Beth Arnold

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

 

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.

 

Through An Open Window

THE MOULIN ROUGE in Pigalle is a magnet for tourists. Almost any time of the day or night, you will find people standing in front of it queuing to buy tickets or waiting to get in to see the scantily clad dancers perform.  Across the street, people with cameras flirt with the traffic trying to capture images of this Paris icon.

Of all the tourists who flock to this place I suspect very few venture a few steps to the left of the Moulin Rouge and explore its next-door neighbour, the Cité Véron.

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image via Wikipedia

 

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.

 

 Steam in the Bois de Boulogne

In my last column for Letter From Paris I featured the grand and majestic sounds of the original Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Eglise Saint-Sulpice.  But sounds don’t have to grand and majestic to be interesting and enjoyable.

 

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

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.

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

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.

 

A TALE OF TWO WEDDINGS

A WEDDING TOOK PLACE in London a week ago Friday.  In Westminster Abbey, nineteen hundred invited guests and an estimated television audience of two billion watched as the bride entered the Abbey as a commoner and left as a Princess.

A wedding took place in Paris last Saturday.  In the Eglise Saint-Sulpice around one hundred invited guests and no television audience watched as the bride entered the Church as a commoner and left feeling like a Princess.

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image via Wikipedia

 

THE MARCHE D'ALIGRE

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.

WHEN IT COMES to Paris markets, the Marché d’Aligre is about as lively as they come. Situated between rue de Charenton and rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in the 12^th arrondissement, the market actually comprises two markets, the indoor Marché Couvert Beauvau and an outdoor street market.

Letter from Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image via Wikipedia

 

STREET MUSIC IN THE FAUBOURG SAINT-ANTOINE

 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.

WALKING ALONG THE RUE du Faubourg Saint-Antoine from Bastille towards L'hôpital Saint-Antoine, past the clutch of wonderful half-hidden passageways, it’s easy to slip back in time.  Since the 13^th century the Faubourg Saint-Antoine has been full of artisans plying their trade. An exemption from the Medieval guild membership and the associated fees and taxes attracted carpenters, cabinetmakers, blacksmiths, ironworkers and a variety of other craftsmen to the area. Even today, if it’s furniture you want, the Faubourg Saint-Antoine is the place to be.

Letter From Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Cover of Édith Piaf

 

PARISIAN STREET MUSIC

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.

 

I AM ALWAYS ASTONISHED by the quality of the music to be found on the streets of Paris. Whether it's the classical musicians and opera singers to be found under the arches in the Place des Vosges, the jazz bands in St Germain des Prés, the street musicians in Montmartre, or the buskers in the Métro, street music fills the air of Paris. 

 

Letter From Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image by mercuryvapour via Flickr

ACROSS THE MILES

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.

EARLY JANUARY ALWAYS makes me think about the sounds of Paris that I recorded in the year that has passed--and the sounds that I might record in the year ahead. At the start of each New Year, I always look back on my previous year’s work and select a “Sound Of The Year.”  It’s always a difficult task.

After much consideration, this year I have selected a Parisian sound from 2010 which I would like to share with you.

Letter From Paris presents...A Very Joyeux Noel

Christmas Eve is finally here, and what have my three wise bloggers and I brought to you from Paris?

I come bearing the star of our brilliant tree Bébé-Marie, the Christmas Monkey.

Photo by Beth Arnold

Every year Bébé-Marie crawls out of your liquor cabinet and swings through your trees to shake things up.  She likes toe-tapping jazz and Cajun music not to mention a good party, and, oh, how she loves to dance!  Bébé-Marie crowns our tree resplendently, overseeing her subjects that include Mexican tin Day of the Dead decorations, sparkly balls, golden bows, and our newest acqusitions, brightly colored (and wiggly) fishing lures.  They take on a special glow beneath her skirt.

Letter From Paris presents...The Sound Hunter

Image via Wikipedia

 

MARCHE DE NOEL EN LA DEFENSE

 

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

 

LA DEFENSE, IN the far west of Paris, is a high-rise business ghetto and home to many French and multi-national companies.  It is quite unlike any other area of Paris.