Classically Speaking

I've been home for over a week, and life is getting back to normal.

Most of the Parisian chocolates have disappeared, and all that remains of my adventures are memories and photos (and a fascination with things like French podcasts about Erik Satie festivals.)

As I look over the photos, I'm regretting not taking notes as to what some of these things were, especially these instruments from the Musée de la Musique at La Cité de la Musique.

Can anyone help -- is this terrifying cousin of the English horn perhaps a serpent?

I would pay good money to see those two instruments fight it out.

 

The music museum also features musicians demonstrating instruments. We were treated to a glass harmonica demonstration and performance by Thomas Bloch, an excellent musician who was very warm and generous with his time. He played some Mozart and Chick Corea tunes.

The Cité de la Musique was not the only museum in which musical sights were to be found. Salvador Dali had a rather stylish piano at the Espace Dali in Montmartre.

And who is this guy winking at us at the Louvre?

Here's the musical god Pan at the Louvre. A wonderful sheet music store (actually three stores all on the same block) in Paris evokes this mythical master of music: La flûte de Pan.

The violinist in the window in Matisse's painting seems to have a nice place to practice, at the Centre Pompidou.

Music in Paris was more than signs and museums! I also got to some great concerts. I have just a few pictures from the concerts, which I'll post soon.