27.7.12
26.7.12
Claude Debussy
For musical, dancing, drama... education there is an establishment in « my » arrondissement, the
17th, called the “Conservatoire Claude Debussy”, at present occupying two
different premises. I guess that the best translation of “conservatoire” may be
Academy, academy of music, dance, drama… The original “conservatoire” is
situated on Avenue de Villiers in this beautiful building from 1880, originally
built for the de Havilland family where Renoir, Zola, Rodin… were guests. Since
1982 it’s the local music academy with some 600 pupils and some 60 teachers.
More
capacity was needed and some other premises have been added for another 600
pupils and some 40 teachers, in the north east part of the arrondissement.
There has
now been a decision to create more, adapted space and a new “conservatoire”
will be ready next year, situated on the northern border of the arrondissement,
with space for more than 1000 students, a “concert hall” for 300 people…
All this is
good, very good! I believe however that there is a problem: The name of the
“conservatoire”. There are rumours that the local authorities may wish to
change the name “Conservatoire Claude Debussy” to “Conservatoire Rostopovitch”.
I have definitely nothing against the excellent cellist and conductor Mstislav
Rostopovitch, but…
... Claude Debussy is very much linked to the 17th
arrondissement. He lived here at two different premises during many years, when
he created some of his most well-known music, like the opera “Palléas et
Mélisande”, “Suite Bergamasque” (including “Clair de Lune”), “Prélude à
l’après-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to the afternoon of a faun)….
Some of us
believe that we must protest against this name change initiative. If you agree,
you are welcome to write to bruno.juillard@paris.fr or francois.brouat@paris.fr
at the Mayor’s office.
In the
meantime there is at least a "Square Claude Debussy" in the arrondissement.
… and we
can always listen to “Clair de Lune”.
Exceptionally, I have written more or less the same thing also in French:
Pour la formation
musicale (+ danse, art dramatique...) il ya un établissement dans «mon» arrondissement, le 17ème, appelé le
"Conservatoire Claude Debussy", à l'heure actuelle occupant deux
locaux différents. Le conservatoire d’origine est situé sur l'avenue de
Villiers dans un bel immeuble de 1880, construit pour la famille de Havilland
où Renoir, Zola, Rodin ... ont fait partie des invités. Depuis 1982, c'est devenu
le conservatoire local avec quelques 600 élèves et 60 enseignants.
Plus de capacité a été
nécessaire et d’autres locaux ont été ajoutés pour 600 autres élèves et 40
enseignants dans la partie nord-est de l'arrondissement.
Il a maintenant été
décidé d'en créer encore plus de capacité et un nouveau local sera prêt l'année
prochaine, situé sur la frontière nord de l'arrondissement, pour plus de 1000
étudiants, une "salle de concert" pour 300 personnes ...
Tout cela est bon,
très bon ! Je crois cependant qu'il ya un problème: Le nom du conservatoire.
Il y a des rumeurs que les autorités locales peuvent souhaiter changer le nom
"Conservatoire Claude Debussy" à "Conservatoire Rostopovitch".
Je n'ai vraiment rien contre l'excellent violoncelliste et chef d'orchestre
Mstislav Rostopovitch, mais ... Claude Debussy est très liée au 17ème
arrondissement. Il a vécu ici dans deux appartements différents pendant de
nombreuses années, quand il a créé une bonne partie de sa musique la plus
connue, comme l'opéra "Palléas et Mélisande", "Suite
Bergamasque" (y compris "Clair de Lune"), "Prélude à l’après-midi
d'un faune " ....
Certains d'entre
nous croyons que nous devons protester contre cette initiative de changement de
nom. Si vous acceptez, vous êtes invités à écrire à bruno.juilliard@paris.fr ou francois.brouat@paris.fr au
bureau de la Mairie.
Labels:
Paris 17
23.7.12
Another little extra post
This is again
a little extra post to follow the local events of the moment. The “real post”
is just below this one.
I wasn’t
with the crowd to watch the arrival yesterday of the “Tour de France” on the Champs
Elysées (but of course saw it on television). The participants arrive along the
Seine and then make a number of tours up and down the Champs Elysées and around
the Tuileries Gardens. A few hours later, the dismantling and the cleaning were
well under way. In the meantime, it was possible to make a walk in the middle
of the avenue.
