The bells of Saint Joseph’s Oratory will ring differently. A “heritage item”, the carillon is back in Montreal, more imposing than ever, after having spent more than three years in France to be restored.
As tradition dictates, the bells, which have regained their shine, were blessed on Saturday morning during a ceremony.
Transported by boat, they weigh a total of nearly 19 tons. They are on display until Sunday on the forecourt of the crypt of the Oratory, and will then be installed in the new campanile, still under construction. However, visitors will have to wait until autumn to hear the new carillon.
There are eleven carillons in Canada, but only one in Quebec. “For us, value is heritage,” insists Mme Barbeau, who indicates in a secondary way that “a carillon like that can be worth more than a million dollars”. “It’s unique, it’s an exceptional instrument and there are few of them. »
Initially designed to be installed at the Eiffel Tower, the bells were first loaned to the Oratory, before being offered to it in 1955, on the occasion of its 50e anniversary, by donors. Their names are inscribed on some bells.
But over time and bad weather, the metal oxidized, taking on a greenish color. An alteration not only aesthetic, since corrosion alters the quality of the sound, explains the director of communications of the Oratory, Céline Barbeau.
To “regain their original pure sound”, the bells were sent to France in October 2019, to the Paccard Foundry, where they had been initially manufactured. The Annecy-le-Vieux foundry, which has existed since 1796, restored the bells, but also replaced the keyboard and the instrument’s wires.
The bells of a carillon do not move. They are struck by a clapper, activated by the musician’s strike on the keyboard, similar to that of a piano.
Six new bells were also cast, including a bourdon, a deep-sounding bell that alone weighs 3.6 tons.
Each bell emitting a different note, this addition will “enlarge the repertoire”, rejoices carillonist Andrée-Anne Doane. Holder since 2009, she gives recitals twice a day, from Wednesday to Sunday. “The carillon, the bells, that gives rhythm to people’s lives. […] It gives a great asset to Saint Joseph’s Oratory. »
With 62 bells, it is now the largest carillon in Canada, tied with the one in British Columbia, notes Ms.me Done.
A meticulous process
This work of “twelve to eighteen months” was punctuated by “several adventures, in particular COVID-19”, says Cyril Paccard, who has worked for the family foundry since 1995.
The process is particularly meticulous. The drawings, for example, cannot exceed two to three millimeters, at the risk of affecting the quality of the sound and unbalancing the bell, explains Mr. Paccard, who made the trip to Montreal to supervise the installation of the instrument. The alloy is also precise: 78% copper and 22% tin.
It is also necessary to make sure to respect the style of the “little sisters” by casting new bells. But conforming to the appearance of the first bells built almost 70 years ago was not the biggest challenge, because “foundry techniques have evolved little”.
The most “important” step is to give the bell its final note, explains the engineer. The bigger the bell, the lower the sound. The final adjustments are made using a “knife for removing metal”, making it possible to adjust the various harmonics, distinctive of foundries.
“It’s important to go back to the original founder, since we have to keep a certain harmony between the bells, and each founder has his own particular tone”, adds Mme Barbel. “Anyway, there are no cross-country skiers in Canada,” she adds.
If the carillonists are few in number — there are only three active in Quebec, including Mme Doane and his son — the cross-country skiers are all the more rare.
In France, there are only two foundries, deplores Mr. Paccard. That of his family, and one in Villedieu-les-Poêles, in Normandy.