MONTPARNASSE

On my way to Montparnasse I made a pilgrimage to the homes of some I admired. There are things that are bound to disappoint one and I have found that former residencies generally do whereas natural landscapes and languages (that includes local architecture and folk music—Thelonious Monk says we all play folk music) are always invigorating.  I think that actually the customary commemorative placard makes matters worse.  Actually when I went to Miles Davis’ house on the upper west side and there was no plac but only somebody taking out the garbage I smiled. Of course 77th street between West End and Riverside is in his name.  Anyway I payed homage in this order to the former residencies of Tristan Tzara, Iannis Xenakis and Gertrude Stein. Tristan Tzara lived near me in Montmartre and his house is an architectural and historical landmark designed by Adolf Loos. As architecture I appreciated it from a distance but I found it underwhelming from the entry or at an angle.  Its features are clustered in the center of the five story residence and the majority of the windows and doors are under setback balconies and terraces in rectangular enclaves. It has a brick lower level and stone upper level. It was kind of tame for Tristan Tzara but if one is to believe Gertrude Stein as Alice B. Toklas’ assessment of Tzara then the house would suit him fine. “Tzara came to the house, I imagine Picabia brought him but I am not quite certain. I have always found it very difficult to understand the stories of his violence and his wickedness, at least I found it difficult then because Tzara when he came to the house sat beside me at the tea table and talked to me like a pleasant and not very exciting cousin.”

 

It is funny to think of the sensitivity of the European temperament to any sort of fluctuation (something like how a Southern Californian deals with the weather anywhere else) and how these if it were not for the tradition (or conservatism as Stein would say) of much of the population then the change that became modernism would have been less persuasive if perhaps more dramatic. From another perspective perhaps artistic revolutions functions like a pressurized system where tradition mounts until boom. Anyways I have a ton of admiration for Tzara. Dada is hilarious. And Tristan after all had a fantastic ear.  Walking through Montmartre in the morning was bracing especially with the climbs and February sun and the cobblestones. I stumbled upon some small parks and courtyards. In the spring I knew I would sunbathe there and read. Iannis Xenakis apartment was in a classy residential building on a side street off Pigalle. It is fun to think of Xenakis surrounded by electric guitars and massage parlors. Arborescent Xenakis, Iannis at sea, evryali, surrounded by souvenirs and knick knacks. The placard reads Iannis Xenakis 1922-2001 NE GREC,  RESISTANT, REFUGIE POLITIQUE, COMPOSITEUR. Incidentally there is no reference to his architecture work with Le Corbusier or his admirable research as a scientific musicologist of sorts. Then there was the long walk down through the 1st arrondissement by the Louvre and to the Seine lined with gnarled, gorgeous trees. I walked over to the Luxembourg Gardens and the small children playing soccer with more facility than most teenagers in the United States. Gertrude Stein lives on the Rue Fleures about ten minutes from the Luxembourg Gardens. It is a scenic walk that many marvelous men and women have taken. The building itself is usual for the neighborhood. The placard reads GERTRUDE STEIN 1874-1946 Ecrivain American.  Gertie would like this.

Walking towards and around Montparnasse the landmark was the Tour Montparnasse. This building is visible throughout the quarter and on a clear day from across the Seine. I photographed how the skyscraper contrasts with the Luxembourg Gardens.

Also I found an instrument store that had an affordable pocket trumpet and a guitalele.