ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt HOME ALL ORGANS
The
Canadian
organist
Philip
Crozier
had
the
privilege
of
studying
privately
with
the
legendary
André
Marchal
between
1978
and
1980
—
an
experience
that
proved
deeply
formative.
These
sessions
offered
rich
insights
into
repertoire
and
interpretation,
capturing
Marchal’s
artistry
and
wisdom
in
his
own
voice.
Held
at
Marchal’s
home
in
Paris,
the
lessons
were
recorded
by
Crozier
on
cassette,
with
Marchal’s
daughter
Jacqueline present to provide instantaneous translations from French to English.
Now, 45 years after Marchal’s passing, these historic recordings are being released to honour and preserve his teaching legacy.
Read the introduction to these recorded lessons with André Marchal by Philip Crozier.
André Marchal and His Contributions to the Neo-Classic Movement
The house organ of André Marchal
The organ at rue Duroc in Paris was originally meant to be an instrument for daily practice: two manuals and pedal, built by Gütschenritter. As years went by, my father’s repertoire increased, as did his ambitions and the number of friends who came to hear him. Thus, Marchal had a three- manual concert organ built in his studio. This expansion was achieved gradually, each step coinciding with his return home after international tours. In 1934, the pedal action was replaced by an electric one, allowing with the addition of 24 pipes the extension of the soubasse to 32′ acoustical, 16′, 8′, 4′, and 2′. After the end of World War II, Victor Gonzalez took over and some modifications that were reflective of the aesthetics of Marchal and Gonzalez took place. In 1954, the Marchals enlarged the studio and the organ, original chests and tracker action were preserved and a third manual, an unenclosed Positif, was added, the manual placed underneath the Great and connected to its chest by electric action. On that occasion, the organ was named “Phillipe-Emmanuel”. Source The photos are of Marchal at his house organ, before and after the enlargement in the 1950s.The André Marchal Lessons
Marchal had a close connection with Vierne to this work as described by
Jacqueline Englert-Marchal:
My father was preparing to make his first real contact with the public in four
historical recitals given at the conservatoire. Vierne’s Symphony IV opened the
third program; it had an immense success. Vierne embraced Marchal on the
stage and let his feelings flow in a flood of affectionate and encouraging
words. Having to leave the hall before the end of the recital, he wrote my
father the following letter the same evening:
“Thank you again with all my heart, my dear lad, for the great joy you have just
given me. I will retain the memory of this emotion, which is one of the most
profound that I have experienced in my life as an artist. You have admirably felt
and understood this work, which is brightened for a moment by the fragments of a
happy dream, and finishes in a fever. You have interpreted it like a poet, and this is
what really struck. I could not refrain from telephoning B. this evening so that he
could tell you of my enthusiasm before this note reaches you. See in this a sincere
and spontaneous gesture, the natural reflex of people of my kind and one that
cannot be withheld.”
From then on, Vierne became a regular visitor to our home, following with
great interest my father’ career, and playing the role of a grandfather to me.
My mother often sang his “Angelus” in concert, accompanied by my father.
Marchal gave, in 1928, for the Societé Nationale de Musique the first
performance of Vierne’s third suite of Piéces de Fantasie, with the Impromptu
dedicated to him. Vierne and Marchal were on the best of terms, and his
sudden death at Notre-Dame in 1937 was like the loss of a family member.
Source
Organs of Paris
ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt ALL ORGANS 
The
Canadian
organist
Philip
Crozier
had
the
privilege
of
studying
privately
with
the
legendary
André
Marchal
between
1978
and
1980
—
an
experience
that
proved
deeply
formative.
These
sessions
offered
rich
insights
into
repertoire
and
interpretation,
capturing
Marchal’s
artistry
and
wisdom
in
his
own
voice.
Held
at
Marchal’s
home
in
Paris,
the
lessons
were
recorded
by
Crozier
on
cassette,
with
Marchal’s
daughter
Jacqueline
present
to
provide
instantaneous
translations
from
French
to
English.
Now,
45
years
after
Marchal’s
passing,
these
historic
recordings
are
being
released
to
honour
and
preserve his teaching legacy.
Read the introduction to these recorded lessons with
André Marchal by Philip Crozier
André Marchal and His Contributions to the Neo-Classic
Movement
Programs of recitals of Marchal
House organ of Marchal
The André Marchal
Lessons
