Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Tribute to Charles-Marie Widor
- Part One Studies, Early Performances, and Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1844–69)
- Part Two La Belle Époque: The Franco-Prussian War to The Great War (1870–1914)
- Part Three The Great War and Important Initiatives (1914–37)
- Appendix 1 Birth record of Charles-Marie Widor, 1844
- Appendix 2 Widor’s Diplôme de Bachelier ès Lettres, 1863
- Appendix 3 Widor’s letter of appreciation to Jacques Lemmens, 1863
- Appendix 4 Brussels Ducal Palace organ specification, 1861
- Appendix 5 Widor’s certificate for Chevalier de l’Ordre du Christ, 1866
- Appendix 6 “To Budapest,” 1893
- Appendix 7 Widor’s travels to Russia and his 1903 passport
- Appendix 8 Widor’s list of his works in 1894
- Appendix 9 The Paris Conservatory organs, 1872
- Appendix 10 Chronique [Widor’s appeal for an organ hall at the Paris Conservatory, 1895]
- Appendix 11 Widor’s certificate for the Académie Royale, Brussels, 1908
- Appendix 12 “Debussy & Rodin,” 1927
- Appendix 13 The American Conservatory organ, Fontainebleau, 1925
- Appendix 14 Letters concerning the Trocadéro organ restoration, 1926
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- Eastman Studies in Music
11 - Organs in the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles and the Chapel of Les Invalides
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 May 2024
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Tribute to Charles-Marie Widor
- Part One Studies, Early Performances, and Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1844–69)
- Part Two La Belle Époque: The Franco-Prussian War to The Great War (1870–1914)
- Part Three The Great War and Important Initiatives (1914–37)
- Appendix 1 Birth record of Charles-Marie Widor, 1844
- Appendix 2 Widor’s Diplôme de Bachelier ès Lettres, 1863
- Appendix 3 Widor’s letter of appreciation to Jacques Lemmens, 1863
- Appendix 4 Brussels Ducal Palace organ specification, 1861
- Appendix 5 Widor’s certificate for Chevalier de l’Ordre du Christ, 1866
- Appendix 6 “To Budapest,” 1893
- Appendix 7 Widor’s travels to Russia and his 1903 passport
- Appendix 8 Widor’s list of his works in 1894
- Appendix 9 The Paris Conservatory organs, 1872
- Appendix 10 Chronique [Widor’s appeal for an organ hall at the Paris Conservatory, 1895]
- Appendix 11 Widor’s certificate for the Académie Royale, Brussels, 1908
- Appendix 12 “Debussy & Rodin,” 1927
- Appendix 13 The American Conservatory organ, Fontainebleau, 1925
- Appendix 14 Letters concerning the Trocadéro organ restoration, 1926
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- Eastman Studies in Music
Summary
After the Commune, Adolphe Thiers was named President of the Republic. The Thiers household moved the presidency of the Republic to the prefecture of Versailles. Mme Élise Thiers, a woman of great heart and merit, had the idea of organizing musical matinées in the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles for the benefit of her relief works. Since the competition of Saint-Denis, Cavaillé-Coll had remained in contact with the eminent statesman. Mme Thiers sent for Cavaillé, and thus the three of us felt the pain of finding the mechanism of the chapel organ completely out of order, wormeaten, and most of the pipes corroded from dampness. What could be done? Cavaillé said to her, “There's a very simple way, Madame; allow me to build a makeshift keyboard and refurbish a dozen stops, so that we can accompany the singers whose voices will be enveloped by the resonance of the magnificent chapel.” We had concerts with Saint-Saëns and a young Romanian woman, Mlle Anna de Belocca, endowed with a splendid voice. During the ceremony on February 21, 1873, Saint-Saëns played a few pieces by Bach, as much as the instrument allowed, and I collaborated with the ensembles.
The resonance of the Versailles Chapel is absolutely wonderful. Today, unfortunately, even from the makeshift means employed by Cavaillé-Coll, nothing remains workable. As the chapel has not been heated for countless years, three-quarters of the pipes have been eaten away, a salt has been deposited on what remains of the pipes, and on this light layer of salt one can distinguish scratches from the teeth of the rats, which are very fond of it. Moisture has eaten away at what was left of the leadwork, and as for the mechanics, they are absolutely rotten and gone.
There are two organs that are a disgrace in their current state: the organ of the Chapel of Versailles and the organ of the Chapel of Les Invalides. Located in two incomparable historical monuments, they are thus more exposed to the attention and woeful appraisal of foreigners.
The organ of the Chapel of Versailles has always been an accompanying organ used for choral Masses in the great ceremonies of former times.
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- Autobiographical Recollections of Charles-Marie Widor , pp. 29 - 30Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2024