Debussy’s Clair de Lune at Villa Les Rochers

At Villa Les Rochers in St. Patrick, Quebec, there is an old Victrola and a collection of records including Clair de Lune, by Debussy.

Enjoy this three-and-a-half-minute visual exploration of the house, its surroundings and views, set to the music of Clair de Lune, by Debussy.

As the music begins we first see the Villa Les Rochers “Summer home of Sir John A. Macdonald” Bed and Breakfast sign, posted by the road outside the house. Then we see an outside front view of Villa Les Rochers and its well-kept grounds, before we move inside to look at the grand staircase.

Two framed photos of Sir John A. Macdonald are on the wall nearby, and we see one of them from between two painted yellow spindles of the staircase. Then we come across an old wooden Victrola with an empty music stand next to it. A scene on the front gallery shows us a wooden chair and table with a vase of flowers on the table.

Next, we are inside the house again, looking at a view of the living room, showing an old desk and some armchairs. An open window seen from the side reveals a glimpse of the view, then we look out the window to see the green treetops below, and the Saint Lawrence River just beyond the trees.

Next we regard a close-up image of a record on the Victrola, with the title “Clair de Lune” by Debussy written in the centre. In the bottom shelf of the victrola, we notice a collection of other records, lined up in their sleeves.

The next image is of a Victorian sofa upholstered in blue. Then we follow the eye of the moving camera again as it pans down the main staircase and through the hallway, into the living room where we can see a fireplace and piano and more upholstered furniture.

In the same film sequence we then enter the dining room which features a dark wooden table, chairs, large mirror, a second fireplace and a mantle clock. A view of the gallery at the back of the house is next, then we see a window with Victorian-style printed cotton curtains.

Another shot of the back gallery moves to reveal a wider view of the river, and then we see a portion of the same view as seen through a window in the breakfast nook at the back of the house. Next, we notice two straw summer hats hanging on a row of iron hooks.

A close-up image of a black doorknob, original to the house, is followed by a photo of a shelf containing a collection of old flour tins. Outside the house once more, we view it from the perspective of the stone steps on the west side.

Then, we are offered a film image of the treetops blowing in the wind, as the camera pans across the Saint Lawrence River, with the mountains of the north shore visible in the distance.

Finally, as the music draws to a close, we linger on a photo of the sun rising over the river, seen through an open window of Villa Les Rochers.