Ode to "Point d’orgue"

[Greengoddess8]

Now, a grammar fun fact, for people who love studying languages.

Unlike in English, words in French are either a he or a she. For instance, the moon is a she, the sun is a he. (I know it's the opposite in German!)

3 words, and only 3 words, are special: they are masculine when singular, feminine when plural.
Those are amour (love, as the people you're in love with), délice (delight, delicacy), and orgue (organ).
There is even a movie called "Amours, Délices et Orgues".

BUT... what people usually don't know is that orgues can be both masculine and feminine!
If you're speaking of how beautiful all organs in Paris are, then it's masculine. If you're speaking of only one instrument, then the plural is used to show how big it is, and it's feminine!

This is so fascinating! I only took French in high school. I was so terrible at it I never took anymore in College.
You would have made a much better teacher for me

 

[VesperSparrow]

I know this is not the best picture ever, but I seem to have lost the one I wanted to use.
Organs can be really big, with hundreds or thousands of pipes, plus the pipes that bring the air to the actual pipes (it's funny to put it that way )
Plus the pipes can be really high. So the only way to access them is sometimes to use a ladder. There are actually 2 ladders on the picture below!

I hope you don't mind more questions - like the best lectures, your thread is inspiring! About the ladders, do you need to access the pipes to play or are they for maintenance?

 

[VesperSparrow]

Cya

So, you may think that Pierre Marie was out of his mind when he draw a clock at the center of the scarf... but it was as smart as the ladder!

Here is a picture of the organ of Saint-Sulpice church in Paris. It's considered the finest organ in Paris. And yes, it has a clock!
http://www.stsulpice.com

(hoping it's the right way to insert a picture)

I would never have known this! It seems odd (at first) to have a clock there, why would anyone need to check the time while listening to the organ? Does the audience/congregation face the organ while listening or would they see it on leaving? There's also a clock over the stage of La Scala in Milan, which struck me as odd but off topic !

 

[VesperSparrow]

Now, a grammar fun fact, for people who love studying languages.

Unlike in English, words in French are either a he or a she. For instance, the moon is a she, the sun is a he. (I know it's the opposite in German!)

3 words, and only 3 words, are special: they are masculine when singular, feminine when plural.
Those are amour (love, as the people you're in love with), délice (delight, delicacy), and orgue (organ).
There is even a movie called "Amours, Délices et Orgues".

BUT... what people usually don't know is that orgues can be both masculine and feminine!
If you're speaking of how beautiful all organs in Paris are, then it's masculine. If you're speaking of only one instrument, then the plural is used to show how big it is, and it's feminine!

This just blows my mind.

 

[momasaurus]

ElainePG, klynneann, rainneday, thanks for reading me. I'm approching the end, though. Soon, all we'll have to do will be showing mod pics... which is fun too
Then choose a mousseline, which is even better!

The moussies will be here before we know it!!! Spring is just around the corner, at least as far as H inventory...

 

[momasaurus]

It has absolutely been my pleasure! All the thanks goes to you for doing this. I've learned so much and enjoyed spending time with you and the others who are reading and commenting. I think this has been one of my favorite threads!

:urock:

+ 1

really fascinating!

 

[Melora24]

I hope you don't mind more questions - like the best lectures, your thread is inspiring! About the ladders, do you need to access the pipes to play or are they for maintenance?

Oh, just maintenance! The player only touch the keyboards, the pedals, and the stop knobs.

Although... organs are usually suspended in churches, so the access might be difficult: usually, it's a narrow spiral staircase. And usually, the staircase is full of dirt because of the old stone walls.
You can imagine that old churches, build in the 1100s or 1200s, are not as clean as modern constructions! It's usually bare stone, and it continuously creates dirt.

 

[momasaurus]

J'ai répété sur l'orgue du conservatoire - I have played on the organ at the music school (1 instrument, singular, masculine)
Il y a de grands orgues à Paris - There are big organs in Paris (many instruments, plural, masculine)
Les grandes orgues de Saint-Sulpice sont les plus belles - Saint-Sulpice's organ is the most beautiful (1 big instrument, plural, feminine)

Good night!

So orgue singular is only used to indicate "the organ" in general? For a specific organ, use the fem plural?

 

[momasaurus]

Cya

I would never have known this! It seems odd (at first) to have a clock there, why would anyone need to check the time while listening to the organ? Does the audience/congregation face the organ while listening or would they see it on leaving? There's also a clock over the stage of La Scala in Milan, which struck me as odd but off topic !

There's also an organ at La Scala, so you're not off topic at all!

 

[Melora24]

So orgue singular is only used to indicate "the organ" in general? For a specific organ, use the fem plural?

Yes and no. The singular can also be used for a specific organ. The fem plural would be an emphasis on the beauty of the instrument, and doesn't have uo be used.
My teacher, for instance, always uses the singular when speaking about "his" pipe organ, even though it's a really big one in a cathedral. But someone attending to a concert there might use the fem plural

I know, French is weird!

 

[beekmanhill]

J'ai répété sur l'orgue du conservatoire - I have played on the organ at the music school (1 instrument, singular, masculine)
Il y a de grands orgues à Paris - There are big organs in Paris (many instruments, plural, masculine)
Les grandes orgues de Saint-Sulpice sont les plus belles - Saint-Sulpice's organ is the most beautiful (1 big instrument, plural, feminine)

Good night!

Melora, you are a font of knowledge, and it has been a pleasure to read this thread.

 

[Melora24]

Cya

I would never have known this! It seems odd (at first) to have a clock there, why would anyone need to check the time while listening to the organ? Does the audience/congregation face the organ while listening or would they see it on leaving? There's also a clock over the stage of La Scala in Milan, which struck me as odd but off topic !

Pipe organs are usually in the back of the church, so the priest would be the only one seeing the clock

 

[Melora24]

"Orgauphone et Autres Mécaniques" shows what looks more like a barrel organ, but it has pipes anyway. And it's a jacquart, which is always nice.
(Point d'orgue on a treble key jacquart... that would be a dream!)

 

[ElainePG]

J'ai répété sur l'orgue du conservatoire - I have played on the organ at the music school (1 instrument, singular, masculine)
Il y a de grands orgues à Paris - There are big organs in Paris (many instruments, plural, masculine)
Les grandes orgues de Saint-Sulpice sont les plus belles - Saint-Sulpice's organ is the most beautiful (1 big instrument, plural, feminine)

Good night!

Thank you, dear melora, now I understand how it would be used... though I must admit that the last one still sounds odd to me! If I were in Paris I would have said "La grande orgue de Saint-Sulpice est la plus belle"... and everyone would immediately know that I am an American!

 

[ElainePG]

I have no idea. I'm just showing this particular organ, because I've seen it and I know it has a clock. So it was easy to find a picture. There are probably other organs with clocks, but I don't know where

Thank you for the photograph... it is a beautiful organ and clock, whether it is the one on the carré or not!