"Organs are mentioned from the beginning of the 15th century. They would have been built by Jolly, Cauchois and Perret from 1663 to 1667. The current large organs were redesigned under the direction of Marie-Claire Alain in 1977. This reconstruction was carried out by Daniel Kern from 1982 to 1985 who made a complete integration of the elements historical. The appearance of the instrument was respected, retaining as much of the old elements as possible and removing many unreliable and poorly adapted elements added over the centuries.
History
In June 1822, the organ was flooded and this incident gave rise to various rumors. The final conclusion of the factory council will suspect the young Balland (organist from 1793-1819) and the son Dallery (son of Pierre-François Dallery, organ maker who worked on the instrument from 1818 to 1821).
In 1854, the cardinal who wanted to repair the great organ called on the organ maker Ducroquet. However, the cardinal was seduced and preferred to have a choir organ built, believing that the large organ could be repaired later. From 1859 to 1860, the famous organ builder Joseph Merklin was chosen to rebuild the great organ and was the organ builder for more than 60 years. But this interview was complicated for Merklin who never stopped fighting for this instrument while the factory council kept saying that Merklin was too expensive and the anticlerical times of that time did not help the development of the instrument. instrument.
After concluding that Merklin was too expensive, a restoration was considered which was carried out by Rinckenbach in 1924. The organ then became electro-pneumatic. In 1933, the factor Victor Gonzalez carried out a new restoration but without any real consequences since the War removed the stained glass window on the west facade from the cathedral, which rendered the organ mute because it was then no longer protected. It was therefore Robert Boisseau who came to examine the great organ and the Roethinger workshops who from 1952 to 1955 worked on the rehabilitation of the organ.
In 1966 Paul Guilloux, then organist, died and it was André Pagenel, a young blind organist who succeeded him. But this organist, who in 1967 gave a recital on the instrument, intends to give the cathedral organs worthy of it again. Marie-Claire Alain came to Bourges in 1971 to see the state of the instrument and then to design the new organ. In 1982 the organ was dismantled by the Kern workshops who completed their work on May 13, 1985."