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The pipe organ at Sainte-Macre Church in Fère-en-Tardenois (in north-east France)
is an instrument we owe to organ builder Georg Westenfelder. It was completed in
September 1990 and officially inaugurated by André Isoir in April 1991. The organ’s
creation was the result of a common desire by the town and the Conseil Général de
l’Aisne (Aisne County Council), in conjunction with the Fédération départementale
des Amis des Orgues de l’Aisne (Aisne Association of Organ Friends), to equip the
southern Aisne region with an instrument of musical interest that may enrich the
local heritage.
Originally, the project of organ builder Alain Leclère − based in Gers (south-west France)
− was selected by a committee of elected representatives, organists and experts in
1984. The work undertaken for the building of a pipe organ of about twenty stops was
interrupted in 1987 by the untimely death of the young craftsman, leaving a few organ
cases, mechanical elements and pipe elements behind.
Westenfelder’s Manufacture d’orgues luxembourgeoise, which had not taken part in
the first invitation to tender, was then approached for the completion of the work; the
project was completely reworked and expanded, keeping only the lower case of the
great organ and the structure of the choir organ built by the previous company. Themain
musical aesthetic design is Germanic-inspired, and no specific instructions were given
to allow for a wide repertoire. The case design takes into account the presence of a pipe
organ in the church since the 16th century, and shows the still noticeable influence of the
Renaissance. The 33 stops are spread across two keyboards and pedals.
This instrument now completes the range of local organs, ranking among the most
significant musical achievements of the Aisne area, together with that of Saint-Michel
en Thiérache (French classical), Laon (romantic and symphonic), Saint-Quentin and
Soissons (neoclassical). It has already been used for numerous recordings.
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MICHEL BOUVARD & FRANÇOIS ESPINASSE