Today Janet’s friends the Bonanos managed to get no waiting in line tickets for us to visit the newly rebuilt and cleaned Notre Dame. It was breathtaking — the limestone gleamed, the stained glass sparkled,, works of art once darkened by soot were vibrant…and, most extraordinary, even though the building was crowded with people, no one spoke above a whisper.
The last time I was here was with the St George’s, Nashville choir in the late 1980s. Wilma Jensen, who gave an organ recital on a July Sunday afternoon, asked me to accompany her and the registrant (stop puller) into the organ loft high above the west doors. The registrant had no need of a translator so I leaned on the parapet and surveyed the nave below as Wilma played. Today I was stunned to see how high above the floor of the nave the organ loft is. In fact, this visit to Notre Dame was absolutely Proustian: I was flooded with pleasant memories. Madelines were on the table at breakfast….
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