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So sad - thanks to the fire-fighters for doing what they could to save as much as possible.
(hug)
Luckily a good number of the statues from the spire had recently been removed as repair work had just started on the spire, which means they’ve been spared. But yes, the stained glass windows will be hard to fix.
Thanks SW.
Yes, the firefighters have done an incredible work in this situation. Being able to reach the flames was already a challenge, so the fact that they managed to save the structure is really amazing.
I worked on a project a few years back that involved stained glass, the fellow I was working for told me about a project he took on that involved a very ornate stained glass window that had been destroyed in a fire... what he told me was apparently some types and colors of glass melt and deform, or even change color in a fire so often even if the parts are recovered, they are useless... but I don’t know if that applies to glass that old, it may have different properties than the more modern glass... hopefully some parts survived... I’m sure with modern technology and documentation the parts can be replicated, but some glass color formulas were unique and secret back when those windows were made, and the exact colors may not be able to duplicated.
Yes, the famous blue glass from Chartres is a typical example of a formula which was lost. AFAIK we still can’t replicate it exactly nowadays.
So so tragic. So much lost to history :(
Laurie
Comparing examples of Chartres blue to the Rose Window appears to show that many of the panels were that color. :(
maybe they best not move the surviving art and antiquities back but place replicas there and have a museum with a controlled environment and security for the originals,
old buildings tend to be fire hazards no matter how much we try to preserve them
no point in risking everything
A building can be rebuilt, but you can't replace priceless historical art and artefacts.
Heartbreaking.
I'm sure the French will rebuild it as exactly as possible. From my experience with Parisians it is as beloved by the French as it is by the rest of the world.
Found this interesting information regarding rebuilding the Cathedral:
"A French Billionaire Has Pledged 100 Million Euros To Help Rebuild The Notre Dame Cathedral!
French billionaire François-Henri Pinault said Monday night he and his family will donate 100 million euros to help reconstruct the Notre Dame Cathedral, hours after a catastrophic fire tore through the historic structure, collapsing its spire and causing significant damage.
April 15, 2019.
"My father [François Pinault] and I have decided to release as of now from the funds of Artemis a sum of 100 million euros to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame," Pinault wrote in a statement.
François-Henri Pinault is the chair and CEO of the international luxury group Kering, which includes Gucci and Saint Laurent, and president of the French holding company Groupe Artémis, which owns the fine arts auction house Christie's."
...some of the pipes in the organ date back to the 15th century before the rebuild of 1730. The voices that Thierry, Cloquot. and Cavalle-Coll added in the expansions are significant in historical terms of the instrument's and craft's development over time. One just cannot simply "recreate" that with modern technology. If they are able to do a "restoration", they should go back to the original design including a console of the same design as it was in Louis Vierne's time. Vierne who was blind since birth was the titular organist there for over three decades from the 1900 to the 1937 when he died at the console during a recital. As a composer, is best known for his Carillon de Westminster and a cycle of 6 sympohonic works for organ..
The original 1868 console.
Replacement console as of 2013
Unlike the original Cavaille Coll instrument, both the key and stop actions have been fully electrified (the original was all mechanical with pneumatic assist) and a MIDI system was also incorporated. Think of doing that to one of Pleyel piano's that Chopin had played, or Schnitger Organs Back had performed on.
Yes, and this morning the Arnault family (owners of LVMH) pledged 200 millions too.
CBS News coverage (4hrs long)
Not necessarily a safe move itself, as the Brazilians know to their regret.
??
I think I forgot too
National Museum of Brazil was heavily damaged by a fire last year, and it destroyed most of the items stored there.
Musical instruments of this sort aren't my thing but I do know this, a pipe organ is about the pipes not the console. Going back to the original design console would be a 15th dentury one that could not accomodate the number of pipes in the organ before the fire. Saying to go to the console used in the early 20th century is simply cherry picking one console of many that have been used since the organ was built and would also not accomodate changes to the instrument made since that time.
My dear friend on Facebook who is a stained glass artist is just abosolutely gutted over this! So very sad!
Miraculously the most ancient windows (inluding the rose windows) are apparently intact, though some of the 19th century ones have been damaged.
Why is nobody talking about a root cause investigation?
That may sound a bit hard and cold. Blame it on my left-brain. Which is right in this case. Root cause must be addressed, or this could happen again.
I totally agree. It needs to be fixed after figured out.
They've already launched an official investigation, they kicked it off before they even knew if the building would survive.
Yes, investigations for "involuntary destruction by fire" were launched yesterday evening (The main hypothesis for now is that is was an accident linked to the ongoing repair work).
They had to wait for the fire to be put out to start investigating on site, of course, and as the fire started in the attic which has been mostlly destroyed it will be very difficult to determine the actual cause.
Okay, thanks.
This type of fire is all too common on major construction projects. Often welding equipment or electrical fires and old wood are involved. Despite the destruction, it appears that quite a bit of art was saved and apparently no one was killed. I'm guessing that the reconstruction will incorporate fireproofing and firefighting improvements. It's a shame that all that historical architecture was lost but it could've been much, much worse.
...the technology in the console/keydesk actually does affect the musicality. Direct mechanical linkage from the keys to the windchests (as this instrument originally had) allows for the performer to affect the articulation of the pipe speech to a greater degree. Electricity is basically on or off with no "in between". Having played many different instruments from old mechanical action organs to ones with the latest solid state electronics (as well as having studied the instruments history and design) I can say there is a difference which I can even tell just listening. The original mechanical Cavalle-Coll console was replaced in 1978 with an electopneumatic one which is where the character of the instrument changed. Such "modern" actions are also more complex than the old mechanical ones and thus more prone to wearing out.
It is understandable to use such technology when space is at a premium, architecture of he location requires the console be some distance from the pipework, and/or costs are to be held down as it allows for "unification" (fewer sets of pipes that are "borrowed" from at different segments of their compass to create a larger stoplist than the actual tonal resources the instrument has [this was the principle used in the design cinema organs that often had to fit in very tight chambers in the walls]). However, the Notre Dame Organ's windchest construction follows the older principle where every stop (voice) was independent. All I am saying is this could bean opportunity to restore the instrument back to the original state before electrification (this has actually occurred in several instances in Europe where old organs that were "modernised" during the last century were restored back to their original state).
The old Schnitger and Silbermann organs in Germany and Holland as well as existing Cliquot and many Cavaille-Coll organs in France have been restored repeatedly over the years yet still retain their original keydesks/consoles and actions.
Imagine taking say, a Steinway grand piano and replacing the usual mechanism employed with electronics to move the hammers.
In any event, it was discovered the organ was not affected by the flames, so that is a good thing. There is major concern though that it may have suffered water damage which would affect the wood portions including wooden pipes) as well as electronics. While still serious is not catastrophic.