[Bell Historians] Notre Dame

[David Cawley]

Been on holiday so you've been spared my outpourings.

Regarding Notre Dame de Paris, the Bourdon (now in its 4th recasting, 1685, 
is supposed to weigh 30,00 livres note fa bemol) and it is certainly a fine 
sound. In the south tower.

Before the French Revolution there were two bourdons; the other was 20,000 
livres (note sol). It took the revolutionaries three weeks to smash it and 
the old set of eight bells ("le plus formidable de la France, dont la plus 
grosse peze 10,000 livres"), leaving only the "gros bourdon".

There were no other bells until 1856, when Guillaume Besson cast a set of 
four, largest 4,500 livres. They are said to be out of tune with the Bourdon 
and with each other, devoid of ornamentation (usually a feature of French 
bells, see the mighty five from St Helier, presently at Loughborough being 
rehung), and "unworthy of the metropolitical Cathedral of Paris".

Muc of the above derived from an interesting 19th century work "Enquetes 
Campanaires Francaises et Etrangeres" by Dr Billon). Perhaps someone can 
work out the precise weights if they know the equivalent of the French livre 
to the English pound; likewise the equivalent of the notes, from tonic 
sol-fa to musical note notation.

A bientot

DLC




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Chester" <mike at h44xO1CvkX6LLmF00Az-er82lr8nH7ZKsquCkngpkK4nsfFS1Bdjjus2W0qMG2_G0crxzRK_6I0JkR9ZctTwwNDReBKNgXE.yahoo.invalid>
To: <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 12:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Bell Historians] Notre Dame


> --- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, Robert Lewis <editor at ...> wrote:
>>
>> I have received an enquiry about the bells at Notre Dame in Paris.
>
> There is a nice picture at
>
> http://www.fromparis.com/modules/large.php?style=large&pano=000086_06
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>