59 But pollution and the increasing number of tourists visiting the Cathedral got the better of the instrument, which was on its last legs by the early 1980s and required a complete restoration. This was carried out from 1990 to 1992 by the firms of Boisseau-Cattiaux, Emeriau and Giroud, in association with Synaptel for the computer-assisted transmission. A further renovation took place between 2012 and 2014 under the supervision of the firms of Cattiaux and Quoirin. A new console combining the console ‘en amphithéâtre’ of the Cavaillé-Coll and the American-style console of Pierre Cochereau was installed, equipped with an Eltec transmission system. On this occasion, the Petite Pédale was extended by two octaves to allow it to be played on the manual keyboards, thus creating a new ‘floating’ division, which can be engaged independently on all manuals. Even today, the most recent adjustments to the organ represent a marriage of age-old tradition and the most advanced technologies. The organ of Notre-Dame is at the crossroads of the past and the future as its multiple timbres resound beneath the vaults, to the great joy of the thousands of listeners who hear it all year round. Olivier Latry
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