Mutin-Convers-

Pleyel

Charles Mutin

Charles Mutin (1861-1931) came to Cavaillé-Coll as an apprentice at the age of 14. He was then entrusted to Joseph Koenig, one of the harmonists of the Maison Cavaillé. After thirteen years in which he acquired all aspects of the trade, he founded his own company,, first in Falaise and then in Caen. In 1894, he won a Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition of Lyon in 1894 with the construction of an organ for the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours church in Trouville. In Paris, Cavaillé-Coll was increasingly weak and was looking for a successor. In order to succeed his former master, Mutin assembled more than 200,000 francs obtained by the sale of land belonging to his wife Eugénie Crespin, with an additional 150,000 francs contributed by a certain Édouard Sales-Deschamps. On June 18, 1898, the contract was signed with Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, Charles Mutin became the owner and manager of the Manufacture de Grandes-Orgues Cavaillé-Coll. He became treasurer of the French Society of Musicology in 1917 and published on his instrument, its history in particular. He had at his disposal a rich library at the company. He reviewed the history and technique of his instrument in 75 pages in the Encyclopedia of Music Lavignac and Laurencie. He also wrote a vast manuscript of one thousand pages bound in two volumes relating the history, technique and aesthetics of organ building. But unfortunately the text remained unfinished. He was decorated for all of his work Knight of the Legion of Honor on February 9, 1923. He built about 300 organs until his retirement in 1923. He died in 1931. More information on Mutin…

The Cavaillé-Coll-Convers house

In 1924, Auguste Convers (1884-1976) bought the Manufacture d'orgues which then took the administrative name "Cavaillé-Coll, Mutin, A. Convers et Cie". The chef-d'oevre of Convers is undoubtedly the organ he built in 1928 for the 'Portiques des Champs-Élysées': a luxury shopping arcade in grey marble, with about twenty shops and an organ built into the wall. It may be considered probably one of the last witnesses of the French concert organ building of the interwar period, directly influenced by American organ building at that time. It was the only instrument in Europe specially designed for a department store. The organ was dismantled in 1937-1938 when the mall was converted into a restaurant and a cinema. The city of Noyon bought the instrument and kept it in the triforium of the cathedral, having no money to build an organ case. Finally, after 40 years, it was sold in 1988 to the Temple Protestant of Amiens. The rebuilding was completed in 2000 (III/60).It has retained its original postsymphonic and orchestral character. This instrument is in fact the only witness of Parisian concert organs from the interwar period. All instruments in the Parisian concert halls at the time have disappeared, except for the Puget organ, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (present, but silent for many years) and the organ of the Salle Pleyel (in storage with an organ builder). The factory was dissolved on 7 November 1928 and Auguste Convers was sacked. Auguste Convers then founded a new factory: the Manufacture de Grandes-Orgues A. Convers whose workshops were located at 109, rue de Reuilly in Paris. Some workers of the Cavaillé-Coll house followed him, such as Messrs. Lambert father and son and the harmonists Duval, Huet, Grados and Costa. 1936 marked the end of his activities as an organ builder since his workshops closed on that date. Auguste Convers died following a fall in the summer of 1976

La Maison Cavaillé-Coll - cont'd

In 1928, the Cavaillé-Coll company was converted into a joint-stock company, the "Société anonyme française de facture d'orgues Cavaillé-Coll". In 1931, a new second company was founded by the Société fermière des Etablissements Cavaillé-Coll. It was administered successively by Lafonto, J. Lapreste (also administrator of the Maison Rinckenbach d'Ammerschwihr), G. Lauffray and Joseph Beuchet. In 1934, the Pleyel firm took over and Joseph Beuchet resigned. In 1936, the Société Anonyme Cavaillé-Coll granted Pleyel an exclusive license to operate and sell, which gave birth to a new company, Pleyel-Cavaillé-Coll. J. Krug Basse and Jean Hermann were then appointed responsible for organ construction. This association was not successful and the Second World War definitively put an end to the epic of the Maison Cavaillé-Coll which closed definitively in 1959. Source (among others): Antoine Thomas Technique et esthétique des orgues de la manufacture Cavaillé-Coll-Convers Essai sur la facture d’orgues française dans les années 1920-1930. Mémoire de recherche 2e cycle (Master) Année universitaire 2021- 2022 CNSMS Lyon

Église Sainte-Marie des Batignolles (1923)

Parisian organs built by Mutin

Saint-Augustin Orgue de choeur (1899) Eglise Protestante Unie du Saint-Esprit (1900) Notre-Dame-de-la-croix Orgue de choeur (1900) Sainte-Rosalie (1900) Saint Philippe du Roule, orgue de choeur (1900) Saint-Jacques-Saint-Christophe de la Villette (1900) Schola Cantorum (1902) Saint-Honoré-d'Eylau Ancienne Eglise (1903) Saint-Honoré-d'Eylau Nouvelle Eglise (1903) Saint-Georges de La Villette Orgue de choeur (1907) Congrégation du Saint-Esprit des pères spiritains (190x) Saint-Éloi (1910) Saint-Hippolyte (1910) Eglise luthérienne Saint-Jean (1911) Sacré-cœur Orgue de choeur (1914) Eglise Protestante Unie de l'Étoile (1917) S aint-Christophe-de-Javel (191x) Eglise suédoise (1920) Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (1920) Saint-François-de-Sales nouvelle Eglise (1920) Saint-Léon (1920) Sainte-Marie-des-Batignolles (1923) Saint-Pierre-du-gros-caillou (1925) Chapelle des soeurs auxiliatrices (1926) Saint-Clotilde, orgue de choeur (1934) Crématorium du Père-Lachaise (1936)