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89-466: Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist , composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ symphony , which is frequently played as recessional music at weddings and other celebrations. As of 2022, he is the longest-serving organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris ,

178-581: A North Vietnamese flag at the top the flèche, and sabotaged the stairway leading to it. The flag was cut from the flèche by Paris Fire Brigade Sergeant Raymond Belle in a daring helicopter mission, the first of its kind in France. The Requiem Mass of Charles de Gaulle was held in Notre-Dame on 12 November 1970. The next year, on 26 June 1971, Philippe Petit walked across a tight-rope strung between Notre-Dame's two bell towers entertaining spectators. After

267-450: A ballet. He was one of the first composers to use the term "symphony" for some of his organ compositions, helped in this by the organs built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll . Widor was born in Lyon to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there with his father, Hungarian-born François-Charles Widor, who was the titular organist of Saint-François-de-Sales from 1838 to 1889. His mother

356-512: A car containing seven gasoline canisters was found near Notre-Dame . On 10 February 2017, French police arrested four persons in Montpellier already known by authorities to have ties to radical Islamist organizations on charges of plotting to travel to Paris and attack the cathedral. Later that year, on 6 June, visitors were shut inside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris after a man with a hammer attacked

445-399: A gabled portal to the north transept topped by a spectacular rose window. Shortly afterward (from 1258) Pierre de Montreuil executed a similar scheme on the southern transept. Both these transept portals were richly embellished with sculpture; the south portal depicts scenes from the lives of Saint Stephen and of various local saints, while the north portal featured the infancy of Christ and

534-692: A good deal of playing experience, most music composed for organ has been written by organists. Since the majority of pre-twentieth-century organs were installed in churches, classical organ literature was almost exclusively written for liturgical use. Many composers, therefore, are equally known for their performance talents, some historical examples being Johann Sebastian Bach , Dieterich Buxtehude , Felix Mendelssohn , Franz Liszt , César Franck , Camille Saint-Saëns , Charles-Marie Widor , Louis Vierne , Marcel Dupré and Maurice Duruflé , as well as improvisers such as Charles Tournemire , Pierre Cochereau , Pierre Pincemaille or Thierry Escaich . In Europe,

623-417: A large part in the leading of traditional western Christian worship, with roles including the accompaniment of hymns , choral anthems and other parts of the worship. The degree to which the organ is involved varies depending on the church and denomination. It also may depend on the standard of the organist. In more provincial settings, organists may be more accurately described as pianists obliged to play

712-467: A large team of sculptors, glass makers and other craftsmen, and working from drawings or engravings, Viollet-le-Duc remade or added decorations if he felt they were in the spirit of the original style. One of the latter items was a taller and more ornate flèche , to replace the original 13th-century flèche, which had been removed in 1786. The decoration of the restoration included a bronze roof statue of Saint Thomas that resembles Viollet-le-Duc, as well as

801-511: A low-cost alternative to rebuilding older pipe organs. In the English cathedral tradition the organist is now generally called "Director of Music", although their function is mainly in the training and direction of music rather than actual playing; there will generally be one or more assistant or sub-organists who play for most services and some recitals. Sometimes the organist will be assisted by an organ scholar . The post of organist at most of

890-453: A multipartite arrangement of so many lateral vaults, above and below? Where, I ask, would they find such light-filled amenities as the many surrounding chapels? Furthermore, let them tell me in what church I may see such a large cross, of which one arm separates the choir from the nave. Finally, I would willingly learn where [there are] two such circles, situated opposite each other in a straight line, which on account of their appearance are given

979-551: A new and much larger church. He summarily demolished the earlier cathedral and recycled its materials. Sully decided that the new church should be built in the Gothic style , which had been inaugurated at the royal abbey of Saint Denis in the late 1130s. The chronicler Jean de Saint-Victor  [ fr ] recorded in the Memorial Historiarum that the construction of Notre-Dame began between 24 March and 25 April 1163 with

