Georges Paul Aimé Danion (28 January 1922 – 24 December 2005) was a French

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Biography

Danion was born in

Luçon Luçon () is a commune in the Vendée department, Pays de la Loire region, western France. Its inhabitants are known as Luçonnais. Luçon Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon (comprising the Vendée), where Cardinal Richelieu once se ...

and moved to Paris in 1924. After studying the violin, he played in a Paris orchestra. In 1945, he married Anik Gonzalez, daughter of Fernand Gonzalez and granddaughter of Victor Gonzalez, both renowned organ builders. In 1947, Victor Gonzalez invited Danion to work with him and replace his son Fernand who had died during the war in 1940. Having a passion for technical harmonization, he learned fast with the master. After the death of Victor Gonzalez in 1956, he became head of the Gonzalez company, henceforth commonly referred to as Danion-Gonzalez. Danion continued the neoclassical ideal of his master. The concept of neo-classical organ is a synthesis of the previous aesthetics, many quarrels and polemics within the world of organ making arose on the part of those who refused any developments in the organ-making tradition, including neo-baroque musicians. In 1962, he bought the Jacquot-Lavergne-Rambervillers company in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

, then the oldest manufacturer of organs in the world still in operation since 1750. In 1963, he moved the company to

Rambervillers Rambervillers () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Inhabitants are called ''Rambuvetais''. Geography The town is built on the banks of the Mortagne, some to the west of Saint-Dié and to the north-e ...

. The premises included a large assembly room, joinery workshops and casting of tin where the entire metal pipe for the new organs could be manufactured. Today the company is led by Bernard Dargassies under the name of "''Manufacture Vosgienne de Grandes Orgues''". In January 1980, he founded with his wife, the "''Manufacture Languedocienne de Grandes Orgues''", in Lodève,

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.St. Esteve in Andorra-la-Vielle, St. Vincent of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...

, St. Paul of Clermont-L'Hérault, the restoration of instruments in the cathedrals of

Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...

and Carcassonne,

Lodève Lodève (; oc, Lodeva ) is a commune in the département of Hérault, in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish ''Luteva'', composed of lut-, swamp, ...

, the churches Our Lady of

La Ciotat La Ciotat (; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, La Ciutat ; in Mistralian spelling ''La Ciéutat''; 'the City') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southern France. It is the southeasternmo ...

, St Peter's Prades,

Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, near the border with Spain and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. The name ''Prats-de-Mollo'' comes from Catalan "meadows of Molló". Mol ...

, as well as the reconstruction of the organ in the Church of St. Sauveur Aix-en-Provence (39 stops) and restored those of St. Peter's in Ceret (36 stops) and Ste-Bernadette Montpellier (13 stops). Since Danion retirement in 1998, the company has been managed by organ builder and harmonist Charles Emmanuel Sarélot. In February 1992, George Danion was invited by the university of

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

to give a conference on organ building at a gathering of some two hundred organists, with

Marie-Claire Alain Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world ...

, Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, Marie-Louise Langlais, and Jacqueline Marchal. He died on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

of 2005 in

. In the preface to the inauguration program of the

Meaux Cathedral Meaux Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Meaux) is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Meaux, France. It is located in the department of Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris. The cathedral is a national monument, and is the seat of the ...

organ rebuilt by Danion in 1980,

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

honored his art:

Churches with Danion organs

In France

Cathédrale de Meaux Architecture 140708 10

* Studio 104 de

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety of ...

, built in 1957 and 1966 by Danion-Gonzalez transferred to cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille (

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

), 2008. * Saint-Jacques de Reims (1962), restored in 1977 *

Limoges Cathedral , infobox_width = , image =Limoges Cathédrale Saint Etienne.jpg , image_size = , caption =Limoges Cathedral , map_type = , map_size = , map_caption = , lo ...

(1963) *

Troyes Cathedral Troyes Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes) is a Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, located in the town of Troyes in Champagne, France. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Troyes. The ca ...

