Charles MutinCharlesMutin(1861-1931)cametoCavaillé-Collasanapprenticeattheageof14.He wasthenentrustedtoJosephKoenig,oneof the harmonists of the Maison Cavaillé. Afterthirteenyearsinwhichheacquiredall aspectsofthetrade,hefoundedhisown company,,firstinFalaiseandtheninCaen. In1894,hewonaGoldMedalatthe UniversalExhibitionofLyonin1894withthe constructionofanorganfortheNotre-Dame-de-Bon-Secourschurchin Trouville.InParis,Cavaillé-Collwasincreasinglyweakandwaslookingfora successor.Inordertosucceedhisformermaster,Mutinassembledmore than200,000francsobtainedbythesaleoflandbelongingtohiswife EugénieCrespin,withanadditional150,000francscontributedbya certainÉdouardSales-Deschamps.OnJune18,1898,thecontractwas signedwithAristideCavaillé-Coll,CharlesMutinbecametheownerand manager of the Manufacture de Grandes-Orgues Cavaillé-Coll. HebecametreasureroftheFrenchSocietyofMusicologyin1917and publishedonhisinstrument,itshistoryinparticular.Hehadathis disposalarichlibraryatthecompany.Hereviewedthehistoryand techniqueofhisinstrumentin75pagesintheEncyclopediaofMusic LavignacandLaurencie.Healsowroteavastmanuscriptofone thousandpagesboundintwovolumesrelatingthehistory,technique andaestheticsoforganbuilding.Butunfortunatelythetextremained unfinished.HewasdecoratedforallofhisworkKnightoftheLegionof HonoronFebruary9,1923.Hebuiltabout300organsuntilhis retirement in 1923. He died in 1931.More information on Mutin…The Cavaillé-Coll-Convers houseIn1924,AugusteConvers(1884-1976)boughttheManufactured'orgues whichthentooktheadministrativename"Cavaillé-Coll,Mutin,A.Convers et Cie". Thechef-d'oevreofConversisundoubtedlytheorganhebuiltin1928for the'PortiquesdesChamps-Élysées':aluxuryshoppingarcadeingrey marble, with about twenty shops and an organ built into the wall.ItmaybeconsideredprobablyoneofthelastwitnessesoftheFrench concertorganbuildingoftheinterwarperiod,directlyinfluencedby Americanorganbuildingatthattime.Itwastheonlyinstrumentin Europe specially designed for a department store. Theorganwasdismantledin1937-1938whenthemallwasconverted intoarestaurantandacinema.ThecityofNoyonboughttheinstrument andkeptitinthetriforiumofthecathedral,havingnomoneytobuildan organcase.Finally,after40years,itwassoldin1988totheTemple ProtestantofAmiens.Therebuildingwascompletedin2000(III/60).Ithas retaineditsoriginalpostsymphonicandorchestralcharacter.This instrumentisinfacttheonlywitnessofParisianconcertorgansfromthe interwarperiod.AllinstrumentsintheParisianconcerthallsatthetime havedisappeared,exceptforthePugetorgan,theThéâtredesChamps-Élysées(present,butsilentformanyyears)andtheorganoftheSalle Pleyel (in storage with an organ builder).Thefactorywasdissolvedon7November1928andAugusteConvers was sacked. AugusteConversthenfoundedanewfactory:theManufacturede Grandes-OrguesA.Converswhoseworkshopswerelocatedat109,rue deReuillyinParis.SomeworkersoftheCavaillé-Collhousefollowedhim, suchasMessrs.LambertfatherandsonandtheharmonistsDuval,Huet, GradosandCosta.1936markedtheendofhisactivitiesasanorgan buildersincehisworkshopsclosedonthatdate.AugusteConversdied following a fall in the summer of 1976La Maison Cavaillé-Coll - cont'dIn1928,theCavaillé-Collcompanywasconvertedintoajoint-stock company,the"Sociétéanonymefrançaisedefactured'orguesCavaillé-Coll".In1931,anewsecondcompanywasfoundedbytheSociété fermièredesEtablissementsCavaillé-Coll.Itwasadministered successivelybyLafonto,J.Lapreste(alsoadministratoroftheMaison Rinckenbach d'Ammerschwihr), G. Lauffray and Joseph Beuchet.In1934,thePleyelfirmtookoverandJosephBeuchetresigned.In1936, theSociétéAnonymeCavaillé-CollgrantedPleyelanexclusivelicenseto operateandsell,whichgavebirthtoanewcompany,Pleyel-Cavaillé-Coll. J.KrugBasseandJeanHermannwerethenappointedresponsiblefor organconstruction.ThisassociationwasnotsuccessfulandtheSecond WorldWardefinitivelyputanendtotheepicoftheMaisonCavaillé-Coll which closed definitively in 1959.Source (among others):Antoine Thomas Technique et esthétique des orgues de la manufactureCavaillé-Coll-ConversEssaisurlafactured’orguesfrançaisedansles années1920-1930.Mémoirederecherche2ecycle(Master)Année universitaire 2021-2022 CNSMS Lyon
