Crespin Carlier (or Crépin Carlier) (c. 1560 - 1636) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

organ builder who had great influence on the development of organs in France. He was a contemporary and colleague of

Matthijs Langhedul Matthijs Langhedul (d. around 1636) was a Flemish organ-builder who did important work in Paris. He and Crespin Carlier had great influence on the development of the classical seventeenth century French organ. Early years The family of Matthij ...

, another great organ builder who introduced Flemish and Walloon styles to France.

Biography

Crespin Carlier was born in

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

in the

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

region of northern France around 1560. Carlier's family had been involved in building organs since the sixteenth century. He was based in Lille from 1590 to 1600, when he moved to

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. He is recorded to have done work in

Courtrai Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

in 1585,

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

between 1597 and 1611, the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

in 1598, at Hesdin between 1599 and 1600. He was invited to Rouen in 1600 by the composer and organist

Jean Titelouze Jean (''Jehan'') Titelouze (c. 1562/63 – 24 October 1633) was a French Catholic priest, composer, poet and organist of the early Baroque period. He was a canon and organist at Rouen Cathedral. His style was firmly rooted in the Renaissance vo ...

to restore the Rouen Cathedral organ, and was often employed by Titelouze afterwards. He worked in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1601. He worked in various parts of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, including

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Saint-Omer,

and

. With a growing reputation, he was asked to work at Chartres Cathedral in 1614. In 1614 Jehan Lebas of Rouen was paid 360 livres to build an oakwood organ buffet for the church of Saint-André in Rouen, while Crespin Carlier was paid 800 livres to supply the organ itself. He undertook work at Bruges in 1618. On 24 October 1618 he signed an agreement with the parish of Gisors to overhaul the Great Organ at Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, completed in 1580 by Nicolas Barbier. The work included revising the existing stops, adding three new stops and adding a "Positif de dos" to the case. The work was completed in 1620. The Laon city archives record a payment on 19 January 1623 to Philippe Ducastel for making a case for an organ supplied by Carlier for the church of Cordeliers in Laon. Crespin Carlier was invited to Rouen by

, organist of Rouen Cathedral. The organ that he built there has been called "the finest organ of the period". In 1630 he rebuilt the facade of the Grand Organ at the

abbey church of Saint-Ouen Saint-Ouen Abbey, (french: Abbaye Saint-Ouen de Rouen) is a large Gothic Catholic church and former Benedictine monastic church in Rouen. It is named for Audoin (french: Ouen, ), 7th-century bishop of Rouen in modern Normandy, France. The church's ...

(''Église abbatiale Saint-Ouen'') in Rouen according to plans provided by Titelouze. This was an 8-foot instrument with two 48-note manuals and a 28-note independent pedal. Over the years the organ was to go through major extensions and overhauls, culminating in a complete rebuilding in 1888-1890 by

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ buildi ...

. Of the original, parts of the case survive and about 40% of the pipework. Carlier returned to Laon in 1631. He also worked on an organ, now lost, at Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris between 1632 and 1636.

Influences

Carlier introduced a number of fundamental innovations in organ design from northern Europe to France. His work shows strong similarities to that of the Langhedul family. He may have benefited from working with Jan Langhedul in Rouen. From 1631 onward Carlier collaborated with Matthijs Langhedul on the organ at St. Jacques de la Boucherie in Paris, which introduced important innovations. The organ builder Wangnon from Liége was one of his disciples. Another pupil was

Pierre Thierry Pierre Thierry (1604–1665) was the founder of the Thierry dynasty of organ builders of Paris, France. Biography Thierry was born in Paris. He was the son of a Shoemaking, cobbler. At the age of seventeen he became a servant of the organis ...

(1604-1665) who renovated the organ at Saint-Gervais. Thierry worked with Carlier between 1634 and 1635 at St. Nicholas-des-champs.

Work

*1600 Rouen Cathedral restoration *1603 Rouen St. Michel repair *1603 Rouen St. Jean repair *1606 Paris St. Antoine construction *1607 Poitiers Jacobin convent construction *1610-1613 Poitiers Cathedral construction *1611 Tours Cathedral enlargement *1614 Rouen St. André construction *1614 Chartres Cathedral repair *1620 Gisors construction *1623 Laon Cathedral construction *St. Gervais construction *St. Protais rehabilitation of a Barbier organ, destroyed in World War II *1629 Rouen St. Ouen construction *1631 Paris St. Jacques de la Boucherie construction (with Matthijs Langhedul),

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * {{Commonscat, Crespin Carlier 1560 births 1636 deaths French pipe organ builders