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1068-413: A police officer outside . On 15 April 2019 the cathedral caught fire, destroying the flèche and the "forest" of oak roof beams supporting the lead roof. It was speculated that the fire was linked to ongoing renovation work. The fire broke out in the attic of the cathedral at 18:18, investigators concluded. The smoke detectors immediately signaled the fire to a cathedral employee, who did not summon

1157-551: A role he held for 63 years (January 1870 – 31 December 1933). He also was organ professor at the Paris Conservatory from 1890 to 1896 (following César Franck ) and then he became professor of composition at the same institution, following Théodore Dubois . Widor was a prolific composer, writing music for organ, piano, voice and ensembles. Apart from his ten organ symphonies, he also wrote three symphonies for orchestra and organ, several songs for piano and voice, four operas and

1246-586: A separate repertoire and playing style, and in its heyday (during the first third of the twentieth century) there were considerable numbers of organists employed, many of whom played on Wurlitzer organs. A few carry on the tradition today. There are many organists employed in the production of popular and jazz music. In the United States most of them play the Hammond organ , and many are classically trained, often in piano rather than organ. In England and Japan, one of

1335-485: A special Mass was held in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Germans; it was attended by General Charles De Gaulle and General Philippe Leclerc . In 1963, on the initiative of culture minister André Malraux and to mark the 800th anniversary of the cathedral, the façade was cleaned of the centuries of soot and grime, restoring it to its original off-white colour. On 19 January 1969, vandals placed

1424-499: A tradition founded in the 1830s by the Dominican Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire . These sermons have increasingly been given by leading public figures or government-employed academics. Over time, the cathedral has gradually been stripped of many decorations and artworks. However, the cathedral still contains Gothic, Baroque , and 19th-century sculptures, 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces, and some of

1513-578: Is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine ), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris , France. The cathedral, dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary (Our Lady), is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture . Several attributes set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style , including its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress , its enormous and colourful rose windows , and

1602-538: Is one of Widor's most-beloved pieces. Dating from this same period, and also based on a plainsong theme, is the "Salve Regina" movement, a late addition to the much earlier second symphony. Widor's best-known piece for the organ is the final movement of his Symphony for Organ No. 5 , a toccata , which is often played as a recessional at wedding ceremonies and at the close of the Christmas Midnight Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica , Vatican City . Although

1691-713: Is the oldest institutions and professional body that regulates organ studies. From that sprang the American Guild of Organists (AGO), the Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde  [ de ] (GdO) in Germany, and the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO). The Incorporated Association of Organists is an international society that fulfills an educational interest in the organ and is the holding company for regional Organist Associations, which regulate organ activities at

1780-504: The Cathedral of Saint Étienne , was built on the site, close to the royal palace. The entrance was situated about 40 metres (130 ft) west of the present west front of Notre-Dame, and the apse was located about where the west façade is today. It was roughly half the size of the later Notre-Dame, 70 metres (230 ft) long—and separated into nave and four aisles by marble columns, then decorated with mosaics . The last church before

1869-572: The Concordat of 1801 , Napoleon Bonaparte restored Notre-Dame to the Catholic Church, though this was only finalized on 18 April 1802. Napoleon also named Paris's new bishop, Jean-Baptiste de Belloy , who restored the cathedral's interior. Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine made quasi-Gothic modifications to Notre-Dame for the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the French within

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1958-477: The Magnificat of 30 May 1980, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass on the parvis of the cathedral. The Requiem Mass of François Mitterrand was held at the cathedral, as with past French heads of state, on 11 January 1996. The stone masonry of the cathedral's exterior had deteriorated in the 19th and 20th century due to increased air pollution in Paris, which accelerated erosion of decorations and discoloured

2047-566: The Musée de Cluny . For a time the Goddess of Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars. The cathedral's great bells escaped being melted down. All of the other large statues on the façade, with the exception of the statue of the Virgin Mary on the portal of the cloister, were destroyed. The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for the storage of food and other non-religious purposes. With

