Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899) was a French organ builder who is considered by many to be the greatest
organ builder of the 19th century. His innovations to the art of organ building permeated throughout the
profession and influenced the course of organ building through the early twentieth century. The organ
reform movement sought to return organ building to a more Baroque style, but in the last few decades of the
twentieth century, Cavaillé-Coll's designs came back into fashion.
It was with this backdrop that the Empress Eugénie commissioned a Cavaillé-Coll organ for the mausoleum church
of St Michael here at the Abbey. The result is an organ that fulfills and advances the reputation of the Cavaillé-Coll name
whose beautiful appearance with ornate golden piping is surpassed only by the quality of sound emanating
from this original piece.
The organ continues to serve the monks at the Abbey in accompaniment to the Sacred Liturgy in addition to
a season of Organ Concerts in the
Summer months by famous artistes.
The Abbey's appointed organist is the internationally renowned Neil Wright who accompanies Mass and Vespers
each Sunday, and whose improvisations can be exquisite. The organ is a true national treasure.
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