ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt HOME ALL ORGANS
Gonzalez-Danion
L’oratoire du Louvre (1962)
Parisian organs built by (Danion-)Gonzalez
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Orgue de chœur (1937) Notre-Dame-d'Espérance (1946) Eglise Protestante Unie Oratoire du Louvre (1962) Saint-Joseph artisan (1966) Chapelle de École militaire (1970) Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette (1970) Saint-Pierre-du-gros-caillou Conservatoire Municipal Maurice Ravel (1984)
Victor
Gonzalez
(1877-1956)
was
one
of
the
last
apprentices
with
Aristide
Cavaillé-Coll
(from
1894
to
1898)
and
then
worked
for
the
organbuilders
Gutschenritter
(1899
to
1905),
Limonaire
and
the
pipe
maker
Gustave
Masure
(1905
to
1914).
In
1921
he
went
into
partnership
with
the
mechanic
Ephrem
and
they
worked
together
on
the
organ
of
Saint-
François-Xavier
in
Paris
in
1923.
It
was
during
this
time
that
he
became
friends
with
the
organist
André
Marchal,
the
musicologist
Norbert
Dufourcq
and
Bérenger
de
Miramon
Fitz-James,
co-founder
of
the
Association
des
Amis
de
l'orgue.
Together,
they
established
the
principles
of
a
new
organ
aesthetic,
merging
as
harmoniously
as
possible
the
characteristics
of
the
French
Classical
Organ
with
the
achievements
of
the
Romantic
and
Symphonic
Organ
to
create
a
synthesis
leading
to
the
design
of
a
modern
organ
capable
of
playing
the
repertoire
of
all
eras
("neoclassical
organ").
In
1922,
Victor
Gonzalez
founded
an
organ
factory
in
Vanves
and
in
1930
he
founded
with
his
son
Fernand
the
Établissements
Gonzalez,
Sarl.
The
German
organ
builder
Rudolf
von
Beckerath
worked
there
as
an
apprentice
and
then
as
director
from
1929
to
1936,
bringing
the
style
of
the
North
German
organ
(harmonization
with
Plein-vent,
reed
stops
with
short
bodies.
Victor
Gonzalez
died
in
Paris
on
June 3, 1956.
After his death in 1956, the firm was led by Georg Danion.
More information on Gonzalez…
Georg
Danion
(1922-2005)
was
about
to
start
a
carrier
as
violist
when
the
second
world
war
break
out.
During
that
war,
he
met
Annik
Gonzalez,
one
of
the
daughters
of
Fernand
Gonzalez,
Victor’s
son,
who
worked
with
him
in
the
company.
After
the
war
George
Danion
married
Annik
and
Annik
made
him
discover
the
metier
of
organ
building.
As
Fernand
died
in
the
war,
he
could
soon
replace
his
father-in
-law
in
the
firm.
When
Victor
died
in
1956,
Danion
took over the firm.
In
1962,
he
bought
the
Maison
Jacquot-Lavergne
and
transferred
his
workshop
to
that
company
in
Rambervilliers
(Vosges), with an annex near Paris (Brunoy).
In
1988,
Georges
et
Annik
Danion-Gonzalez
left
the
firm
in
Rambervilliers
in
favor
of
Jean-Michel
Jamet
and
Bernard
Dargassies
and
moved
to
Lodève,
where
they
had
founded
the
Manufacture
Languedocienne
de
grandes
orgues
in
1980,
at
the
former
place
of
the
workshop
of
the
organ
builder
Edmond
Costa
(Manufacture
Lodévoise
de
grands
orgues,
1961-1972).
In
1998,
at
the
retirement
of
Danion,
the
management
of
this
firm
was
taken
over
by
Charles-
Emmanuel Sarélot (son of Charles Sarelot, organ builder).
The Danion-Gonzalez firm constructed and restored a great
number of Parisian organs and was the main competitor of the
Beuchet-Debiere firm in the second half of the XXth century.