2136-703: The Paris Commune of March through May 1871, the cathedral and other churches were closed, and some two hundred priests and the Archbishop of Paris were taken as hostages. In May, during the Semaine sanglante of "Bloody Week", as the army recaptured the city, the Communards targeted the cathedral, along with the Tuileries Palace and other landmarks, for destruction; the Communards piled the furniture together in order to burn

2225-538: The Virgin Mary for the choir. At this same time, Charles de La Fosse painted his Adoration of the Magi , now in the Louvre . Louis Antoine de Noailles , archbishop of Paris , extensively modified the roof of Notre-Dame in 1726, renovating its framing and removing the gargoyles with lead gutters. Noailles also strengthened the buttresses, galleries, terraces, and vaults. In 1756, the cathedral's canons decided that its interior

2314-418: The fire brigade but instead sent a cathedral guard to investigate. The guard was sent to the wrong location, to the attic of the adjoining sacristy, and reported there was no fire. The guard telephoned his supervisor, who did not immediately answer. About 15 minutes later the error was discovered, whereupon the guard's supervisor told him to go to the correct location. The fire brigade was still not notified. By

2403-511: The naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration. Notre-Dame is also exceptional for its three pipe organs (one historic) and its immense church bells . Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260, though it was modified in succeeding centuries. In the 1790s, during the French Revolution , Notre-Dame suffered extensive desecration ; much of its religious imagery

2492-639: The relics of the passion of Christ , which included the Crown of thorns , a nail from the Cross and a sliver of the Cross, which he had purchased at great expense from the Latin Emperor Baldwin II , in the cathedral during the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle . An under-shirt , believed to have belonged to Louis, was added to the collection of relics at some time after his death. Transepts were added at

2581-459: The 15-metre (49 ft) flying buttresses of the choir. Jean le Bouteiller, Ravy's nephew, succeeded him in 1344 and was himself replaced on his death in 1363 by his deputy, Raymond du Temple. Philip the Fair opened the first Estates General in the cathedral in 1302. An important innovation in the 13th century was the introduction of the flying buttress . Before the buttresses, all of the weight of

2670-403: The 19th-century restorers. Today, thirteen of the grands mays hang in Notre-Dame although these paintings suffered water damage during the fire of 2019 and were removed for conservation. An altarpiece depicting The Visitation , painted by Jean Jouvenet in 1707, was also located in the cathedral. The canon Antoine de La Porte commissioned for Louis XIV six paintings depicting the life of

2759-519: The April 2019 fire. Notre-Dame began a year-long celebration of the 850th anniversary of the laying of the first building block for the cathedral on 12 December 2012. During that anniversary year, on 21 May 2013, Dominique Venner , a historian and white nationalist, placed a letter on the church altar and shot himself, dying instantly. Around 1,500 visitors were evacuated from the cathedral. French police arrested two people on 8 September 2016 after

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2848-541: The Canadian Henri Gagnon . Albert Schweitzer also studied with Widor, mainly from 1899; master and pupil later collaborated on an annotated edition of J. S. Bach's organ works, published in 1912 – 1914. Widor, whose own master Lemmens was an important Bach exponent, encouraged Schweitzer's theological exploration of Bach's music. Among the leading organ recitalists of his time, Widor visited many different nations in this capacity, including Russia, England, Germany,

2937-798: The Christmas Day Introit "Puer natus est" in the third and fourth movements, while the Symphonie Romane has the Easter Gradual " Haec dies " woven throughout all four movements. They also honored, respectively, the Gothic Church of St. Ouen, Rouen and the Romanesque Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse , with the new Cavaillé-Coll organs installed in each. The second movement of the Symphonie Gothique, entitled "Andante sostenuto",

3026-529: The Fourth Symphony also opens with a Toccata, it is in a dramatically different (and earlier) style. The Toccata from Symphony No. 5 is the first of the toccatas characteristic of French Romantic organ music, and served as a model for later works by Gigout , Boëllmann , Mulet , Vierne and Dupré. Widor was pleased with the worldwide renown this single piece afforded him, but he was unhappy with how fast many other organists played it. Widor himself always played

