The Churches of Paris Part 11

Recit expressif 54 " 16 "

Clavier Bombarde 54 " 11 "

Pedales 30 " 15 "

---- TOTAL 72

1ST MANUAL.--GREAT ORGAN.

ft. ft.

1 Montre 16 10 Nasard 2 2 Montre 8 11 Doublette 2 3 Flte a pavilion 8 COMBINATION STOPS.

4 Bourdon 8 12 Furniture et Cymbale 3 5 Flte harmonique 8 13 Cornet 8 6 Viole de Gambe 8 14 Trompette 8 7 Gemshorn 8 15 Clarinette 8 8 Rohrflte 4 16 Clairon 4 9 Prestant 4

2ND MANUAL.--CHOIR ORGAN.

ft. ft.

1 Montre 8 9 Clochette 1 2 Bourdon 8 COMBINATION STOPS.

3 Keraulophone 8 10 Plein jeu 2 4 Flte harmonique 8 11 Clarinette 16 5 Bourdon 16 12 Cromhorn 8 6 Flte harmonique 4 13 Trompette 8 7 Fugara 4 14 Clairon 4 8 Doublette 2

3RD MANUAL.--SWELL ORGAN.

SOLO STOPS.

ft. ft.

1 Viole de Gambe 8 9 Trompette harmonique. 8 2 Voix celeste 8 10 Clairon 4 3 Bourdon 8 JEUX DE FOND.

4 Piccolo 1 11 Bourdon 16 5 Ba.s.son-Hautbois 8 12 Princ.i.p.al 8 6 Voix humaine 8 13 Flte harmonique 8 COMBINATION STOPS. 14 Flte octaviante 4 7 Cornet 8 15 Prestant 4 8 Trombone 16 16 Flageolet 2

4TH MANUAL.--SOLO ORGAN.

ft. COMBINATION STOPS.

1 Bourdon 16 ft.

2 Gambe 16 7 Cornet 16 3 Gambe 8 8 Bombarde 16 4 Salicional 8 9 Trompette 8 5 Quintaton 8 10 Cor anglais 8 6 Dulciana 4 11 Clairon 4

PEDALS.

ft. ft.

1 Princ.i.p.al 32 9 Flte 4 2 Flte 16 COMBINATION STOPS.

3 Sous-Ba.s.se 16 10 Bombarde 32 4 Contreba.s.se 16 11 Bombarde 16 5 Grosse Flte 8 12 Ba.s.son 16 6 Quinte 12 13 Ba.s.son 8 7 Violoncelle 8 14 Trompette 8 8 Bourdon 8 15 Clairon 4

COMBINATION STOPS FOR THE SWELL.

SOLO | ANCHES | FONDS TREMOLO | TREMOLO | TREMOLO

COMBINATION PEDALS.

1 Tonnerre.

2 Tira.s.se du 1er clavier sur le pedalier.

3 Tira.s.se du 2me clavier sur le pedalier.

4 Tira.s.se du 3me clavier sur le pedalier.

5 Tira.s.se du 4me clavier sur le pedalier.

6 Reunion du mecanisme des jeux du 1er clavier sur le levier pneumatique.

7 Accouplement du 2me clavier sur le 1er.

8 Accouplement du 3me clavier sur le 1er, a l'unisson.

9 Accouplement du 4me clavier sur le 1er.

10 Accouplement du 4me clavier sur le 3me.

11 Accouplement du 3me clavier a l'octave grave sur le 1er clavier.

12 Forte general.

13 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du pedalier.

14 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 1er clavier.

15 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 2me clavier.

16 Introduction des jeux de combinaisons du 4me clavier.

17 Expression sur le 3me clavier recit.

No one should omit visiting S. Eustache on S. Cecilia's day (November 22), when a grand ma.s.s is always performed, with full orchestra, in aid of the Society of Musicians; and indeed, any Sunday the music is quite well worth hearing, and the ceremonial is the finest in Paris. At the same time much has been lost by the subst.i.tution of the Roman for the Parisian rite, which took place in 1876. In the former, two acolytes swing the censers; in the latter, four or six acolytes standing in a row threw them up on high six times, the last time catching them while kneeling on one knee. As has been said, the grand effect of this use can never be forgotten by those who saw it.