Jean-Marc Cicchero
Bernard Dargassies
Jaquot-Jeanpierre / Jacquot-Lavergne
The French neo-classical school
Until 1925, organ aesthetics had followed music trends of the end of the 19th century and of the beginning of the 20th century with romantic and symphonic music. Organ builders of this period, for which the most renowned were Merklin and Cavaillé-Coll, offered organ design with an important number of foundation ranks and a significant expressive great section, providing a very symphonic sound result. Therefore, we speak about orchestral organ. The neo-classic organ is the outcome of the collaboration of Victor Gonzalez, the musicologist Norbert Dufourcq and Master André Marchal, titular organist, among others, of the Saint Eustache's great organ from 1945 till 1963. While preserving the best of the symphonic color of organs of organ builders such as Cavaillé-Coll or Merklin, the neo-classic aesthetics reintroduced more brilliant colors with mixtures, mutation ranks and clearer and softer reeds. Source: Marc Perrot
Organs of Paris
Gonzalez-Danion
ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt
Victor
Gonzalez
(1877-1956)
was
one
of
the
last
apprentices
with
Aristide
Cavaillé-Coll
(from
1894
to
1898)
and
then
worked
for
the
organbuilders
Gutschenritter
(1899
to
1905),
Limonaire
and
the
pipe
maker
Gustave
Masure
(1905
to
1914).
In
1921
he
went
into
partnership
with
the
mechanic
Ephrem
and
they
worked
together
on
the
organ
of
Saint-François-Xavier
in
Paris
in
1923.
It
was
during
this
time
that
he
became
friends
with
the
organist
André
Marchal,
the
musicologist
Norbert
Dufourcq
and
Bérenger
de
Miramon
Fitz-James,
co-founder
of
the
Association
des
Amis
de
l'orgue.
Together,
they
established
the
principles
of
a
new
organ
aesthetic,
merging
as
harmoniously
as
possible
the
characteristics
of
the
French
Classical
Organ
with
the
achievements
of
the
Romantic
and
Symphonic
Organ
to
create
a
synthesis
leading
to
the
design
of
a
modern
organ
capable
of
playing
the
repertoire
of all eras ("neoclassical organ").
In
1922,
Victor
Gonzalez
founded
an
organ
factory
in
Vanves
and
in
1930
he
founded
with
his
son
Fernand
the
Établissements
Gonzalez,
Sarl.
The
German
organ
builder
Rudolf
von
Beckerath
worked
there
as
an
apprentice
and
then
as
director
from
1929
to
1936,
bringing
the
style
of
the
North
German
organ
(harmonization
with
Plein-vent,
reed
stops
with
short
bodies.
Victor
Gonzalez
died
in
Paris
on June 3, 1956.
After his death in 1956, the firm was led by Georg Danion.
More information on Gonzalez…
Georg
Danion
(1922-2005)
was
about
to
start
a
carrier
as
violist
when
the
second
world
war
break
out.
During
that
war,
he
met
Annik
Gonzalez,
one
of
the
daughters
of
Fernand
Gonzalez,
Victor’s
son,
who
worked
with
him
in
the
company.
After
the
war
George
Danion
married
Annik
and
Annik
made
him
discover
the
metier
of
organ
building.
As
Fernand
died
in
the
war,
he
could
soon
replace
his
father-in
-law
in
the
firm.
When
Victor
died
in
1956,
Danion
took over the firm.
In
1962,
he
bought
the
Maison
Jacquot-Lavergne
and
transferred
his
workshop
to
that
company
in
Rambervilliers (Vosges), with an annex near Paris (Brunoy).
In
1988,
Georges
et
Annik
Danion-Gonzalez
left
the
firm
in
Rambervilliers
in
favor
of
Jean-Michel
Jamet
and
Bernard
Dargassies
and
moved
to
Lodève,
where
they
had
founded
the
Manufacture
Languedocienne
de
grandes
orgues
in
1980,
at
the
former
place
of
the
workshop
of
the
organ
builder
Edmond
Costa
(Manufacture
Lodévoise
de
grands
orgues,
1961-1972).
In
1998,
at
the
retirement
of
Danion,
the
management
of
this
firm
was
taken
over
by
Charles-
Emmanuel Sarélot (son of Charles Sarelot, organ builder).
The Danion-Gonzalez firm constructed and restored a great
number of Parisian organs and was the main competitor of
the Beuchet-Debiere firm in the second half of the XXth
century.
Jean-Marc Cicchero
Bernard Dargassies
Jaquot-Jeanpierre / Jacquot-Lavergne
L’oratoire du Louvre (1962)
Parisian organs built by (Danion-)Gonzalez
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Orgue de chœur (1937) Notre-Dame-d'Espérance (1946) Eglise Protestante Unie Oratoire du Louvre (1962) Saint-Joseph artisan (1966) Chapelle de École militaire (1970) Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette (1970) Saint-Pierre-du-gros-caillou Conservatoire Municipal Maurice Ravel (1984)