3115-506: The Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland. In addition, he participated in the inaugural concerts of many of Cavaillé-Coll's greatest instruments, notably the organs at Notre-Dame de Paris , Saint-Germain-des-Près, the Trocadéro , and Saint-Ouen de Rouen . Well-known as a man of great culture and learning, Widor was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1892, and reached

3204-500: The Seine by ferry. The first phase began with the construction of the choir and its two ambulatories . According to Robert of Torigni , the choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar consecrated on 19 May 1182 by Cardinal Henri de Château-Marçay , the Papal legate in Paris, and Maurice de Sully. The second phase, from 1182 to 1190, concerned the construction of the four sections of

3293-522: The Toccata rather deliberately. Many organists play it at a very fast tempo whereas Widor preferred a more controlled articulation to be involved. He recorded the piece, at St. Sulpice in his eighty-ninth year; the tempo used for the Toccata is quite slow. Isidor Philipp transcribed the Toccata for two pianos. Over his long career, Widor returned again and again to edit his earlier music, even after publication. His biographer, John Near, reports: "Ultimately, it

3382-442: The age of 76, Widor married Mathilde de Montesquiou-Fézensac on 26 April 1920 at Charchigné . The 36-year-old Mathilde was a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families of Europe. They had no children; she died in 1960. On 31 December 1933, at age 89, Widor retired from his position at Saint-Sulpice. Three years later, he suffered a stroke which paralysed the right side of his body, although he remained mentally alert to

3471-585: The boy-king Henry VI of England was crowned king of France in Notre-Dame, aged ten, the traditional coronation church of Reims Cathedral being under French control. During the Renaissance , the Gothic style fell out of style, and the internal pillars and walls of Notre-Dame were covered with tapestries. In 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged some of the statues of Notre-Dame, considering them idolatrous . The fountain  [ fr ] in Notre-Dame's parvis

3560-591: The cathedral of Notre-Dame was a Romanesque remodeling of Saint-Étienne that, although enlarged and remodeled, was found to be unfit for the growing population of Paris. A baptistery , the Church of Saint-John-le-Rond , built about 452, was located on the north side of the west front of Notre-Dame until the work of Jacques-Germain Soufflot in the 18th century. In 1160, the Bishop of Paris , Maurice de Sully , decided to build

3649-503: The cathedral. The arson was halted when the Communard government realised that the fire would also destroy the neighbouring Hôtel-Dieu hospital, filled with hundreds of patients. During the liberation of Paris in August 1944, the cathedral suffered some minor damage from stray bullets. Some of the medieval glass was damaged, and was replaced by glass with modern abstract designs. On 26 August,

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3738-551: The cathedral. The building's exterior was whitewashed and the interior decorated in Neoclassical style, then in vogue. In the decades after the Napoleonic Wars , Notre-Dame fell into such a state of disrepair that Paris officials considered its demolition. Victor Hugo , who admired the cathedral, wrote the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (published in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ) in 1831 to save Notre-Dame. The book

3827-427: The ceiling of the cathedral had several holes but was otherwise intact. The Great Organ, which has over 8,000 pipes and was built by François Thierry in the 18th century was also saved but damaged by water. An ornate tapestry woven in the early 1800s, on public display for only the third time in recent decades, was saved from the fire. Because of the renovation, the copper statues on the flèche had been removed before

3916-402: The choir, where the altar was located, in order to bring more light into the centre of the church. The use of simpler four-part rather than six-part rib vaults meant that the roofs were stronger and could be higher. After Bishop Maurice de Sully's death in 1196, his successor, Eudes de Sully oversaw the completion of the transepts, and continued work on the nave , which was nearing completion at

4005-481: The city of Paris and the French nation . In 1805, it was awarded honorary status as a minor basilica . As the cathedral of the archdiocese of Paris , Notre-Dame contains the cathedra of the archbishop of Paris (currently Laurent Ulrich ). In the early 21st century, about 12 million people visited Notre-Dame annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris. The cathedral is renowned for its Lent sermons,

