Duruflé Carillon Op. 12

[Sathrandur]

I recently purchased a copy of the score for Duruflé's Fugue sur le Thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons, Op. 12, and am pleased that it doesn't look particularly difficult, but I have a question related to this piece.

The piece, as the long title explicitly states, is based on a particular carillon of Soissons Cathedral, but it seems like an unusual carillon theme. Indeed, the pedal-line near the end of the piece seems to more effectively evoke the feeling of bells in my mind than the fugal theme used. Can anyone give me some more information regarding the carillon in question? If this really is something to be heard at Soissons, is the theme played more slowly on the carillon than what it is in this fugue? I haven't been able to find any recordings of the Soissons Cathedral bells; bonus points if anyone can provide a recording or a link so that I can hear the bells for myself.

[andijah]

I haven't been able to find any recordings of the Soissons Cathedral bells; bonus points if anyone can provide a recording or a link so that I can hear the bells for myself.

Does this help? Three minutes of bells plus the clock striking at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBUeoC_SPc
Plus here's another one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtq0YIYUTKs
A list of the bells (in French): https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C...ns#Les_cloches

I can't help with your other questions regarding the piece, I'm afraid.

[myorgan]

What Andrea said.^^^^ Also, welcome back to the Forum, Sathrandur. We miss you when you're gone.

Michael

[Sathrandur]

Thank you so much! I do wonder if I had come across one/both of these videos before, but perhaps I wasn't patient enough. In the first link I listened for a little while and then all of a sudden I heard the opening notes of the fugue (or at least something close enough)! Given the notes of the eight bells, it is clear that the entire fugue theme could not be played on them, but it must have been that the bells provided the opening notes of the theme, and that these notes inspired Duruflé sufficiently to write some music using them.

[myorgan]

Thank you also for calling our attention to yet another possible piece to include in our performances!

Michael