On my way to a music festival in Graz, Austria, I spent four days in Paris where I had always wanted to visit. But rather than spending time on popular sight seeing spots and shopping, I was cemetery-hopping to meet my favorite composers. I also went out to a town where Claude Debussy’s birth house museum is. I will write about that in a separate entry.
Prior to the trip I went to this website (www.findagrave.com) to jot down where these masters were. Some of the graves were very hard to find. For Saint-Saens and Ravel, nice gentlemen helped me locate them. The funny story was that an admin gentleman at Cimetière de Levallois-Perret came to me and said something in French, said Ravel once or twice so I went "Umm... oui" then he took me there. I couldn't find Lalo's grave at Cimetière Père Lachaise. I walked around the division where he is supposed to be buried but it was just getting creepy so I gave up. Sorry Mr.Lalo... I will pay my visit next time!
So here are some photos of my trips to cemeteries.
Cemetière Montmartre (Berlioz; he lived in Montmartre, I saw a painting of his house by Maurice Utrillo at d'Orangerie)
Prior to the trip I went to this website (www.findagrave.com) to jot down where these masters were. Some of the graves were very hard to find. For Saint-Saens and Ravel, nice gentlemen helped me locate them. The funny story was that an admin gentleman at Cimetière de Levallois-Perret came to me and said something in French, said Ravel once or twice so I went "Umm... oui" then he took me there. I couldn't find Lalo's grave at Cimetière Père Lachaise. I walked around the division where he is supposed to be buried but it was just getting creepy so I gave up. Sorry Mr.Lalo... I will pay my visit next time!
So here are some photos of my trips to cemeteries.
Cemetière Montmartre (Berlioz; he lived in Montmartre, I saw a painting of his house by Maurice Utrillo at d'Orangerie)
Division 20 (I think his grave was facing out to the street and was easy to find)
Cemetière de Passy (Debussy and Faure)
Division 14; Debussy is one of my most favorite composers. I'm so glad I got to visit him here!
Division 15; not to be confused with another Faure Family grave in the same division!
Cimetière Montparnasse (Saint-Saens and Franck)
Division 26; I apologized him for a wrong note that I happened to play when I performed his sonata back in the spring.
Cimetière Père Lachaise (Rossini, Chopin, Chausson, Pleyel and Kreutzer)
a small trivia; in “Les Misérables”, Jean Val-Jean gets buried in Père Lachaise.
a small trivia; in “Les Misérables”, Jean Val-Jean gets buried in Père Lachaise.
Division 4; facing out to the street. When you walk into the cemetery and walk toward other composers' you'll find Rossini's on your left.
Division 11. Chopin is also my favorite and I wish I could play the piano well enough to play his pieces.
Ernest Chausson, division 67; facing out to the street. My most favorite violin piece is Chausson's "Poéme". I have played it at many occasions but it's been a while, I think I will add it to my next solo performance!
Division 13; I just played his duet in June!
Division 13, right next to Pleyel.
Cimetière de Levallois-Perret (Ravel)
Division 16; Ravel is my HERO!!! His music always makes me happy.
I also found Alexandre Dumas' (an author of the Three Musketeers) grave at Cimetière Montmartre
