WHEN NOTRE DAME WAS NEW：
Music and Liturgy in Paris c. 1200
Co-sponsored by
Harvard Christian Alumni Society
Thursday, March 20
7:00 PM ET, followed by a reception
Free and open to all; walk-ins welcome but registration requested.
Presentation: Thomas Forrest Kelly (Harvard)
Demonstration and Performance: The Boys and Schola of Saint Paul’s Choir with Soloists; Brandon Straub, Music Director
St. Paul’s Harvard Square
Arrow Street, Cambridge & Livestreamed
For this program, the renowned music historian Thomas Forrest Kelly joins the Boys and Schola of St. Paul’s Choir, who rehearse and sing chant and polyphony every day of the week. Together, they will explore the liturgical setting, compositional techniques, and musical brilliance that flowed from the Cathedral of Notre Dame when it was new. After an introductory talk by Professor Kelly, the choir will demonstrate and perform the music from the sanctuary of St. Paul’s, a soaring and acoustically remarkable church that has graced Harvard Square for over 100 years.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, still under construction, served as the backdrop for groundbreaking advancements in musical composition and liturgical practice, known as "The School of Notre Dame." This hauntingly beautiful and prayerful music not only shaped the liturgical traditions of the time but also inspired generations of composers who followed.
Click here to learn more and register.
Thomas Forrest Kelly is Morton B. Knafel Research Professor of Music at Harvard, where he was named a Harvard College Professor in recognition of his teaching and served as Chair of the Music Department. An internationally recognized authority on medieval and early modern music, and on the performance of music in historical settings, he has lectured widely throughout the U.S. and Europe. Among numerous books and articles for both scholarly and general audiences: Capturing Music. The Story of Notation (Norton,2014); The Practice of Medieval Music (Ashgate Variorum, 2010); and First Nights: Five Musical Premieres, Yale, 2000). Professor Kelly received his PhD from Harvard, as well as diplomas from the Schola Cantorum in Paris and the Royal Academy of Music in London.