Christmas at Notre Dame

Donald Macleod explores musical innovations at Paris’s newly built gothic cathedral.

Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our mediaeval ancestors.

The gothic architectural wonder that is Notre Dame Cathedral first rose above the streets of Paris during the 12th and 13th centuries. The composers employed there, to write music for this brand new building, were working at the cutting edge of mediaeval musical thought. Today, Donald and William introduce sacred Christmas music from mediaeval Notre Dame and discuss what makes it so extraordinary.

Dum sigillum summi patris [instrumental]
Ensemble Anonymus

Perotin: Viderunt Omnes
The Hilliard Ensemble, dir. Paul Hillier

Hodie Christus natus est
Viderunt Emmanuel
Lux hodie, Lux leticie
Ensemble Discantus, directed by Brigitte Lesne

Psallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; Aptatur
Descendit de cælis
In natali Domini
Ensemble Anonymus

Isaias Cecinit
Perotin: Sederunt Principes
The Hilliard Ensemble, dir. Paul Hillier