03.22.06
Impressions of Paris, Debussy, and the Archealogy of Dead Composers
Impressions, 3.21.2006 Paris and St Germain en Laye..
these are raw..incomplete…look at the Debussy site to see the images and a more complete impression
I first walked in very cold, drizzly, damp weather towards 10 Rue Gustave Doré, where Debussy lived briefly in 1892 ?. It was an interesting walk from Place de Clichy, through some older areas with houses from the late 1800’s to the turn of 1900-1920. The air was misty, totally overcast, and it reminded me of the prelude Brouillards, as has indeed a good part of this trip. The trip to and up the Eiffel Tour was especially evocative of the mists and dampness that seems to be a prominent part of Paris life, at least in March. As I turned to Rue Brémontier tall trees line the boulevard, and I could perceive the cut where the railway goes in the middle of Rue Pereiere, perpendicular to Rue Gustave Doré. I turned right onto Rue Pereire and Doré was shortly on the right. Trees line Rue Pereiere, giving the feel of a park, and in the misty air were shadows as people walked past, but no trains. The bridge over the tracks is a girder construction with x’s that is seen all around Paris. I could see 10 Gustave Doré, a seven floor building with dormers on the top floor. It is a nondescript building with windows commonly found all over Paris in buildings built around the turn of 1900 into the 1920’s. Across the street buildings had been torn down, and a school was bustling with activity. At the end of the short street on the south east a tall tree stood, while the view towards the northwest featured the wooded railway right of way. I walked to the right of way, to Rue Pereire, and followed it to the Place du Maréchal Juin. It was a pleasant walk in the cold damp air, with some tall trees and a wide right of way where the railway went underground. Some of the houses were art noveau and beaux arts, even more so on Avenue Niels and then Avenue Marc Manon as it winds towards the Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc du Triumphe.
The Arc du Triumphe is a central area in Paris, no fewer than 12 major streets interesect here. Traffic is always very heavy, even at midnight. Avenue Foch, named for a general in World War I in 1918 is 3 streets over from Avenue Marc Manon. When Debussy lived on this broad, parklike avenue, which is wider than the Champs Elysee, it was called the Ave. Bois du Boulagne as it leads directly to the park of that name. The Arc du Triumphe is the highest point in the area, the Tour Eiffel looms to the southwest. In 2006, Avenue Foch is a wealthy area, with many newer buildings as well as richly restored older buildings. Some older trees remain, although workers were even removing trees as I passed, and the park lining the avenue on the north and south side the entire way feels more modern. Nonetheless, closer to the Parc Bois du Boulange, the trees are taller, the brush thicker as it is in the park, and some of the trees are large enough to have lived when Debussy walked the boulevard. (foto) The building where Debussy lived, now renovated, is almost at the end of the avenue, at number 80. There is a broad view across the avenue to the south, with some trees in front and the eastern side of the park clearly visible. (foto) I can well imagine the view from the building, with the park to the right (west), the arc du Triumph to the left (east), and the elegant buildings which lined the boulevard in front, towards the south. On the cold day I was there, Tuesday March 21st, 4 days before March 25th, the day Debussy died at this location in 1918, the leaves were still off the trees, some dead leaves remained on the ground, and in the misty air it felt much like fall or winter. The Porte Dauphine metro station is on the northern side of the avenue, the side of Debussy’s house, and was surrounded by purple, yellow, and white crocuses, the only sign of impending spring.
The train ride to St Germain en Laye goes past the university of…….nantes…. partly underground and partly above ground. Some older houses are clearly visible, including one with stucco and branches which look like a tree rising from the ground. Although much of the area has been developed, in places by large pharmaceutical companies, in others with apartment buildings, much of the feeling of rural France remains. St Germain is not far from Versailles, Charlemagne hunted there, and it has a rich past. It also had a demonstration that was dispersed by riot police while I visited Debussy’s house. The youth seem unsettled and tough. The previous day I travelled to the museum a group of boys kicked a soccer ball very hard in the corridor of the train station and I felt fortunate I was not hit. They wildly kicked the ball against windows, walls and billboards, without regard for the people who tried to pass. Saint Germain en Laye is an old area, and perhaps still has a spark, an impulse to be wild and revolutionary.
Debussy’s house, at 38 Rue au Pain, is in the central part of the city and dates from 1680. The stairs are in a central courtyard outside and connect the four floors of the structure. It was acquired in 1972 by the city to commemorate their most famous son, and to house the chamber of commerce and tourism beaureau. The museum opened in 1990 with items bequeathed by Madame de Tinan, Debussy’s daughter in law. Among the most interesting is the Japanese lacquer print of goldfish, “poissons” which inspired “Poissons d ‘or” in Images Book II. Many photos of Debussy, his parents and family, Madame Bardac, and his daughter Claude Emma “Chou Chou” are mixed with a few scores and facsimiles. The house itself has rough hewn wooden beams in the ceiling and stair cases, and is rather dark. The exhibit is not well lit, particularly the goldfish print, and the tourism staff left me alone to film and photograph, though they seemed amused when I left. The collection is small though worth visiting, and is in two rooms on the second floor, the first floor in France. The museum literature claims Debussy grew up in the house, but in fact he lived here a short period of time.
42 Rue du Londres
Debussy lived here with Gabrielle Dupont in 1892, a block away from Trinite Cathedral and Gare St. Lazare. The bells of the cathedral ring often, and many trains arrive and depart from Gare St. Lazare. It is a bustling area not far from the Garnier and Comique Opera houses. On March 22nd 2006 when I photographed Rue Londres it was a cold rainy day, very grey and unpleasant and I can well imagine why Debussy often fled Paris for warmer, brighter climes. Paris has no appeal in this weather, and one feels rather like an outsider who does not belong. Constant moisture, mist, and rain from a drizzle to medium sized drops never seems to end, giving the city a dingy pall that is neither alive nor dead. Everything feels as if it is in limbo. People flock to shop, stand outside in the rain waiting for the d’Orsay and Louvre, huddle inside cafe’s with beer, wine, and espresso. Clouds of grey smoke fill these small places, with tables crowded so close the waiters cannot pass. Huge clouds of smoke imitate the clouds outside, the mist, the grey sky. Nothing sparkles or shines, nothing stands out from the grey miasma. None of the people smile, no one seems to have any expression. All seem to blend with the grey sky, the wet pavement, and the grey, damp splotches on the buildings. Shop keepers give obligatory greetings, but seem concerned with their own lives, their own concerns. No one reaches outside of themselves.
Paris is a very anonymous city….back to Zurich tomorrow..
and Texas on Friday
