The Organ Wars of Paris—the Quarrel That Just Won’t Go Away

This session will give us a glimpse into the fractious split in the French organ world pitting “reformers” Norbert Dufourcq, André Marchal, and organ builder Victor Gonzales against the traditionalists Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré. This split culminated in a tragic rupture between Dupré and the famed Jeanne Demessieux. The presentation will be based on Dr. Eschbach’s access and research into Jeanne Demessieux’s diaries as well as recollections of Marcel Dupré’s granddaughter and events witnessed by Marie-Madeleine Duruflé and passed on to Dr. Eschbach in interviews.