ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt HOME ALL ORGANS
The organ builders of
the 19th century
Abbey
Barker Cavaillé-Coll Dallery Callinet/Daublaine/Ducroquet Merklin Somer Stoltz Suret Béasse/Bonneau - Clergeau - Delmotte - Didier - Fermis - Gadault - Krischner - Link - Loret - Ménard - Martin - Van BeverOrgan building in the 19th century:
an exciting era in Paris!
During the first decades of the 19th century, the organ building activities in Paris are scarce. The town and its churches are still recovering from all the devastations endured during the revolution. In the first three decades, it is mainly Dallery who performs maintenance works on some organs and who even builds a new organ (for the chapel of the Sorbonne , 1825). Dallery and this organ can be seen as the last representatives of the French classical organ building era. From 1830 onwards, organ building activities do increase slowly, with Daublaine-Callinet in the lead in the third decade and Cavaillé-Coll taking the lead in the rest of this century, starting a new and exciting chapter in the Parisian organ history. In the second half of the 19th century (and continuing in the first decade of the 20th century), the organ building reaches a unprecedented booming era in Paris, with Cavaillé-Coll being by far the market leader, and Merklin and Abbey being his main competitors.
The table shows the main organ builders of the 19th century and
the numbers of organs they built or restored and/or renovated.
This table shows clearly the dominance of Cavaillé-Coll.
Organs of Paris
ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt
Organ building in the 19th century:
an exciting era in Paris!
During the first decades of the 19th century, the organ building activities in Paris are scarce. The town and its churches are still recovering from all the devastations endured during the revolution. In the first three decades, it is mainly Dallery who performs maintenance works on some organs and who even builds a new organ (for the chapel of the Sorbonne , 1825). Dallery and this organ can be seen as the last representatives of the French classical organ building era. From 1830 onwards, organ building activities do increase slowly, with Daublaine-Callinet in the lead in the third decade and Cavaillé-Coll taking the lead in the rest of this century, starting a new and exciting chapter in the Parisian organ history. In the second half of the 19th century (and continuing in the first decade of the 20th century), the organ building reaches a unprecedented booming era in Paris, with Cavaillé-Coll being by far the market leader, and Merklin and Abbey being his main competitors.
The table shows the main organ builders of the 19th
century and the numbers of organs they built or restored
and/or renovated.
This table shows clearly the dominance of Cavaillé-Coll.
The organ builders of the 19th century
Abbey
Barker Cavaillé-Coll Dallery Callinet/Daublaine/Ducroquet Merklin Somer Stoltz Suret Béasse/Bonneau - Clergeau - Delmotte - Didier - Fermis - Gadault - Krischner - Link - Loret - Ménard - Martin - Van Bever
