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This spring 1, I visited the Donkey Church featured in “Nodame Cantabile (13)” 2. It is the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde (La Basilique Sainte-Clotilde et Sainte-Valère) on the Left Bank of the Seine 3. This Neo-Gothic church was approved for construction by the Paris City Council in 1827 and completed in 1857.

The Donkey Church: Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde

The Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, known as the Donkey Church in Nodame Cantabile (photo: Nat Sakimura)

Incidentally, this is how it compares from an angle similar to the illustration in the original manga.

The Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, known as the Donkey Church appearing in “Nodame Cantabile (13)”

This is how the church interior in the manga compares with the real one.

Comparison of the interior of the Donkey Church (source: “Nodame Cantabile (13),” p. 19) with the real church

You might say it has been reproduced quite faithfully.

Here is a closer view of the altar.

The altar of the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde (photo by @_nat)

The Model for Lucas’s Grandfather?

In the setting of Nodame Cantabile, Lucas’s grandfather is the organist here. Since it is 2005, the list of successive organists below indicates that this would have been Jacques Taddei.

Successive organists of the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. (photo by @_nat)

Jacques Taddei (perhaps pronounced Jacques Taddei…) was a pianist and organist born on June 5, 1946. He began serving as organist of this church in 1988, and from 2007 also served as Directeur (director?) of the Musée Marmottan. He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne as well as at the Paris Conservatoire, graduated from the latter with a 1st prize, and won the renowned Long-Thibaud Competition in 1973. He also served as directeur of the Paris Conservatoire from 1987 to 2004.

Jacque Taddei (Source) https://www.orgues-chartres.org/jacques-taddei/?lang=en
Jacques Taddei (Source: L’Express 25/06/2012)

Somehow, he has a similar air to Lucas’s grandfather in “Nodame Cantabile (12),” p. 185 4.

Lucas’s grandfather. He somehow resembles Jacques Taddei. (Source) “Nodame Cantabile (12)”

A recording of Jacque Taddei playing this church’s organ is on YouTube, so let us listen.

Watch this video on YouTube.
Playing the video connects to YouTube.
A recording of Jacque Taddei playing the grand organ of the Sait-Clotilde church

He lived in Paris’s affluent 16th arrondissement (which means Lucas also lived in the 16th arrondissement, right?), but sadly he died at home on June 2012. He was 66 years old 5. It is sad that he was still so young. Hmm. The age does not match Lucas. Oh well.

This Church’s First Organist Was the Famous…

Now, pulling ourselves together, let us look at the very top of this list of organists. Yes, César Franck was the first organist 6. This moved me even more than visiting a place associated with “Nodame Cantabile.” I realized that I had come to a place associated with Franck. As luck would have it, an organist was practicing, and I was delighted to hear the sound of this church too.

The organ of the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. The player is probably Olivier Pénin (photo by @_nat)

Incidentally, this church apparently holds an organ concert on the 2st Saturday of every month, starting at 5 p.m. For details, see here → http://www.orgue-clotilde-paris.info/uk/.

Finally, let me introduce a video of that organ 7 being played by Olivier Pénin, the organist at the time of my visit (2017). It is Franck’s “Grande Pièce Symphonique” 8. Here it is!

Watch this video on YouTube.
Playing the video connects to YouTube.

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Footnotes

  1. 2017/3/18
  2. Tomoko Ninomiya, “Nodame Cantabile (13),” Kodansha (2006)
  3. http://egg.vis.ne.jp/france/vynodame.htmlが特定してくださいました。ありがとうございます。
  4. Tomoko Ninomiya, “Nodame Cantabile (12),” Kodansha (2005)
  5. The source for the above is http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musique/mort-du-pianiste-jacques-taddei_1130458.html
  6. Incidentally, I also love the second, Gabriel Pierné. The third, Charles Tournemire, was also a distinguished composer and was apparently even Messiaen’s teacher. Kohei Kondo told me this.
  7. Information about this organ is available at http://www.orgue-clotilde-paris.info/uk/le-grand-orgue/lorgue-de-jacques-taddei/index.php. Its most recent renovation was in 1999-2005, carried out by Bernard Dargassies under the supervision of Jacques Taddei. Jackque Taddei also reportedly raised the donations for the renovation.
  8. I had originally posted “Pièce héroïque,” but it became unavailable

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