Comments on: Where was the Bourbaki wedding? http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html lieven le bruyn's blog Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:42:15 +0200 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: lieven http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8466 lieven Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:04:29 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8466 <p>Wow, this is turning into a strange comment section indeed, with messages coming from <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Dufourcq" rel="nofollow">beyond the grave</a>... <br /> I wasn't aware of a Messiaen-Cartan connection, sure must look into this more closely, thanks! <br /> And, I'm pretty ignorant about most things, so no I didnt know about 'Schola Cantorum'. But I do now. This is what makes blogging (sometimes) fun, learning new facts from the real experts.</p> Wow, this is turning into a strange comment section indeed, with messages coming from beyond the grave…
I wasn’t aware of a Messiaen-Cartan connection, sure must look into this more closely, thanks!
And, I’m pretty ignorant about most things, so no I didnt know about ‘Schola Cantorum’. But I do now. This is what makes blogging (sometimes) fun, learning new facts from the real experts.

]]> By: Norbert Dufourcq http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8463 Norbert Dufourcq Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:52:14 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8463 <p>André Marchal happened to be part of a mouvement of organists and organ builders who promoted a (then) new approach to the aesthetics of organ building in France ("orgue néo-classique"): they considered the sound of the big 19th century organs to be somewhat "murky" and strived for more clarity. Ring a bell?</p> <p>As for "modulo", note that the organist at Notre-Dame at that time, Léonce de Saint-Martin, was also the composer of a "Suite Cyclique", though I admit that this is just wordplay: there is nothing "modular" about this work. Maybe a more serious candidate would be Olivier Messiaen (who was organist at the Église de la Trinité): his "modes à transposition limitée" are really about Z/12Z→Z/3Z and Z/12Z→Z/4Z. Messiaen was also a good friend of Jean Cartan (himself a composer, and Henri's brother).</p> <p>Note however that in 1939, it wasn't as common to have a friend-organist perform at a wedding as it is today: the appointed organists, especially at prestigious Paris positions, were much less likely to accept someone play in their stead.</p> <p>P.S. Lieven, you <em>do</em> know about the Schola Cantorum, now, don't you?!?</p> André Marchal happened to be part of a mouvement of organists and organ builders who promoted a (then) new approach to the aesthetics of organ building in France (“orgue néo-classique”): they considered the sound of the big 19th century organs to be somewhat “murky” and strived for more clarity. Ring a bell?

As for “modulo”, note that the organist at Notre-Dame at that time, Léonce de Saint-Martin, was also the composer of a “Suite Cyclique”, though I admit that this is just wordplay: there is nothing “modular” about this work. Maybe a more serious candidate would be Olivier Messiaen (who was organist at the Église de la Trinité): his “modes à transposition limitée” are really about Z/12Z→Z/3Z and Z/12Z→Z/4Z. Messiaen was also a good friend of Jean Cartan (himself a composer, and Henri’s brother).

Note however that in 1939, it wasn’t as common to have a friend-organist perform at a wedding as it is today: the appointed organists, especially at prestigious Paris positions, were much less likely to accept someone play in their stead.

P.S. Lieven, you do know about the Schola Cantorum, now, don’t you?!?

]]> By: theoreticalminimum http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8461 theoreticalminimum Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:28:36 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8461 <p>I have no clue :-\ I give up.</p> I have no clue :-\ I give up.

]]> By: lieven http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8459 lieven Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:44:57 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8459 <p>Close, but once again, why would they call Henri Cartan 'Monsieur Modulo'?</p> Close, but once again, why would they call Henri Cartan ‘Monsieur Modulo’?

]]> By: theoreticalminimum http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8458 theoreticalminimum Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:39:01 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8458 <p>OK.. then that would be Henri Cartan.</p> OK.. then that would be Henri Cartan.

]]> By: lieven http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8457 lieven Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:35:31 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8457 <p>I agree that André Marchal was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Marchal" rel="nofollow">house organist</a> at the time in the Saint-Germain. But, why would he be called 'Monsieur Modulo'?<br /> It isn't that uncommon for a couple to ask a friend-musician to perform at their wedding. But now I'm afraid I gave it all away...</p> I agree that André Marchal was the house organist at the time in the Saint-Germain. But, why would he be called ‘Monsieur Modulo’?
It isn’t that uncommon for a couple to ask a friend-musician to perform at their wedding. But now I’m afraid I gave it all away…

]]> By: theoreticalminimum http://www.neverendingbooks.org/index.php/where-was-the-bourbaki-wedding.html/comment-page-1#comment-8456 theoreticalminimum Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:07:56 +0000 http://www.neverendingbooks.org/?p=2359#comment-8456 <p>Assuming your story holds, the organist would be André Marchal.</p> Assuming your story holds, the organist would be André Marchal.

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