4094-569: The earlier symphonies. Some of these revisions were quite extensive. With the Opus 42 symphonies, Widor shows his mastery and refinement of contrapuntal technique, while exploring to the fullest the capabilities of the Cavaillé-Coll organs for which these works were written. The Fifth Symphony has five movements, the last of which is the famous Toccata. The Sixth Symphony is also famous for its opening movement Allegro . The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies are

4183-410: The fire had spread to the north tower, where the eight bells were located. The firefighters concentrated their efforts in the tower. They feared that, if the bells fell, they could wreck the tower, and endanger the structure of the other tower and the whole cathedral. They had to ascend a stairway threatened by fire, and to contend with low water pressure for their hoses. As others watered the stairway and

4272-448: The fire. Since 1905, France's cathedrals (including Notre-Dame) have been owned by the state, which is self-insured. Some costs might be recovered through insurance coverage if the fire is found to have been caused by contractors working on the site. The French insurer AXA provided insurance coverage for two of the contracting firms working on Notre-Dame's restoration before the blaze. AXA also provided insurance coverage for some of

4361-535: The first buttresses is not known with precision beyond an installation date in the 13th century. Art historian Andrew Tallon , however, has argued, based on detailed laser scans of the entire structure, that the buttresses were part of the original design. According to Tallon, the scans indicate that "the upper part of the building has not moved one smidgen in 800 years," whereas if they were added later some movement from prior to their addition would be expected. Tallon thus concluded that flying buttresses were present from

4450-505: The great cathedrals includes recital work and choral training. Another function of an organist is often as teacher to future players. Few organists hold historically special positions such as Raùl Prieto Ramitez who is the Civic Organist of San Diego, the last true Civic Organist position still active in the US. Since the strengths and weaknesses of the organ are difficult to understand without

4539-616: The historical importance of churches as employers of musicians meant that many composers who now are very seldom remembered for their association with the organ were, nevertheless, engaged as professional organists: for example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar . In English churches, chapels and cathedrals the Organist may also be known as Master of the Choristers , Choirmaster or Director of Music ; however, there are some ancient titles still in current usage: The theatre organ has

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4628-484: The instrument's spectacular capabilities proved an inspiration to Widor. Despite his job's ostensibly "provisional" nature, Widor remained as organist at St-Sulpice for nearly 64 years until the end of 1933. He was succeeded in 1934 by his former student and assistant, Marcel Dupré . In 1890, upon the death of César Franck , Widor succeeded him as organ professor at the Paris Conservatoire . The class he inherited

4717-609: The last. He died at his home in Paris on 12 March 1937 at the age of 93, and his remains were interred in the crypt of Saint-Sulpice four days later. His tomb bears an incorrect birth year (1845). Widor wrote music for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles (some of his songs for voice and piano are especially notable) and composed four operas and a ballet , but only his works for organ are played with any regularity today. These include: ten organ symphonies , three symphonies for orchestra with organ, Suite Latine , Trois Nouvelles Pièces , and six arrangements of works by Bach under

4806-411: The late 2010s. The entire renovation was estimated to cost €100 million, which the archbishop of Paris planned to raise through funds from the national government and private donations. A €6 million renovation of the cathedral's flèche began in late 2018 and continued into the following year, requiring the temporary removal of copper statues on the roof and other decorative elements days before

4895-459: The laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III . Four phases of construction took place under bishops Maurice de Sully and Eudes de Sully (not related to Maurice), according to masters whose names have been lost. Analysis of vault stones that fell in the 2019 fire shows that they were quarried in Vexin , a county northwest of Paris, and presumably brought up

4984-508: The local level. All these institutions are oriented toward the organist involved in classical music rather than popular music , but have recently shown an interest in expanding their interests. There is also the American Theatre Organ Society . Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( French: [nɔtʁ(ə) dam də paʁi] ; meaning " Our Lady of Paris "), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame ,

