Tuesday we all had a free day to explore Paris at our own leisure - an opportunity that some of us took to accomplish some personal goals for the trip. While some shopped, met with friends, and did other things in the city, a few of us made our way North on the subway to the suburb of St. Denis. The town is named for the basilica of the same. The church is the first ever example of a Gothic-style church and is an incredible sight to behold. The imposing facade, though missing one of its beautiful towers and marred by war and revolution, is an elaborate work of art that pays homage to the incredible labor it must have taken to build the church in the 7th century.
Inside the church the spectacle continues to become more elaborate. The altar is beautiful and two fold; the first altar is functional, accompanied by the tomb of Dagobert, erroneously thought to be the king that built the church, and the second is reserved for the clergy, housing the relics of St. Denis. Joan of Arc also prayed here. Sadly, I forgot my camera, so you'll have to wait for John to post pictures to see all of these beautiful things I'm describing. Besides the altar, one is impressed by the enormous organ that looms over the rear gallery. It is the first organ that Aristide Cavaille-Coll built and its continued presence and use is testament to his ingenuity and craftsmanship.
The church is perhaps most famously the resting place of the kings and queens of the French throne since the time of Charlemagne. Though he himself is not buried there, his father, Pepin the Short, is. Along with Pepin, the French monarchy, right down to the unfortunate Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, are buried in the crypt underneath the altar. Sadly, the actual bodies of the royalty, save those in the crypt proper, are no longer present - during the 1789 Revolution, the tombs were opened and the bodies removed and destroyed in a ditch nearby. However, those buried since the revolution and those inside the underground crypt, such as Louis XIV, the Sun King, are still housed inside the church.
After we all returned from our various exploits, we gathered together in the evening to attend a concert of new music performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain at the Cite de la Musique in Paris. It was an interesting concert, including one world premiere by Unsuk Chin. Overall, the concert received mixed reviews from members of our group - some enjoyed it while some were not so fond. However, it was an interesting experience nonetheless and an excellent opportunity to hear what is happening in the world of new music, because, as the American Composer's Forum says, "all music was once new."
This morning we all made our way past myriad metro stops on our way to Montmartre - the mount of martyrs. It is the hill that forms the high point of Parisian topography and is the place where St. Denis became a martyr. Since 1914, it is where one can find the Basilica of Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart). It is a towering, domed white stone building with an impressive facade and many, many steps. Inside the church, mass was being said so we could not take any pictures or tour the dome, but it was nonetheless stunning. There are beautiful mosaics punctuated with goldleaf all over the walls, especially behind the altar. Because of the mass our tour was cut short, but we were all nonetheless impressed by the beauty of the space. After this we all went our separate ways, some going to the Salvador Dali museum, others going to the Moulin Rouge, and others just retiring home.
After we had all reconvened, we took an afternoon tour of the apartment of Maurice and Marie-Madeleine Durufle. Our host was Frederic Blanc, the organist of Notre Dame d'Auteuil and owner of the apartment. He was a friendly and very good humored man who had been a favorite and last pupil of Madame Durufle. His knowledge of the famous musical couple was extensive and he was obviously a great devotee of their music and memory. After he gave us a detailed account of their lives and influences, he led us up to the 8th floor of the building to the apartment. It was a small, curious place with an enormous house organ and a spectacular view of the surrounding city. Monsieur Blanc graciously and skillfully demonstrated the organ and all of its colors and capabilities through a series of varying improvisations. After which, we were each invited to try out the organ one at a time. After GP told Monsieur Blanc that many of us had sung Maurice Durufle's setting of Ubi Caritas, he wowed us all by showing us the original manuscript of the piece which had been left behind in the apartment when he had inherited it from Madame Durufle - a treat indeed!
Tonight we had a lovely dinner at the apartment as we have done a few times now - an easy way to keep our food costs down without resorting to eating crepes and panini for every meal (popular Parisian street food). Tomorrow we make our way to the American Church for an improvisation workshop with Peter Bannister and will meet up again with Monsieur Blanc to see the organ at the church for which he plays. We are excited to finally have another opportunity to do some more playing of our own! But for now, we're winding down, eating ice cream and getting ready for bed. Our days have been long and exhausting, but always worth it!
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