Amicus717 Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 (edited) Been following the horrible news out of Paris. I come from a family of liturgical musicians, and my uncle once had the privilege of playing the pipe organ at Notre Dame Cathedral. It was iconic and a really glorious instrument with a sound like no other -- a one of a kind creation to which other pipe organs were compared. And it is apparently gone, or so I am hearing. No confirmation on that yet, but I can't see how it could survive. Edited April 15, 2019 by Amicus717 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Besides all other aspects, the incredible amounts of historical architecture and items that have been lost is very sad. I've been there - very impressive! This is going to hit the Parisians hard both emotionally as well as financially. They get something like 13 million tourist visits to the cathedral every year... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synkrotron Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 been following it too... very sad day indeed apparently, officials are saying that they have saved the the main structure:- Quote Reuters news agency is quoting an official with the French firefighting team as saying: "We can now say that the structure of Notre-Dame has been saved from total destruction". AFP is also reporting that the main structure has been "saved and preserved", citing an official. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfoot Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 It's very sad. I saw the main spire fall in a video today. 800 years of history....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Yes, sad day for a monument like that to be gone after surviving so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Sad day for sure. 3 hours ago, Amicus717 said: Been following the horrible news out of Paris. I come from a family of liturgical musicians, and my uncle once had the privilege of playing the pipe organ at Notre Dame Cathedral. It was iconic and a really glorious instrument with a sound like no other -- a one of a kind creation to which other pipe organs were compared. And it is apparently gone, or so I am hearing. No confirmation on that yet, but I can't see how it could survive. That must of been a treat to play a pipe organ in such a majestic building. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amicus717 Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 21 minutes ago, InstrEd said: Sad day for sure. That must of been a treat to play a pipe organ in such a majestic building. I am told it was beyond description. That was the mother of all pipe organs, and the sound was apparently extraordinary. The current organ was technically installed in the mid 1800s, but had pipes from the previous two or three installation still active as part of the overall assembly, so it was several centuries worth of tones and timbres acting together. There is some word that possibly it may have survived. Apparently the interior was not as damaged as expected...https://mobile.twitter.com/areinaud/status/1117916691353067521?fbclid=IwAR3ma9YEfcrgmggR74Ri9tucUHgq0BKg1XbSnpsu9EsDRvvqyqgRW5yAHkU 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I once got to play on the second-largest pipe organ on the West Coast at my parent's church in San Diego (yes, I got away with playing Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water - I'm not an organist!). Unbelievable experience none-the-less. I can only imagine what it must have been like to actually know what you're doing on such a unique organ like the one in Notre Dame... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amicus717 Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 Just now, craigb said: I once got to play on the second-largest pipe organ on the West Coast at my parent's church in San Diego (yes, I got away with playing Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water - I'm not an organist!). Unbelievable experience none-the-less. I can only imagine what it must have been like to actually know what you're doing on such a unique organ like the one in Notre Dame... Oh I bet that was amazing. A big pipe organ is the most powerful piece of gear you'll ever play in terms of sheer volume and space-filling ability. It can be a fun instrument. I play a lot of weddings as an organist, and once got a $100 bonus from a groom because I managed to sneak a wee bit of the Darth Vader / Imperial March theme into the wedding processional, right at the end (the bonus was null and void if the bride noticed and the poor guy got his marriage started off with a fight at the altar). Worked surprisingly well. Bride didn't notice, groom burst out laughing but passed it off as joy at seeing his wife-to-be, and I'm told the pastor glanced at me with an eye-brow raised but otherwise said nothing. So I am told NBC is confirming Notre Dame's pipe organ was NOT damaged; Great news! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarianoGF Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 (edited) I've been there in september 2016, the organ was playing and I believed in God the only 15 minutes of my life. It was so impressive. I'm sad for what had happened today. Edited April 16, 2019 by Mariano Germán Flores 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 13 minutes ago, Amicus717 said: Oh I bet that was amazing. A big pipe organ is the most powerful piece of gear you'll ever play in terms of sheer volume and space-filling ability. It can be a fun instrument. I play a lot of weddings as an organist, and once got a $100 bonus from a groom because I managed to sneak a wee bit of the Darth Vader / Imperial March theme into the wedding processional, right at the end (the bonus was null and void if the bride noticed and the poor guy got his marriage started off with a fight at the altar). Worked surprisingly well. Bride didn't notice, groom burst out laughing but passed it off as joy at seeing his wife-to-be, and I'm told the pastor glanced at me with an eye-brow raised but otherwise said nothing. So I am told NBC is confirming Notre Dame's pipe organ was NOT damaged; Great news! That's some good news! The ironic part I neglected to mention in my prior post, is that the organ was heavily damaged by a fire that started in a side kitchen that was located right under the organ... When they rebuilt things, the organ was a mere shadow of its original glory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amicus717 Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 12 minutes ago, craigb said: That's some good news! The ironic part I neglected to mention in my prior post, is that the organ was heavily damaged by a fire that started in a side kitchen that was located right under the organ... When they rebuilt things, the organ was a mere shadow of its original glory. Ah man. Yeah, that is irony. I've heard of that happening in other places, too. The problem with pipe organs is that they are usually way too expensive to fix if something goes sideways. What a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Glad to hear the Pipe Organ was not damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibbles Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 A damaged pipe organ can be a pretty common problem once you reach middle age. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 A damaged pipe organ can be a pretty common problem once you reach the Middle Ages too. ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 4 hours ago, craigb said: A damaged pipe organ can be a pretty common problem once you reach the Middle Ages too. ? They also get the wind knocked out of them more easily? They also take longer to warm up ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 They had a restoration of a pipe organ at a church in Oak Park IL and it cost several $100,000 if I recall correctly. I can't imagine how much it would be to restore Notre Dame organ if it was damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 More positive news....... Following earlier fears that a cool box containing all the workmen's sandwiches may have also perished it has now been found intact although slightly deformed on the back. Reuters: breaking news......Lunchpack of Notre Dame survives blaze. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Cue the... "I don't know, but his face rings a bell!" joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Did Quasimodo survive? There has been no mention and I'm worried Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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