Leaving, I took
a few photos of the rather recently refurbished gate of the back entrance to
the Elysée Palace, just behind where the bikers arrive.
Napoleon's "Berlin"
I went to
the Museum of the “Légion d’Honneur” (Legion of Honuor) basically to see
Napoleon’s “Berlin”, a carriage which was temporarily exposed there (exposition finished
July 8). Unfortunately, I had only the time to take the above photo, before I
was advised that photos were not allowed. Well I could at least see it and also
a lot of items which once belonged to or were linked to Napoleon, including a
redingote, frock, the hat and the sword he wore and carried at Waterloo... the “silver”
used for the meals, his dental equipment…
... and I could of course take some photos from the outside. The building, which is immediate neighbour to
the the Orsay Museum (see previous post), was originally built for the Prince
of Salm-Kyrburg, just before the French Revolution (during which the Prince was
beheaded), sold to the “Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour” in 1804. It
more or less burnt down during the “Commune” in 1871, was reconstructed… In 1922 the Museum was added.
If you are
interested in different orders of chivalry and different national , religious,
military decorations, the Museum has hundreds (thousands?) of them from all countries in the
world… and also some remarkable paintings, portraits…
The
concentration is of course on the French Legion of Honour, which was created by
Napoleon in 1802. The first distribution took place at the Invalides (see
previous posts) in 1804.
Reverting
to the major reason for my visit: The “Berlin” is a lighter type of carriage
which around 1670 was designed for the Elector of Brandenburg - Berlin was then
the capital of Brandenburg. The one we could see at the museum was originally built
for Napoleon’s Russian campaign (1812). He had a larger more comfortable carriage,
“La Dormeuse” (the sleeping car). Both were confiscated after the battle of
Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon left the battlefield on a horseback, still wearing
his hat and his sword. “La Dormeuse”, after several owner changes, ended up at
Madame Tussaud’s in London, where it was destroyed by fire in 1925. The smaller
“Berlin” was brought to Prussia and the Kaiser Wilhelm I by the Field Marshal
von Blücher, but remained in the Blücher family until it was given back to
France in 1971.
As I could
not take the pictures of the “Berlin”, here are at least some illustrations,
showing that it really was present during the battles.
Napoleon’s
hat, which was the one he actually wore at Waterloo, is normally to be found at
the Museum of Sens in Burgundy. The “Berlin” should hopefully soon be back and visible
at the Malmaison castle, just outside Paris.
Labels:
Museum of the Legion of Honour,
Paris 7
19.7.12
July 14th... again.
After some
problems with my PC (change of hard disc…), I’m “back”. I was a bit disappointed
not being able to show some more pictures from the 14th July
fireworks (see previous post). So, here are a few more. Please, consider this as an extra post, the "real one" for the moment is the one below.
New fences

The fences
around “my” park, Square des Batignolles are being restored. The park was designed
by Jean-Charles Alphand, who has his name linked to some twenty other squares
and parks in Paris, including the most well-known. The park was officially opened in 1876, but
the fences are there since 1862, so 150 years later the need for restoration
was there.
The works
are planned to be finished late this year. The first restored pieces are now there,
however the ornaments, which had disappeared in the meantime and now are
promised to come back, are still missing.
The poster
giving information about the works is illustrated by a painting by Eduard Manet,
“The Railway”, from 1873. The lady on the painting is the same as we can find on
the maybe most famous paintings by Manet, “The Luncheon on the Grass” (1862-63)
where she shared the role (the face) with Manet’s wife (the body) and “Olympia”
(1863). “The Luncheon on the Grass” was exhibited in 1863 and created uproar,
but “Olympia”, exhibited in 1865, even more. Her name was Victorine Meurent
(1844-1927). She played the guitar, the violin – even gave lessons – sang in
cafés and also modeled for Degas. She became a good painter herself. “Palm
Sunday” is by her.
The rail
tracks are still there, but the steam engines have been replaced. Even if it
seems that “The Railway” may have been created closer to Gare Saint
Lazare (Pont de l'Europe), it has anyhow been painted along the same railway tracks that lengthen the
park…
… and Manet’s
name is clearly linked to the Batignolles area and to the members of the “Batignolles
Group”, who later became better known as impressionists (Degas, Monet, Renoir,
Sisley, Bazille, Cézanne, Sisley,
Pisarro, Fantin-Latour… ). I already posted about all this e.g. here.