The church owes the new marble pavement to its good _cure_ l'abbe Simon, one of the heroes of the Commune, and, almost, one of its victims. So much has been related (and with justice) against the _Communards_, that an incident connected with S. Eustache ought not to be forgotten. The day the abbe Simon was arrested he had three thousand _francs_ in his pocket, which were destined to pay for the pavement of the choir. Of course upon his arrival at the prison they were given up to the police, and were not restored when the _cure_ was released through the intervention of his _cheres paroissiennes, les Dames de la Halle_, who went _en ma.s.se_ to demand his freedom. On Easter Monday, however, Raoul Rigault's secretary went to the sacristry, asked M. Simon if the money had been returned, and finding that it had not, he left the church, to return in an hour's time, with the three thousand _francs_ intact.

In the south transept is a little Gothic statue of S. John, and on the wall is a sad memorial of the names of all the hostages who suffered death under the Commune, headed by the archbishop (Darboy) and the _cure_ of the Madeleine, Duguerry, who was formerly _cure_ of S.

Eustache.

S. Eustache, like most large churches, looks grandest in the evening, when the altar is ablaze with lights, and long vistas fade away into the darkness; but under all conditions it is a splendid church, a ma.s.s of harmonious colouring from floor to ceiling. At the evening services during Lent, it is seen to advantage; or again on Christmas Day at vespers, when it is resplendent with lights; those curious and unchurchlike gla.s.s chandeliers filled with candles, and cl.u.s.ters of gas jets round the walls.

Another great day is Good Friday, when Rossini's "Stabat Mater" is performed. It is always beautifully rendered, but for three-fourths of the crowd which a.s.sembles--and the church is always crammed--for most of the people it is a mere performance. So is the midnight ma.s.s on Christmas Day. Religious enthusiasm carries one away upon one or two occasions; the sentiment is exquisite; the emotions which are aroused are of the purest, and we feel almost that we are by the veritable manger listening to the heavenly Host: "Glory to G.o.d in the Highest."

But alas! human beings are but mortal; and so upon experience we find that the crowds who attend the ma.s.s do so mainly as a pastime before the _reveillon_; that is the function of the night; eating and drinking, junkettings and merrymakings; and just a little church-going to fill up the time until the hour of feasting commences. Cardinal Manning in his wisdom saw this many years ago, and stopped the practice of saying midnight ma.s.s, a measure he probably regretted as much as any of us; for apart from its being a very ancient custom, it is a most poetic idea, appealing strongly to our best emotions and our most vivid imagination.

SAINT-FRANcOIS XAVIER.

Until quite lately, the only church in Paris dedicated to the memory of the great Jesuit was the little chapel belonging to the Missions etrangeres in the Rue de Bac. The first stone was laid in 1683 by the archbishop of Paris, in the name of the king. It is a double chapel with a flight of steps leading from the lower to the upper church.

SAINTE-GENEVIeVE (LE PANTHeON).

As we walk up the Rue Soufflot and see the great domed Pantheon facing us in its Cla.s.sic glory, it is difficult to realise that the s.p.a.ce occupied by the modern building is but a small portion of what was formerly the domain of the important abbey of S. Genevieve belonging to the Augustinian canons. When the religious orders were suppressed in France, Paris contained nine abbeys: S. Genevieve, S. Victor, belonging to the Augustins; S. Germain des Pres to the Benedictines; Val des Grace to the nuns of S. Benedict; Port-Royal, Pantemont, l'Abbaye aux Bois, and S. Antoine to the Cistercian nuns; and the Cordelieres to the order of the Poor Clares. An inspection of a pre-Revolution map of the city shows us that a large part of it was swallowed up by these abbeys and other monastic lands and properties.