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by Contributing Editor Des Coulam. Recording the street sounds of Paris attempting to capture that gratuitous, never-ending show for which no ticket is needed.
Musée Carnavalet – Extraordinary Sounds
I RECENTLY WENT on a sound hunting expedition to the Musée Carnavalet in the rue de Sévigné. It is a museum I know well and visit often … but what on earth is there to record in a museum that could possibly be of interest?
The Musée Carnavalet is an absolute gem. It is a museum dedicated to the city of Paris and entry is free. It occupies both the former Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. The notorious socialite, Madame de Sévigné lived there from 1677 until her death in 1696 and so it was in her shadow that I entered the museum to embark upon my task.
On my previous visits to this museum I had been engrossed with the exhibits, looking at them and reading the texts, trying to understand them and putting them into context. The history of the Paris fascinates me and so my visits have always been enjoyable and I have come away feeling that I know much more about this wonderful city. But this visit was different. I was working, hunting for sounds – the sounds that characterise this museum, the sounds that distinguish this museum from any other museum.
Seek and ye shall find!
In my experience, the distinguishing sounds are always there – it’s just a matter of perseverance enhanced by the thrill of the chase and the joy of finding the quarry.
And here it was – a creaking, wooden floor.
This floor was laid by craftsmen who would have ensured that it was inch perfect and totally silent. Madame de Sévigné would have tiptoed across this floor probably unaware that that it was even there.
But today, it lives and breathes. Age has taken its toll, the cracks have appeared and we are left with a wonderful sound legacy. For me, this wooden floor and its sound is just as much a part of the history of Paris as the exhibits that surround it in the Musée Carnavalet.
Listen to the sounds of the creaking, wooden floor – and think of it as living history:
CLICK HERE to hear the sound of the Musée Carnavalet
Des Coulam has a passion for recording and preserving our sonic environment. He writes and records the Soundlandscapes blog at www.soundlandscapes.wordpress.com
