Organ Builders

Nollet Organ Builders

The Nollet family included three organ builders, one in each generation.

Jean Nollet was born in 1681 in Launois-sur-Vence, near Charleville. Probably related by his mother, Nicole Adam, to the Ardennes organ builders Jean Adam father and son, active in Champagne and then in Lorraine, he probably learned organ building with them, when they were established in Nancy. He later moved to Luxembourg, where he was married on February 28, 1706 in the church of Saint-Michel and became a citizen of the city on October 8 of the same year. Called upon in 1724 to rebuild the great organ of the cathedral of Trier, he realized the masterpiece of his career (35 stops on 3 manuals and pedal in drawbar, 16' on display). He died in 1735 in Luxembourg at the age of 54.  The organ of St. Wendel (1732, reconstruction), Saarbrücken (1737, new organ), as well as other undated works (Jesuits of Coblenz, Mettlach, Tholey, St. Martin of Trier). The configuration of the Tholey case, with its pedal turrets connected to the positive by curved entablature plates, was used in Moselle by the Verschneiders until about 1840, and then by Joseph Géant and Pierre Rivinach in 1840-1845.

Two examples of Jean Nollet's work remain in the Moselle: the case of Notre-Dame de Metz, which comes from the old organ of Saint-Simon de Trèves, transported to Metz in 1803, and the organ of Oudrenne, of unknown provenance, rebuilt in this village in 1876 by Jean-Frédéric Verschneider. The organ of Oudrenne is, in the present state of research, the only preserved work of Jean Nollet.

Roman Benedikt Nollet, son of Jean, was born in 1710 in Luxembourg. He spent most of his life in Trier, where he married twice, in 1728 and 1748. He died in Trier on March 13, 1779. The following works are mainly known to him: Bernkastel (1745, new organ), Saint Paulin in Trier (1747-1753, new organ), Kirchberg (1753, new organ), Premonstratensians in Wadgassen (1762, new organ), St. Anthony in Trier (1763-1765, new organ), Benedictine monks in Clausen (1773, new organ), and Benedictine monks in Himmerodt (unknown date, new organ). In 1775 he started with his son the construction of the monumental organ of the Cistercians of Orval (4 manuals, 75 registers). The organ of the abbey of Clausen was installed in 1804 in Saint-Martin de Metz; this excellent instrument is the best preserved example of Roman Benedikt Nollet's work.

In Moselle, Roman Benedikt Nollet worked on the organ of the parish of Saint-Avold in 1760 and probably on the organ of the parish of Boulay in 1760-1761. On August 18, 1760, the municipal officers of Saint-Avold said that they were "informed of the ability of Nollet, who has already given proof of it in several cities of this region”. The hypothesis that Nollet rebuilt the Puttelange organ around 1760 has already been put forward (Orgues de Lorraine, Moselle Mo-Sa, Metz, 1997, p. 1663] Curiously, he signed, in Saint-Avold with a particle: "Romanus Benedictus de Nollet.

Born of the second marriage of Roman Benedikt, Johann Bernhard Nollet was baptized in Trier on October 9, 1748. He got married on November 5, 1777 in Villers-devant Orval. His main works were the completion of the organ in Orval (1780), the repair of the organ in St. Nicholas in Luxembourg (1785), and the reconstruction of the organ in Prüm (1783-1786). In 1790 he repaired the organ in Grosbliederstroff (Moselle). His presence is still attested at St. John's in Saarbrücken in 1802, the date and place of his death are unknown.

Source:

Orgues de Lorraine: Moselle.  Metz : Association d'étude pour la coordination des activités régionales musicales : 

Available at Marriott Library Level 1: General Collection (ML574.7.M67 O74 1994 )