5073-549: The longest and least performed of Widor's Symphonies. The Seventh Symphony contains six movements, and the first version of the Eighth Symphony had seven. (Widor subsequently removed the Prélude for the 1901 edition.) The ninth and tenth symphonies, respectively termed "Gothique" (Op. 70, of 1895) and "Romane" (Op. 73, of 1900), are much more introspective. They both derive thematic material from plainchant : Symphonie Gothique uses

5162-630: The most important relics in Christendom , including the Crown of Thorns , and a sliver and nail from the True Cross . It is believed that before the arrival of Christianity in France , a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter stood on the site of Notre-Dame. Evidence for this includes the Pillar of the Boatmen , discovered beneath the cathedral in 1710. In the 4th or 5th century, a large early Christian church,

5251-511: The most popular series of instruments is the Yamaha Electone ; while Electones of recent decades are more properly characterized as digital synthesizers rather than as organs, the player interface, and the skills and coordination required to play, mean that it may be effectively regarded by some, as an organ in these respects. The Royal College of Organists (RCO) in the United Kingdom

5340-416: The name of the fourth vowel [O]; among which smaller orbs and circles, with wondrous artifice, so that some arranged circularly, others angularly, surround windows ruddy with precious colours and beautiful with the most subtle figures of the pictures. In fact, I believe that this church offers the carefully discerning such cause for admiration that its inspection can scarcely sate the soul. On 16 December 1431,

5429-471: The nave behind the choir and its aisles to the height of the clerestories . It began after the completion of the choir but ended before the final allotted section of the nave was finished. Beginning in 1190, the bases of the façade were put in place, and the first traverses were completed. Heraclius of Caesarea called for the Third Crusade in 1185 from the still-incomplete cathedral. Louis IX deposited

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5518-470: The organ for worship services; nevertheless, some churches are fortunate to have trained organists capable of more elaborate "voluntaries" (the solo music before, during and after the service) and improvisation . As most churches can afford to employ only one musician, the organist is usually also responsible for directing and rehearsing the choir(s) . In the twentieth-century, many pipe organs were replaced by pipe-less electronic and digital organs , often as

5607-552: The outset. The first buttresses were replaced by larger and stronger ones in the 14th century; these had a reach of fifteen metres (50 ft) between the walls and counter-supports. John of Jandun recognized the cathedral as one of Paris's three most important buildings [prominent structures] in his 1323 Treatise on the Praises of Paris : That most glorious church of the most glorious Virgin Mary, mother of God, deservedly shines out, like

5696-715: The rank of a Grand-Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1933. He was named to the Institut de France in 1910, and was elected "Secrétaire perpetuel" (permanent secretary) of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1914, succeeding Henry Roujon . In 1921, Widor founded the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau with Francis-Louis Casadesus . He was the director until 1934, when he was succeeded by Maurice Ravel . His close friend, Isidor Philipp gave piano lessons there, and Nadia Boulanger taught an entire generation of new composers. At

5785-415: The rest of his life. At the age of 24, he was appointed assistant to Camille Saint-Saëns at Église de la Madeleine . In January 1870, with the combined lobbying of Cavaillé-Coll, Saint-Saëns, and Charles Gounod , the 25-year-old Widor was appointed as "provisional" organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, the most prominent position for a French organist. The organ at St-Sulpice was Cavaillé-Coll's masterwork;

5874-442: The restoration of the nearby Sainte-Chapelle , were appointed in 1844. The next year, Viollet-le-Duc submitted a budget of 3,888,500 francs , which was reduced to 2,650,000 francs, for the restoration of Notre-Dame and the construction of a new sacristy building. This budget was exhausted in 1850, and work stopped as Viollet-le-Duc made proposals for more money. In totality, the restoration cost over 12 million francs. Supervising

5963-399: The roof pressed outward and down to the walls, and the abutments supporting them. With the flying buttress, the weight was carried by the ribs of the vault entirely outside the structure to a series of counter-supports, which were topped with stone pinnacles which gave them greater weight. The buttresses meant that the walls could be higher and thinner, and could have larger windows. The date of

