MACUNGIE, Pa. — A Lehigh Valley-built organ has found an impressive home: inside the newly rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris.
As part of the ongoing restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris in the aftermath of its 2019 fire, one of its new electric organs was supplied by Allen Organ of Macungie.
The organ, along with the rest of the rebuilt cathedral, was unveiled at a high-profile re-opening ceremony last weekend. Those in attendance included President-elect Donald Trump.
"It's obviously a thrill for us as an organ builder to be a part of this re-opening of the cathedral."Allen Organ President Steve Markowitz
While Allen Organ President Steve Markowitz was not able to attend the religious service, he shared his pride in the accomplishment in an interview Monday.
"It's obviously a thrill for us as an organ builder to be a part of this re-opening of the cathedral," Markowitz said.
"When we're accepted in a prestigious institution like Notre Dame, it's more than a sale of an organ — it's an affirmation for the artistic work that we've done, that it's being accepted in those quarters."
Allen Organ was founded in 1937 by Markowitz's father Jerome, who is among the pioneers of electronic musical instruments.
The organ's new home
The opportunity for an Allen instrument to be placed in Notre Dame Cathedral came mainly because of the company's longstanding presence in France's music world, Markowitz said.
"We've been doing business in France for many, many years," he said. "We have connections within the organist and church community there."
One of Allen's local representatives in Paris helped set up the contract with decision-makers at Notre Dame.
“There are two organs in the cathedral,” Markowitz said.
“One is the grand organ, which is in the balcony, which is not the one we're involved with. It's used mostly for concert work.
"The other is the choir organ at the front of the church, which was destroyed. They are going to get a replacement pipe organ in the future, but for now, they needed this organ we produced.”
A large part of the process was matching color tones on the organ with the scheme of Notre Dame — as well as, of course, shipping.
Shipping
Shipping the organ from Macungie to Paris was less complicated than it might seem, Markowitz said.
"We ship organs all over the world, and we know how to ship them in a way that is not as difficult as it is to ship a piano," he said.
"The tone generation in our product is digital, so it's essentially a really fine-grade furniture that's housing digital computers, in essence."
“First, the customer defines the needs of the organ... In this case, the organ has a custom finish to match the interior of the cathedral. "Allen Organ President Steve Markowitz
Markowitz said shipping electric organs is far easier than shipping a piano or a traditional pipe organ.
The organ to Notre Dame was shipped by airplane to Paris, then delivered by truck to the cathedral.
“First, the customer defines the needs of the organ — not just musical needs but also furniture needs," Markowitz said.
"In this case, the organ has a custom finish to match the interior of the cathedral.
"Once the organ is built, it’s fully tested here to ensure no technical problems. Then it’s carefully wrapped — not with bubble wrap, because that can damage the furniture finish —but with soft materials, and then it goes into a larger crate."
Markowitz said because of the company's French-speaking staff, there were no issues with language barriers.
More information about Allen Organ and its history are available on the company's website.
