Louis Vierne was organist of Notre Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death. The goal of this project was to sculpt two new bells to replace the “Carillon de Longpont” that inspired Vierne’s famous organ composition and that were destroyed during World War I.
Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry, founded in 1872, is the largest bellfoundry in the world, and cast the six-ton bourdon bell for Notre Dame de Paris in 2012.
In contrast with traditional bell decorations, which typically include frieze patterns and print-style block letters, Virginie Bassetti’s sculpture is fluid. The counterpoint between the ancient art of bronze bell-founding and her modern, cursive style is particularly striking. Bassetti is the experimental bell sculptor and artist behind the bells of Notre Dame de Paris.
Bassetti and Gurin worked on sculpting two new bells dedicated to Louis Vierne, the French composer and Notre Dame organist. The bells are in honor of him and his brother, René, who was killed in World War I. Vierne’s famous organ composition, “Le Carillon de Longpont”, was inspired by the Longpont Abbey’s chime, destroyed along with the bell tower in 1917. The new bells are decorated with references to the man (the words are copied in braille, as he was born blind) and his composition. They will be installed in the bell tower of the church in Longpont (northern France) in 2023.
For more information, please contact Tom Gurin.
