Montreal is in the news!

[robmcginn]

Casavant Opus 3900, Orgue Pierre-Beique de l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, was inaugurated recently to rave reviews. Oliver Latry performed. I think he was also in on the tonal design.

Briefly this is the biggest Symphony Hall organ in Canada and like the Roy Thompson Gabriel Kney instrument the Casavant is playable from a mechanical console and an electrical movable console. Four manuals with 83 ranks and 116 stops with over 5000 pipes.

I think it is entirely appropriate that world renowned Casavant was selected to build this magnificent instrument!

[davidecasteel]

It seems logical that a French-language firm located in Quebec would be selected to provide an organ in a Quebec city. Casavant-Freres is, of course, a well-respected builder in any case (we have several of their organs here in DFW).

David

[Wes]

In fact, they are in Saint-Hyacinthe, QC which, if I recall, is only about 30 miles as the crow flies from Montreal's city centre. I bought a Leslie 760 there once, only a 3.5 hour drive for me. Yes, it was worth it. :)

[robmcginn]

Hi David
Yes It seems logical given Casavant's reputation but there is another builder in the same local area of Quebec who has been building fine instruments since 1979, Orgues Letourneau. I think that he started off with casavant. In fact
Mr. Letourneau was with Casavant for 14 years before venturing out on his own. Must be something in the air in Quebec which produces fine organ builders.....
Rob

[Wes]

They certainly are crazy about church in that part of the country. Keep driving out that way, and you will start to see things like 40' high crucifixes erected on people's lawns. The eastern townships are crazy!

Hm, maybe related, but Seagull/Norman/Godin guitars are based in La Patrie, QC...same general neighbourhood, culturally.

Wes

[davidecasteel]

If you like churches, check out the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupré east of Quebec City. I visited it in 2005 (raining buckets) and again in 2011 (couldn't go in the Nave--service in progress). Pictures:
2005 -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/871255...7631963948981/
2011 -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/871255...7627542477202/
You'll have to do some scrolling, because the Basilica photos are mixed in with others in Quebec.

Of course, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal is also very nice. I have a few pictures of it, too:
2011 -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/871255...7627403219463/

David

[SubBase]

What is going on with the St Joseph Oratory organ up there?? I saw it was deconstructed for repairs.
Casey

[myorgan]

I have fallen in love with Casavant Frères since hearing my first one at First Baptist Church in Greenville, SC. That is a 4-manual instrument and I forget who the famous lady was that I heard play the dedication concert. I'm sure I still have the program here somewhere. I was fascinated at the variations in the Bach Prelude and Fugue in G Major ("Uncle Harry lost his trousers."), from what I had memorized. That's when I first learned that even concert organists make mistakes, but keep going anyway.

There are a few Casavant Frère instruments in Maine and Massachusetts, and I was able to play one for a wedding last summer in Boston. If I were ever able to build a dream instrument, they would be my first choice--their voicing is impeccable--almost like the German organs I played last month.

If you like churches, check out the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupré east of Quebec City. I visited it in 2005 (raining buckets) and again in 2011 (couldn't go in the Nave--service in progress). Pictures:
2005 -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/871255...7631963948981/
2011 -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/871255...7627542477202/
You'll have to do some scrolling, because the Basilica photos are mixed in with others in Quebec.

David,

Thanks for sharing the photos. I see you were also able to see the Casavant in the basement of the Basilica de Ste Anne. If I remember right, that is a French terraced console. Someday, I hope to play one of the organs. The one in the cathedral is quite nice. I just remember hearing the 16' Bourdon (Open Wood?), and the sound surrounded you without being overpowering. I wonder if those people on the first 2 columns were really healed by the water?

If you go to Quebec City again, let me know and there are places I can tell you about/show you. I've been there more times than I can count. My French exchange students from France were commenting how old everything was. I queried why they remarked about the age of the buildings, language, and culture; then they reminded me that almost everything in France was bombed and rebuilt early last century. One boy lived a block from Notre Dame in Paris. They liked the accent--after they got used to it. One poor fellow thought the waitress was trying to insult him by asking what he wanted to drink "brevage". He explained to me that in his part of France, they only use that word for watering cattle! They use "pour bois" (sp?) now. Of course, they found the Franglais much more interesting in the St. John River Valley between Maine and PQ/NB.

Thanks for the photos, David. A trip down memory lane.

Michael

[arie v]

Hi,

As far as I know, the St. Joseph Oratory organ is now fully restored and playing again.

It was said that as time went on, major issues with the instrument needed to be dealt with. Most alarming were some large flue pipes that were collapsing. Some pipes were so far gone they had to be replaced. The combination action on the organ was unreliable, so a new, different system was put in. Some of the mechanical action was in bad shape too, so some of that was re-done including the use of carbon fibre. And finally, the whole organ got a good cleaning.

The work was carried out by Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders.

Probably the organ is now in better shape than when it was first put in.

AV

[Guest]

What is going on with the St Joseph Oratory organ up there?? I saw it was deconstructed for repairs.
Casey

Not entirely deconstructed. arie v is quite correct on all accounts. The idea of the reconstruction was to keep the organ tonally exactly as it was built, only cleaning and fixing what was broken. Otherwise; there was MAJOR work on the action, and the combination system. For such a large action, it is quite nice to play now even when coupled. The instrument was prone to being under-winded so an "overdrive" has been added that detects when the reservoirs are low and it temporarily speeds up the blowers to compensate.

Details Here http://www.juget-sinclair.com/restorations.html

Also, take a look at the instrument they are constructing for Christ the King in Dallas!

And while you are at the site, you should check out the Richard Organ project they did a few years ago.

Truly terrific organ builders, and the only company located IN Montreal at the moment.

And finally, since we are speaking of Montreal, the Canadian International Organ Competition starts Oct. 7!

[zuulmusic]

Not entirely deconstructed. arie v is quite correct on all accounts. The idea of the reconstruction was to keep the organ tonally exactly as it was built, only cleaning and fixing what was broken. Otherwise; there was MAJOR work on the action, and the combination system. For such a large action, it is quite nice to play now even when coupled. The instrument was prone to being under-winded so an "overdrive" has been added that detects when the reservoirs are low and it temporarily speeds up the blowers to compensate.

I was just in Montreal for a week and managed to make it to an organ concert at St Joseph Oratory. Seemed to be in sounding and looking excellent.