(1966) *

Church of Saint-Pierre, Caen The Church of Saint-Pierre (french: Église Saint-Pierre) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church (building), church located on the Place Saint-Pierre in the centre of Caen in Normandy, northern France. It is dedicated to Saint Peter. Known ...

(1968), replaced by a Jean-François Dupont in 1997 *

Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

(1971) * Basilique Saint-Denys d'Argenteuil, orgue Louis Suret (1867), reworked by Danion-Gonzalez in 1971–1973 *

Le Mans Cathedral Le Mans Cathedral ( French: ''Cathédrale St-Julien du Mans'') is a Catholic church situated in Le Mans, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop, who established Christianity in the area around the b ...

(1974) *

Nevers Cathedral Nevers Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte de Nevers) is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Nevers, Nièvre, France, and dedicated to Saints Cyricus and Julitta. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Neve ...

(1978) *

Beauvais Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais (french: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais) is a Roman Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in t ...

(1979) * Collégiale St-Martin de Montmorency (1979) *

(1980) *

Bordeaux Cathedral Bordeaux Cathedral, officially known as the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux (french: Cathédrale-Primatiale Saint-André de Bordeaux), is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Andrew and located in Bordeaux, France. It is the s ...

(1982) *

Besançon Cathedral Besançon Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon) is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint John located in the city of Besançon, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Besançon. The cathedral consists of a large nave ...

(1987)

In Paris

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L'Oratoire du Louvre The Temple protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre, also Église réformée de l'Oratoire du Louvre, is a historic Protestant church located at 145 rue Saint-Honoré – 160 rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, across the street from the Lo ...

(1961–1962), * l'église Saint-Joseph-des-Nations (rue St-Maur) (1963), * l'église évangélique Baptiste (1965), * l'église Saint-Joseph-Artisan (Paris) (1966), *

Saint-Merri The Church of Saint-Merri or ''Église Saint-Merry'') is a parish church in Paris, located near the Centre Pompidou along the rue Saint Martin, in the 4th arrondissement on the Rive Droite (Right Bank). It is dedicated to the 8th century abbot of ...

(orgue de chœur, 1968), * l'église Notre-Dame-des-Champs (orgue de chœur Merklin, (restored in 1969), *

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris The Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (''Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul'') is a church in the 10th arrondissement of Paris dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul. It gives its name to the Quartier Saint-Vincent-de-Paul around it. It was built between 1 ...

(1970), * l'Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption (Paris) (1970), * la Cathédrale arménienne Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Paris (1970), *

Church of Notre-Dame de la Salette, Paris Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette is a Roman Catholic church located rue de Cronstadt in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It is under the patronage of Our Lady of La Salette, particularly revered by the religious congregation of St. Vincent de Paul. H ...

(1970), *

La Madeleine, Paris , other name = , native_name = , native_name_lang = French , image = Madeleine Paris.jpg , landscape = , imagesize = , caption = , imagelink ...

(grand orgue 1971, orgue de chœur 1976), *

Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis The Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is a church on rue Saint-Antoine in the Marais quarter of Paris. The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641 by the Jesuit architects Étienne Martellange and François Derand, on the orders of Lou ...

(1972), *

Saint-Augustin, Paris The Église Saint-Augustin de Paris (Church of St. Augustine) is a Roman Catholic church located at 46 boulevard Malesherbes in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The church was built between 1860 and 1871 by the Paris city chief architect Victor Bal ...

(orgue de chœur, 1973), * l'église Saint-Louis-d'Antin (1973), *

St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais () is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, on Place Saint-Gervais in the Marais district, east of City Hall (Hôtel de Ville). The current church was built between 1494 and 1657, ...

(1974), *

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church in Paris, France, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the 5th arrondissement, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. The church also contains the tombs of Bl ...

(1975), * l'église Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou (1978), * l'église Saint-Jacques-Saint-Christophe de la Villette (1983), * l'Église Saint-François-de-Sales (ancienne église, 1985).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danion, Georges 1922 births 2005 deaths French pipe organ builders Musical instrument manufacturing companies of France

Biography

Churches with Danion organs

In France

In Paris

See also

References