The Choir School of Notre-Dame and Public Education in the 19th Century
During the Consulate period, Napoleon reinstated the Catholic cult. In 1802, Pierre Desvignes (1764-1827) was appointed choirmaster. A student of Lesueur and a professor at the Conservatory, he was well-known, but the institution was struggling, and funds were lacking to provide the twelve children with proper education. The emperor granted an annual subsidy of 3000 francs. A 1807 decree from the Minister of Public Instruction provided the choir school with a general secular education with a significant emphasis on musical education. Thus, the students continued to fulfill their role in liturgical life while being able to pursue their chosen careers afterward. After the fall of the Empire, subsidies dwindled, and the number of students decreased again.
Return to Grandeur for the Organ
Joseph Pollet, the organist and choirmaster from 1831 to 1872, revitalized the musical scene. While Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was restoring the cathedral, organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll restored the organ. Its inauguration on March 6, 1868, brought together the greatest organists of the time: César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Charles-Marie Widor, and Alexandre Guilmant, alongside the titular organist, Eugène Sergent.
Charles Vervoitte (1822-1884) directed the choir from 1876 to 1884. Passionate about ancient sacred music, he published a collection of masses and motets by the most famous masters since the 13th century in the Archives des cathédrales. Abbé Charles Geispitz succeeded him until 1905. During the second half of the 19th century, the ceremonies regained their splendor.
The Conversion of Paul Claudel
On Christmas Day in 1886, during Vespers, as the choir sang the Magnificat, the beauty of the Marian canticle struck the eighteen-year-old poet. A convinced atheist, he converted to the Catholic faith. In 1913, in “Ma conversion,” he wrote: “In an instant, my heart was touched and I believed.”
Music at Notre-Dame in the 20th Century
With the appointment of Louis Vierne in 1900, the organ regained a worthy titular organist. Renowned musicians flocked to play at Notre-Dame: Gabriel Fauré, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Enrique Granados, and Camille Saint-Saëns. Vierne’s students, Maurice Duruflé, Bernard Gavoty, and Marcel Dupré, gathered around the master.
In 1905, the law of separation of Church and State reduced the cathedral’s income and the budgets allocated to music. When World War I broke out, Abbé Alphonse Renault, a professor at the choir school and choirmaster of the cathedral (from 1905 to 1925), copied the choir material by hand to save costs. He partially funded the restoration of the choir organ and the tuning of the grand organ. Vierne obtained restoration work on the organ in 1931. He died at his console during a concert he gave on June 2, 1937.
In 1937, the chapter appointed his assistant, Léonce de Saint-Martin. He developed concerts where the organ and the choir played equal parts. The choir school was then co-financed by the diocese, the cathedral, and the students’ families. It reached nearly a hundred choristers in 1968.
The choir school was directed by Canon Louis Merret (1925-1959) and then by Canon Jehan Revert from 1959 to 1991. The latter adapted Latin texts into French, organized and directed concerts with the choir, gave lectures, and recorded concerts.
Pierre Cochereau illuminated celebrations with his legendary improvisations until his death in 1984. In 1985, a quartet succeeded him: Yves Devernay, Olivier Latry, Philippe Lefebvre, and Jean-Pierre Leguay. Until the fire of April 15, 2019, the titular organists of the grand organ, Olivier Latry, Philippe Lefebvre, and Vincent Dubois, ensured Sunday masses and festive services, while the titular organist of the choir organ, Yves Castagnet since 1988, and his assistant Johann Vexo since 2004 accompanied daily services.
In 2024, the titular organists of the grand organ at the reopening were announced:
- Olivier Latry, titular organist of the grand organ of the Cathedral,
- Vincent Dubois, titular organist of the grand organ of the Cathedral,
- Thierry Escaich, member of the Institute, titular organist of the grand organ of the Cathedral,
- Thibault Fajoles, assistant titular organist of the grand organ and the choir organ of the Cathedral,
- Yves Castagnet remains the titular organist of the choir organ.
Musical Accompaniment at Notre-Dame Since the Late 20th Century
In 1990, Cardinal Lustiger asked organist Jean-Michel Dieuaide to rethink the musical arrangement of the cathedral. Guillaume Deslandres then founded the association Musique Sacrée à Notre-Dame de Paris (MSNDP). The State, the City of Paris, and the diocese established a musical partnership. In 1991, Michel-Marc Gervais directed the choir school and the musical arrangement. His successors were Nicole Corti, Simon Cnockaert & Lionel Sow, and Henri Chalet.
