The Choir Organ at La Trinité

Mostly, I divide our experiences in Paris into two types: "tourist" and "resident." Every time we go to the Eiffel Tower (four times so far this year) or the Louvre (I've been eight times since 2004) I check off the "tourist" box in my mind, whereas every walk through the Parc des Buttes Chaumont with Panda or carousel we ride earns a check in the "resident" box. 

But sometimes an experience is so unique I can't find a place for it in either category. Such was the case last Thursday, when my mom, Cathy, and I were treated to a private organ concert at La Trinité, a neo-Renaissance cathedral constructed in 1867.

For you 20th-century musicologists out there, you might recognize La Trinité as kind of a big deal for organ music, since Olivier Messiaen was the titulaire (official performer) of the grand organ there from 1931 to 1992. Alas, we didn't get to hear the grand organ, but what we did hear on the choir organ (made by Cavaillé-Coll, installed 1867) was more than grand enough.

Audio Challenge #1: Name that piece

Our benefactor at La Trinité was Carolyn, whom I met at the BN in September, and with whose husband I'm preparing a concert for a Parisian salon for May 13 (you're invited!). Carolyn is the titulaire of the choir organ, and she invited us to hear her play after meeting my mom and Cathy Wednesday afternoon at a rehearsal for the salon concert. (Apparently my mom and Cathy made a strong impression!)

César Franck, "Prelude" from Prelude, Fugue, and Variations (excerpt)

At one point, Carolyn suggested we go to the Chapel of the Virgin Mary to listen, as the acoustics were supposed to be perfect there. So we went, and contemplated beautiful stained glass and neo-renaissance architecture as she thundered through Messaien's Transports de Joie, a piece that church must have already heard many times. (She started before we arrived at the Chapel, so the beginning is cut off.) The choir organ was originally mounted just above this chapel (opposite the grand organ, way down at the other end of the nave), and I'm not sure when it was moved down to its current position (on the left side of the nave, just before the transept).

Finally, we were treated to Messiaen's O Sacrum Convivium, a piece designed to inspire spiritual reverie.

While Carolyn's concert clearly constituted a unique experience, I'm hoping that the choir organ at La Trinité becomes a consistent part of my remaining time here. Carolyn invited me to play with her just as soon as I can get some clarinet/organ repertory copied at the library, and I plan to do just that.


For something close-to-but-not-quite-as-amazing-as our experience, you can hear Carolyn play during Mass and at rare solo concerts, as indicated on her website.