Organ Concert At Saint Nazaire

July 13, 2015

     I am glad to report that it is possible to get away from the mundane concerns my last posts have been peppered with, to the ethereal Gothic cathedrals of Carcassonne.  There are nine churches in all in the town, and eight of them are medieval, the ninth 19th century.  One, Saint Nazaire, is in La Cite, the medieval fortress and redoubt of Catharism, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     As such, La Cite and Saint Nazaire attracts tourists, and it is easy to forget that Saint Nazaire is also a parish church, with a base of supporters.  Those supporters are responsible for a series of free organ concerts, les Estivals l'Orgue de la Cite.  Yesterday the program featured, Araujo, Sola, Byrd, Gabrieli, Corrette, Rameau and Clement.  The organist was Francois Clement, composer of the last pieces played.

      While usually the cathedral is chock-a-block with tourists mumbling in despite of the request to keep the noise down, last evening it was full of respectful music lovers.  I was able to find a place in the front row and as a result had a spectacular view of the Gothic vaults and the striking stained glass that encircles the altar.

       The oldest of the stained glass of Saint Nazaire dates to the 13th century, and unlike many windows I've seen, there are few images of saints, Jesus and the rest of the holy crew.  The windows behind the altar are strips of glass into which squares containing images of Jesus and the saints can be found, but those strips framing them are motifs rather than images, as is the case with the remaining glass in the cathedral.

        So many repeating motifs in stained glass create an almost modern effect: rather than trying to "read" the images, I simply enjoyed them as the music played.  The motifs are typical of the style of stained glass design in the south of France, although those of Saint Nazaire are considered among the region's most beautiful.

        The organ is one of the earliest built in France, and dates from the 1500s, although it has been rebuilt several times.  The sound of it is not deep and imposing, but flute-like.  One of the pieces played on it for the concert was a gavotte, a piece of dance music.  Another piece, "The Carman's Whistle", by William Byrd, is meant to imitate the sound of a man whistling --as carmen did:  a carman transported goods, driving a cart with two horses, whistling to them to keep them moving.

        In between the pieces a man placed at the altar of the church explained something about each of the pieces and the composers.  He shared interesting information with his audience, for instance that Andres de Sola died in 1696 at the age of 62, while playing the church service for Holy Saturday in Oviedo.

        De Sola died at the organ, reclining his head on the keyboard as life left him.  The presenter described De Sola's death as tragic, but I have always thought that dying while doing what you lived for is anything but.

Accolée au chœur, la Chapelle de Radulphe, est elle aussi une petite merveille du gothique.
Nous pouvons aller jeter un oeil à l'intérieur… C'est donc par la nef que l'on pénètre dans la Basilique. Elle est du plus pur style roman : voûtes en berceau dans les collatéraux, voûte en berceau brisé dans la nef, lourds piliers aux chapiteaux sculptés, quasiment aucune ouverture. Seules de petites fenêtres dans les collatéraux et de minuscules oculi sur la façade ouest laissent pénétrer de maigres rayons de lumière dans la nef.

Les grandes orgues de Saint Nazaire sont parfois considérées comme les plus anciennes de France. Elles étaient déjà là au 16e siècle. Bien sûr, elles ont subi de multiples restaurations et réinstallations au cours des temps. 
Tous les dimanches de juin à septembre, de grands organistes du monde entier viennent animer les concerts gratuits qui sont offerts aux touristes et aux Carcassonnais.
Sur le bas-côté nord, la Chapelle de Rochefort, petit chef d'œuvre du 14e siècle. Il s'agit du tombeau de l'évêque, représenté entre deux archidiacres, et juste dessous, de petites niches figurant les chanoines assistant aux funérailles. Magnifique !