6052-425: The roof, a team of 20 firefighters climbed the narrow stairway of the south tower, crossed to the north tower, lowered hoses to be connected to fire engines outside the cathedral, and sprayed water on the fire beneath the bells. By 21:45, they brought the fire under control. The main structure was intact; firefighters saved the façade, towers, walls, buttresses, and stained-glass windows. The stone vaulting that forms

6141-456: The sculpture of mythical creatures on the Galerie des Chimères . The construction of the sacristy was especially financially costly. To secure a firm foundation, it was necessary for Viollet-le-Duc's labourers to dig nine metres (thirty feet). Master glassworkers meticulously copied styles of the 13th century, as written about by art historians Antoine Lusson and Adolphe Napoléon Didron . During

6230-408: The stone. By the late 1980s, several gargoyles and turrets had also fallen or become too loose to remain safely in place. A decade-long renovation programme began in 1991 and replaced much of the exterior, with care given to retain the authentic architectural elements of the cathedral, including rigorous inspection of new limestone blocks. A discreet system of electrical wires, not visible from below,

6319-475: The story of Theophilus in the tympanum , with a highly influential statue of the Virgin and Child in the trumeau . Master builders Pierre de Chelles , Jean Ravy  [ fr ] , Jean le Bouteiller, and Raymond du Temple  [ fr ] succeeded de Chelles and de Montreuil and then each other in the construction of the cathedral. Ravy completed de Chelles's rood screen and chevet chapels, then began

6408-528: The sun among stars. And although some speakers, by their own free judgment, because [they are] able to see only a few things easily, may say that some other is more beautiful, I believe, however, respectfully, that, if they attend more diligently to the whole and the parts, they will quickly retract this opinion. Where indeed, I ask, would they find two towers of such magnificence and perfection, so high, so large, so strong, clothed round about with such multiple varieties of ornaments? Where, I ask, would they find such

6497-431: The time of his death in 1208. By this time, the western façade was already largely built, though it was not completed until around the mid-1240s. Between 1225 and 1250 the upper gallery of the nave was constructed, along with the two towers on the west façade. Another significant change came in the mid-13th century, when the transepts were remodelled in the latest Rayonnant style; in the late 1240s Jean de Chelles added

6586-557: The time the guard had climbed the 300 steps to the cathedral attic, the fire was well advanced. The alarm system was not designed to automatically notify the fire brigade, which was finally summoned at 18:51 after the guard had returned from the attic and reported a now-raging fire, and more than half an hour after the fire alarm had begun sounding. Firefighters arrived in less than ten minutes. The cathedral's flèche collapsed at 19:50, bringing down some 750 tonnes of stone and lead. The firefighters inside were ordered back down. By this time

6675-482: The title Bach's Memento (1925). The organ symphonies are his most significant contribution to the organ repertoire. It is unusual for a work written for one instrument to be assigned the term "symphony". However, Widor was at the forefront of a revival in French organ music, which utilized a new organ design pioneered by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll that was " symphonic " in style. The organ of the Baroque and Classical periods

6764-416: The top of the northern towers at Notre-Dame were melted down and recast into new bronze bells in 2013, to celebrate the building's 850th anniversary. They were designed to recreate the sound of the cathedral's original bells from the 17th century. Despite the 1990s renovation, the cathedral had continued to show signs of deterioration that prompted the national government to propose a new renovation program in

6853-615: Was Françoise-Elisabeth Peiron. The French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll , reviver of the art of organ building, was a friend of the Widor family; he arranged for the talented young organist to study in Brussels in 1863 with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens for organ technique and with the elderly François-Joseph Fétis , director of the Brussels Conservatoire , for composition. After this term of study, Widor moved to Paris where he resided for

6942-555: Was added in 1625 to provide nearby Parisians with running water. Since 1449, the Parisian goldsmith guild had made regular donations to the cathedral chapter. In 1630, the guild began donating a large altarpiece every year on the first of May. These works came to be known as the grands mays . The subject matter was restricted to episodes from the Acts of the Apostles . The prestigious commission

