ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt HOME ALL ORGANS
Merklin
Saint-Eugène
Parisian organs built by Merklin
Saint-Eugène (1856) Notre-Dame-de-grâce-de-Passy ancienne Orgue de choeur (1860) Chapelle Notre Dame des Anges (1867) Saint-Ambroise (1869) Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-La-Salle ( 1855/1870) Synagogue de la Victoire Grand synagogu e (1875) Chapelle du couvent des Dominicains (1879) Saint-Merry Choir organ (1880) Sainte-Élisabeth Choir organ (1890) Eglise luthérienne du Bon-secours (1895) Eglise Protestante Unie du Marais (1895) Eglise luthérienne Saint-Paul (1898) E glise Protestante Unie -Batignolles (1898) Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt (189x) Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt Choir organ (189x) Saint-Ambroise Choir organ (189x) Chapelle du lycée Louis le Grand (18xx) Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (1900) Notre-Dame-de-grâce-de-Passy ancienne Eglise (1905)
Joseph
Merklin
(1891-1905)
was
born
in
1819
in
Oberhausen
(Baden)
and
learned
his
skills
at
the
workshop
of
his
father,
Franz
Joseph
Merklin.
In
1843,
he
opened
his
first
workshop
in
Belgium.
In
1849,
he
went
into
partnership
with
his
foreman
and
voicer
Friedrich
Schütze: J. Merklin-Schütze et Cie.
In
1855,
he
came
to
Paris
and
acquired
the
Parisian
firm
of
Ducrocquet-Barker
(the
former
Daublaine-Callinet
firm),
which
was
then
bankrupt.
In
the
same
year,
he
presented
his
first
instrument
in
France
at
the
world
exhibition
in
Paris.
It
was
a
great
success
and
sold
to
the
Church
Saint-
Eugène
in Paris in 1856.
In
1858,
he
definitively
established
his
company
in
Paris:
Société
Anonyme
pour
la
fabrication
de
grandes
orgues.
Soon,
he
would
become
the
great
competitor
of
Cavaillé-
Coll in France.
In
1870,
he
sold
the
Belgian
part
of
his
company
to
Pierre
Schyven
and
left
the
French
part
to
found
a
new
one
:
Joseph
Merklin
et
Cie.
After
the
Franco-Prussian
war,
he
moved
to
Lyon
in
1872;
the
Parisian
branch
became
auxillary.
In
1880,
he
founded
a
new
company
Merklin
et
Cie
with
his
son-in-law
Charles
Michel,
but
this
firm
was
dissolved
in
1894
as
a
result
of
a
disagreement
between
the
two
men.
Charles
Félix
Michel
continued
the
workshop
in
Lyon,
which
was
dissolved
in
1902
and
later
in
1905
taken
over
by
the
Swiss
company
Kuhn
(Michel-Merklin
et
Kuhn).
This
firm
was
bought
by
Olaf
Dalsbaek
in
1976
and
the
name
of
the
firm
changed
tot
Dalsbaek-Merklin.
The
restoration
of
the
organ
of
the
church
of
Saint-Eugène
in
Paris
was
one
of
the
biggest
projects
of
his
career
as
an
organ builder.
Olaf Dalsbaek died in 2024 at the age of 73.
Joseph
Merklin
moved
to
Paris
again
together
with
his
head
of
workshop
Joseph
Gutschenritter,
under
the
name:
J.
Merklin
&
Cie.
He
retired
in
1898
and
gave
his
shares
to
the
engineer
Philippe
Decock.
The
firm
was
continued
by
Joseph Gutschenritter
. Joseph Merklin died in 1905.
Merklin
was
an
innovative
builder
and
introduced
in
1984
the
electro-pneumatic
system
(type
Schmoele-Mols),
which
allowed
a
large
distance
between
the
console
and
the
organ itself.
More information on Merklin…
Organs of Paris
Merklin
ORGANS OF PARIS © 2026 Vincent Hildebrandt
Joseph
Merklin
(1891-1905)
was
born
in
1819
in
Oberhausen
(Baden)
and
learned
his
skills
at
the
workshop
of
his
father,
Franz
Joseph
Merklin.
In
1843,
he
opened
his
first
workshop
in
Belgium.
In
1849,
he
went
into
partnership
with
his
foreman
and
voicer
Friedrich
Schütze:
J. Merklin-Schütze et Cie.
In
1855,
he
came
to
Paris
and
acquired
the
Parisian
firm
of
Ducrocquet-Barker
(the
former
Daublaine-Callinet
firm),
which
was
then
bankrupt.
In
the
same
year,
he
presented
his
first
instrument
in
France
at
the
world
exhibition
in
Paris.
It
was
a
great
success
and
sold
to
the
Church
Saint-
Eugène
in Paris in 1856.
In
1858,
he
definitively
established
his
company
in
Paris:
Société
Anonyme
pour
la
fabrication
de
grandes
orgues.
Soon,
he
would
become
the
great
competitor
of
Cavaillé-
Coll in France.
In
1870,
he
sold
the
Belgian
part
of
his
company
to
Pierre
Schyven
and
left
the
French
part
to
found
a
new
one
:
Joseph
Merklin
et
Cie.
After
the
Franco-Prussian
war,
he
moved
to
Lyon
in
1872;
the
Parisian
branch
became
auxillary.
In
1880,
he
founded
a
new
company
Merklin
et
Cie
with
his
son-in-law
Charles
Michel,
but
this
firm
was
dissolved
in
1894
as
a
result
of
a
disagreement
between
the
two
men.
Charles
Félix
Michel
continued
the
workshop
in
Lyon,
which
was
dissolved
in
1902
and
later
in
1905
taken
over
by
the
Swiss
company
Kuhn
(Michel-Merklin
et
Kuhn).
This
firm
was
bought
by
Olaf
Dalsbaek
in
1976
and
the
name
of
the
firm
changed
tot
Dalsbaek-Merklin.
The
restoration
of
the
organ
of
the
church
of
Saint-Eugène
in
Paris
was
one
of
the
biggest
projects
of
his
career
as
an
organ builder.
Olaf Dalsbaek died in 2024 at the age of 73.
Joseph
Merklin
moved
to
Paris
again
together
with
his
head
of
workshop
Joseph
Gutschenritter,
under
the
name:
J.
Merklin
&
Cie.
He
retired
in
1898
and
gave
his
shares
to
the
engineer
Philippe
Decock.
The
firm
was
continued
by
Joseph Gutschenritter
. Joseph Merklin died in 1905.
Merklin
was
an
innovative
builder
and
introduced
in
1984
the
electro-pneumatic
system
(type
Schmoele-Mols),
which
allowed
a
large
distance
between
the
console
and
the
organ itself.
More information on Merklin…
Saint-Eugène
Parisian organs built by Merklin
Saint-Eugène (1856) Notre-Dame-de-grâce-de-Passy ancienne Orgue de choeur (1860) Chapelle Notre Dame des Anges (1867) Saint-Ambroise (1869) Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-La-Salle ( 1855/1870) Synagogue de la Victoire Grand synagogu e (1875) Chapelle du couvent des Dominicains (1879) Saint-Merry Choir organ (1880) Sainte-Élisabeth Choir organ (1890) Eglise luthérienne du Bon-secours (1895) Eglise Protestante Unie du Marais (1895) Eglise luthérienne Saint-Paul (1898) E glise Protestante Unie -Batignolles (1898) Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt (189x) Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt Choir organ (189x) Saint-Ambroise Choir organ (189x) Chapelle du lycée Louis le Grand (18xx) Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (1900) Notre-Dame-de-grâce-de-Passy ancienne Eglise (1905)
