Video. Saintes: The cathedral organ coughs on the eve of its 400th anniversary

An experimental valve system, dating from 1985, is on its last legs and generating whistling sounds. Saint-Pierre's organist, Cédric Burgelin, is praying for a complete repair before celebrating the listed organ's four-century anniversary in 2027.

C édric Burgelin is an acrobat. Sometimes, in the middle of a service at Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Saintes, a note starts to whistle, and the organ loses its pedals. So the organist juggles the levers and tries to tame the recalcitrant wind. During masses, it passes. But there is no longer any question of organizing concerts, so as not to grate on the ears of music lovers. "It started in the summer, three years ago. The valves, which are made of wood, dry out, it's less airtight. I used to put a humidifier in the organ, mops... But now, it whistles all year round," sighs the musician.

He sits down at his three keyboards. In the middle, the great organ, all fiery power. Below, the "positive" organ, with its lighter sounds. Above, the "narrative" organ, which is of course used for reciting. The keyboards are like a boat in the middle of a sea of ​​2,500 pipes tucked away in two large cabinets. The captain opens a hatch beneath his feet. Welcome to a treasure trove of complexity designed by organ builder Jean Ourry in 1626, and inaugurated the following year.

The mechanical engineering is based on a network of 108 valves. The current system, designed by Yves Sévère, dates from 1985. There are only two or three others in the world. "It was very new, very ingenious, and, at the same time, very fragile. There are two openings instead of one. We call it double detachment. This allows for more subtlety in the touch. But the system is at its wit's end; the valves no longer block the wind, which goes directly from the bellows to the pipes. The organ plays by itself," explains Cédric Burgelin.

The system is at its wit's end; valves no longer shut off the wind, which goes directly from the bellows to the pipes. The organ plays by itself.

This Rochelais man passed his Conservatoire prize on the Saintes organ in 1988, at the age of 18, before joining the Paris Conservatoire de Musique. After a career in the capital, he returned to Charente-Maritime for this instrument. "We have a gem here in Saintes. An organ from 1627 is very rare in France. Most were destroyed or disfigured during the Revolution. The Saintes Festival uses it every year. It has a fantastic sound, which really gets to you."

On Friday, June 6, a municipal delegation arrived in its lair at Saint-Pierre Cathedral. The city is reportedly ready to quickly launch a consultation process for a specialist to examine the asthmatic organ, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1973. It is also expected to do the same for the organ in Saint-Vivien Church, which is missing 150 pipes.

For Cédric Burgelin, the ideal would be to completely replace all 108 valves at Saint-Pierre. It's difficult to estimate a project that will take about six months, but we can expect a cost of around €200,000. The same goes for Saint-Vivien. Since both organs are listed, the city won't have to pay alone.

Cédric Burgelin is praying that the operation will be completed before 2027, as a program is already underway for that year to celebrate the organ's 400th anniversary. In the meantime, concerts are being relocated to other instruments available in the very musical city of Saintes.