7031-519: Was also installed on the roof to deter pigeons. The cathedral's pipe organ was upgraded with a computerized system to control the mechanical connections to the pipes . The west face was cleaned and restored in time for millennium celebrations in December 1999. The Requiem Mass of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger , former archbishop of Paris and Jewish convert to Catholicism, was held in Notre-Dame on 10 August 2007. The set of four 19th-century bells at

7120-469: Was an enormous success, raising awareness of the cathedral's decaying state. The same year as Hugo's novel was published, anti- Legitimists plundered Notre-Dame's sacristy . In 1844 King Louis Philippe ordered that the church be restored. The architect who had hitherto been in charge of Notre-Dame's maintenance, Étienne-Hippolyte Godde , was dismissed. In his stead, Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , who had distinguished themselves with

7209-458: Was awarded to the most prominent painters and, after 1648, members of the Académie Royale . Seventy-six paintings had been donated by 1708, when the custom was discontinued for financial reasons. Those works were confiscated in 1793 and the majority were subsequently dispersed among regional museums in France. Those that remained in the cathedral were removed or relocated within the building by

7298-415: Was celebrated in Notre-Dame with the singing of the Magnificat . Beginning in 1963, the cathedral's façade was cleaned of soot and grime. Another cleaning and restoration project was carried out between 1991 and 2000. A fire in April 2019 caused serious damage and forced the cathedral to close for five years; it is to reopen to the public on 8 December 2024. The cathedral is a widely recognized symbol of

7387-621: Was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the cathedral hosted the coronation of Napoleon and the funerals of many of the French Republic's presidents . The 1831 publication of Victor Hugo 's novel Notre-Dame de Paris (in English: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ) inspired interest which led to restoration between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc . On 26 August 1944, the Liberation of Paris from German occupation

7476-404: Was designed to project a clear and crisp sound capable of handling contrapuntal writing. Cavaillé-Coll's organs, on the other hand, had a much warmer sound and a vast array of stops that extended the timbre of the instrument. This new style of organ, with a truly orchestral range of voicing and unprecedented abilities for smooth crescendos and diminuendos, encouraged composers to write music that

7565-509: Was discovered that over a period of about sixty years, as many as eight different editions were issued for some of the symphonies." Rough dates of composition/publication are in brackets, along with the original publisher, if known. ( Salvum fac populum tuum Op. 84 is also known in english as " Lord, Save Thy People ") Organist The majority of organists, amateur and professional, are principally involved in church music , playing in churches and cathedrals. The pipe organ still plays

7654-466: Was fully symphonic in scope. This trend was not limited to France, and was reflected in Germany by the organs built by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker and the works of Franz Liszt , Julius Reubke , and Max Reger . Widor's symphonies can be divided into three groups. The first four symphonies comprise Op. 13 (1872) and are more properly termed "suites". (Widor himself called them "collections".) They represent Widor's early style. Widor made later revisions to

7743-523: Was initially stunned by this new teacher, who suddenly demanded a formidable technique and a knowledge of J. S. Bach 's organ works as prerequisites to effective improvisation. In 1896 he gave up this post to become composition professor at the same institution. Widor had several students in Paris who were to become famous composers and organists in their own right, most notably the aforementioned Dupré, Louis Vierne , Charles Tournemire , Darius Milhaud , Alexander Schreiner , Edgard Varèse , Hans Klotz , and

7832-507: Was rededicated in 1793 to the Cult of Reason , and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being in 1794. During this time, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered. The twenty-eight statues of biblical kings located at the west façade, mistaken for statues of French kings, were beheaded. Many of the heads were found during a 1977 excavation nearby, and are on display at

7921-436: Was too dark. The medieval stained glass windows, except the rosettes, were removed and replaced with plain, white glass panes. Lastly, Jacques-Germain Soufflot was tasked with the modification of the portals at the front of the cathedral to allow processions to enter more easily. After the French Revolution in 1789, Notre-Dame and the rest of the church's property in France was seized and made public property. The cathedral

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