Labels:
Batignolles,
Paris 17,
Square des Batignolles
15.7.12
July 14th
Yesterday
was July 14th, the French National Holiday. There were fireworks at the Eiffel
Tower... and disco music. I was among the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) people
watching. I took a few tens of photos. The relatively good ones are vertical, but
Blogger doesn’t seem to accept vertical photos, at least not mine. My PC is not
working properly, so I cannot make my usual collages… I managed to upload the only
two horizontal photos I took; one from before the fireworks, one from when they
just started. At least, they prove that I was there. I may revert with a new
post about these fireworks if I get my PC to work again within a couple of
days. (My PC problem is also an excuse why I will be even less than usual
visiting your blogs. Sorry! )
12.7.12
Bibilothèque Mazarine
Cardinal
Mazarin (1602-61), who took over after Cardinal Richelieu, more or less
governed France during the young years of Louis XIV. The future “Sun King” was
only five, when his dad, Louis XIII died in 1643 and Mazarin became the
co-ruler alongside the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria.
Mazarin was
a great collector. He also created a personal library, more based on a wish for knowledge and the spreading of knowledge than for anything else. His first collection
was dispersed when he for a while had to leave Paris for political reasons
(“La Fronde”), but on his return he immediately began a second one – of course
helped by librarians. Already during his lifetime it was made available to
“public” (scholars) and at his death it was bequeathed to the “Collège des
Quatre-Nations” (College of the Four Nations), which he had wished to create.
The name referred to his desire to open a college for students from the
territories (the nations) which recently had come under French rule through the
Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
The college
(with Louis le Vau as architect) was built facing the Louvre. The construction
work started the year after Mazarin’s death, in 1662, and the building stood
ready in 1688. Before that, in 1682, the Mazarin library had been transferred
to the eastern wing of the building, using elements from his own library, in
addition to all the books and other items. A few years after the Revolution the building
was given to the “Institut de France”, grouping five academies, the most
well-known of course being the “Académie Française”. The library became really
public, the oldest public one in France. It contained already some 60 thousand
volumes (today ten times more), several thousands of the first printed books
(second half of the 15th century), including one of the 48 surviving
original Gutenberg Bibles.
So today,
the “Bibiliothèque Mazarine” is still there, open to public, and it still
occupies the eastern wing of the building, the rest being occupied by the
academies.
Mazarin’s
tomb is under the cupola of the building, originally a chapel, but today especially
known as the place where the Academies hold their public meetings.
On my way
to the library, I crossed the Louvre, a warm day, when some people were happy
to let their feet be freshened by the water in the basin, surrounding the
Pyramid. I stopped listening to some very talented musicians, including two
young opera singers.
Reaching the “Pont des Arts”, with the "Institut" and the library in the background, I could notice that there are more padlocks than ever.
Once in the
inside court, you have two facing facades, one being the “Institut de France”,
the other one the “Bibliotheca a Fundatore Mazarinea”.
Reaching the “Pont des Arts”, with the "Institut" and the library in the background, I could notice that there are more padlocks than ever.
The
entrance stairs, as they look today, were added during the 19th
century. You can find the bust of Mazarin.
Some
“details” include a beautiful early 18th century clock, perfectly working, Over one of the doors, you can see the arms of the Cardinal, of course with the cardinal hat, the “galero” on top...
...and some nice golden ceiling lamps. The little angel holding a chess tower indicates that they once belonged to Madame de Pompadour.
...and some nice golden ceiling lamps. The little angel holding a chess tower indicates that they once belonged to Madame de Pompadour.
Labels:
Bibilothèque Mazarine,
Paris 6
9.7.12
A different kind of demonstration
Last
Saturday I found a large group assembled on Place Pigalle…
The new
French government has proposed to introduce similar laws as applied in Sweden
since some ten years, followed by a few other countries – trying to ban or
diminish prostitution by punishing the clients rather than the prostitutes.
What I saw
was a demonstration against this proposition, organized by some “sex workers syndicates”. They claim “rights” rather than repression and penalization. I recognized the
(university educated) young lady appearing in front of the “Syndicat du Travail
Sexuel” (Sexwork Syndicate) banner from different television interviews lately.
News media
were of course present and the demonstrators could express their opinions as well
by slogans as by interviews.
After the more
or less rainy meeting, the crowd marched (I suppose) in the direction of Place de la
République.
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