Charles MutinCharlesMutin(1861-1931)cametoCavaillé-Collasanapprenticeat theageof14.HewasthenentrustedtoJosephKoenig,oneofthe harmonists of the Maison Cavaillé. Afterthirteenyearsinwhichheacquiredallaspectsofthetrade,he foundedhisowncompany,,firstinFalaiseandtheninCaen.In 1894,hewonaGoldMedalattheUniversalExhibitionofLyonin 1894withtheconstructionofanorganfortheNotre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours church in Trouville.InParis,Cavaillé-Collwasincreasinglyweakandwaslookingfora successor.Inordertosucceedhisformermaster,Mutinassembled morethan200,000francsobtainedbythesaleoflandbelongingto hiswifeEugénieCrespin,withanadditional150,000francs contributedbyacertainÉdouardSales-Deschamps.OnJune18, 1898,thecontractwassignedwithAristideCavaillé-Coll,Charles MutinbecametheownerandmanageroftheManufacturede Grandes-Orgues Cavaillé-Coll. HebecametreasureroftheFrenchSocietyofMusicologyin1917 andpublishedonhisinstrument,itshistoryinparticular.Hehadat hisdisposalarichlibraryatthecompany.Hereviewedthehistory andtechniqueofhisinstrumentin75pagesintheEncyclopediaof MusicLavignacandLaurencie.Healsowroteavastmanuscriptof onethousandpagesboundintwovolumesrelatingthehistory, techniqueandaestheticsoforganbuilding.Butunfortunatelythe textremainedunfinished.Hewasdecoratedforallofhiswork KnightoftheLegionofHonoronFebruary9,1923.Hebuiltabout 300 organs until his retirement in 1923. He died in 1931.More information on Mutin…The Cavaillé-Coll-Convers houseIn1924,AugusteConvers(1884-1976)boughttheManufacture d'orgueswhichthentooktheadministrativename"Cavaillé-Coll, Mutin, A. Convers et Cie". Thechef-d'oevreofConversisundoubtedlytheorganhebuiltin 1928forthe'PortiquesdesChamps-Élysées':aluxuryshopping arcadeingreymarble,withabouttwentyshopsandanorganbuilt into the wall.Itmaybeconsideredprobablyoneofthelastwitnessesofthe Frenchconcertorganbuildingoftheinterwarperiod,directly influencedbyAmericanorganbuildingatthattime.Itwastheonly instrument in Europe specially designed for a department store. Theorganwasdismantledin1937-1938whenthemallwas convertedintoarestaurantandacinema.ThecityofNoyonbought theinstrumentandkeptitinthetriforiumofthecathedral,having nomoneytobuildanorgancase.Finally,after40years,itwassold in1988totheTempleProtestantofAmiens.Therebuildingwas completedin2000(III/60).Ithasretaineditsoriginalpostsymphonic andorchestralcharacter.Thisinstrumentisinfacttheonlywitness ofParisianconcertorgansfromtheinterwarperiod.All instrumentsintheParisianconcerthallsatthetimehave disappeared,exceptforthePugetorgan,theThéâtredesChamps-Élysées(present,butsilentformanyyears)andtheorganofthe Salle Pleyel (in storage with an organ builder).Thefactorywasdissolvedon7November1928andAuguste Convers was sacked. AugusteConversthenfoundedanewfactory:theManufacturede Grandes-OrguesA.Converswhoseworkshopswerelocatedat109, ruedeReuillyinParis.SomeworkersoftheCavaillé-Collhouse followedhim,suchasMessrs.Lambertfatherandsonandthe harmonistsDuval,Huet,GradosandCosta.1936markedtheendof hisactivitiesasanorganbuildersincehisworkshopsclosedonthat date. Auguste Convers died following a fall in the summer of 1976La Maison Cavaillé-Coll - cont'dIn1928,theCavaillé-Collcompanywasconvertedintoajoint-stock company,the"Sociétéanonymefrançaisedefactured'orgues Cavaillé-Coll".In1931,anewsecondcompanywasfoundedbythe SociétéfermièredesEtablissementsCavaillé-Coll.Itwas administeredsuccessivelybyLafonto,J.Lapreste(also administratoroftheMaisonRinckenbachd'Ammerschwihr),G. Lauffray and Joseph Beuchet.In1934,thePleyelfirmtookoverandJosephBeuchetresigned.In 1936,theSociétéAnonymeCavaillé-CollgrantedPleyelanexclusive licensetooperateandsell,whichgavebirthtoanewcompany, Pleyel-Cavaillé-Coll.J.KrugBasseandJeanHermannwerethen appointedresponsiblefororganconstruction.Thisassociationwas notsuccessfulandtheSecondWorldWardefinitivelyputanendto theepicoftheMaisonCavaillé-Collwhichcloseddefinitivelyin 1959.Source (among others):AntoineThomasTechniqueetesthétiquedesorguesdela manufactureCavaillé-Coll-ConversEssaisurlafactured’orguesfrançaisedansles années1920-1930.Mémoirederecherche2ecycle(Master)Année universitaire 2021-2022 CNSMS Lyon