Le carillon de la Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon, figure centrale de la culture du carillon en Bourgogne - Adrien Parret

Burgundy has been a land of carillons since the 16th century. Indeed, the first mention of a carillon in the region dates back to 1539, when an 8-bell instrument was destroyed by fire in the church of Saint-Martin in Seurre. At that time, Flanders and Burgundy formed a politic unity and it's safe to assume that the strong links between the two territories played a role in the spread of the art of the carillon.

In the first half of the 20th century, the ‘trézeleur’ at the Hospices de Beaune was one of the last active carillonneurs in the area. He passed the baton to Henri Garnier, the future carillonneur of Dijon, who breathed new life into carillon culture in the Côte d'Or department. We owe him the restoration or creation of 5 Côte d'Or carillons.

The large carillon installed in the south tower of Dijon's Saint-Bénigne cathedral is the keystone of this revival. In 1986, the small primitive instrument dating from 1902 became, following a series of works spread over time, the largest carillon in Europe with 63 bells (on a par with that of the Leuven university library). Since then, no substantial work has been undertaken to retrace the carillon's history. This memoir attempts to remedy this situation, and provides an inventory of the 64 bells housed in the south tower, a precious testimony to the art of 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century bell founders. Readers will also appreciate the photos of the antique keyboards, the first with its matress springs recovered from the public rubbish dump, and the Amédée Bollée keyboard from Châlons-en-Champagne.

Last but not least, this dissertation documents the many events organized by the Association Départementale des Amis des Carillons around the Dijon carillon (congresses, performance and composition competitions, international festival...). Even today, 50 years after its creation, this same association continues to promote the heritage of Burgundian carillons and welcomes carillonneurs from all over the world.