrounding village and flat countryside. The structure was begun in the late thirteenth century according to a plan by Pierre d'Angicourt. Construction continued in fits and starts for over 200 years, and the last bays were completed only in 1532. In 1772, when the organ was built, the basilica was part of a Dominican Monastery, which the monks were forced to leave during the revolution a few years later. After the revolution the basilica was restored to religious life as a parish church. The budget allowed the organ to be maintained, but not modernized, which resulted - - happily enough - - in its preservation. In spite of some minor changes (including a modern pedalboard), the organ remains a monument of organ-building in late eighteenth-century France.

The organ was built by Jean-Esprit Isnard, a builder who was active in southern France from about 1740 until the 1770's. Although he built instruments from Toulouse to Aix-en-Provence, only the St. Maximin organ remains today in an almost unaltered state.

The case is typical of the French Classical organ in keeping all the pipes of the main case at one level. Its unusual width, comprising five towers separated by flats of pipes, is the result of changes made in the original plan for the instrument, which called for an 8' organ of more modest dimensions. The embracing curve of the main case - - seen more clearly in the second photograph - - gives it a visual interest that prevents it from appearing to be merely a vast wall in the building.

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Disposition

In some respects the Isnard organ at St. Maximin is typical of the French Classical Organ. There are three manual divisions, Grand Orgue, Positif and Récit, with this disposition.

Grand Orgue (C - c"',d"') Positif (C - c"',d"') Récit (c - c"',d"')
Montre 16 Montre 8 Cornet V
Bourdon 16 Bourdon 8 Trompette 8
Montre 8 Flûte 8 Hautbois 8
Bourdon 8 Prestant 4
Double Nazard 5 1/3 Nazard 2 2/3
Prestant 4 Doublette 2
Double Tierce 3 1/5 Quarte 2
Grande Fourniture II Tierce 1 3/5
Petite Fourniture IV Larigot 1 1/3
Cymbale IV Fourniture III
Dessus de cornet V Cymbale III
Trompette 8 Dessus de cornet V
Clarion 4 Trompette 8
Dessus de trompette
en chamade		 8 Clairon 4
Voix humaine 8 Cromorne 8
The stops are unremarkable, and for the most part fit the pattern one would expect in a Classical French organ. The lack of a 4' Flûte is not surprising on an Grand Orgue of only fourteen stops, and at this point in the development of the French organ, the presence of a 5 1/3' in its place is not unheard of. Similarly, the two reeds on the Récit were found on earlier organs, although most imstruments had only one of them.

There are other real innovations here, however.

  • There are two mixtures on the Grand Orgue called "Fourniture," rather than only one. The Grande Fourniture is lower in pitch, and is needed to support the 16' Montre, which was not part of the original specification for the organ.
  • The "Dessus de trompette en chamade" is an unusual stop for a French Classical organ. It is a "dessus" stop in that it plays only from middle c up; its en chamade position gives it a presence in the room that goes far beyond the elegant balance found in earlier French Classical organs.
  • The Flûte at 8' pitch on the Positif is uncommon, especially when there is on 4' flute on the division.
The most notable innovation in this organ, however, is found in the Résonance division. This division is played from manual III, with a permanent coupler allowing its stops to be played from the pedal keyboard. The division, along with the Positif, can also be coupled to the Grand Orgue. The stops of the Résonance are themselves divided, as shown here:
I. II.
Flûte 16 Dessus de flute 8
Flûte 8 Dessus de trompette en chamade 8
Flûte 4 Dessus de cornet V
Bombarde 16
1ere trompette 8
2e trompette 8
Clarion 4
If you look at the stops of this division as constituting a single manual division, they mark a radical departure from the classical tradition in France. However, it is possible to consider them as simply rearrangements of traditions of long-standing in France:
  • The stops in the first column are those that are found in other late eighteenth-century French organs. The tradition of building only two stops (Flûte and Trompette) in the Pédale had expanded by the time this organ was built to include 16' stops, and the presence of two 8' Trompettes is as easily a result of the extremely wide case as the product of any musical thinking.
  • The dessus stops are those that would be found on the Echo division of earlier instruments. Because of their range - - playing only from middle c up, they would not be played by the pedal keys, and they may be considered as continuing the Echo tradition of the past.

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Photographs

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© 2000 AD James H. Cook