Christmas at Notre-Dame
Donald Macleod and William Lyons introduce sacred Christmas music written for the newly built Notre-Dame and discuss what makes it so extraordinary.
Donald Macleod explores musical innovations at Paris’s newly built gothic cathedral
This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. 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 medieval 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 medieval musical thought. Today, Donald and William introduce sacred Christmas music from medieval 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
Last on
Music Played
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Anonymous
Dum sigillum summi patris
Ensemble: Ensemble Anonymus.- ANALEKTA.
-
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±Êé°ù´Ç³Ù¾±²Ô
Viderunt Omnes
Ensemble: The Hilliard Ensemble. Director: Paul Hillier.- ECM RECORDS : 837 751-2-.
- ECM RECORDS.
- 1.
-
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Anon.
Hodie Christus natus est
Ensemble: Discantus Ensemble. Director: Brigitte Lesne.- NAIVE : OP 30207.
- NAIVE.
- 4.
-
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Anonymous
Viderunt Emanuel
Ensemble: Discantus Ensemble. Director: Brigitte Lesne.- NAIVE : OP 30207.
- NAIVE.
- 15.
-
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Anonymous
Lux hodie, Lux leticie
Ensemble: Discantus. Director: Brigitte Lesne.- OPUS III : OP-30207.
- OPUS III.
- 19.
-
![]()
Anonymous
Psallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; Aptatur
Ensemble: Ensemble Anonymus.- ANALEKTA : FLX23106.
- ANALEKTA.
- 1.
-
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Anon.
Descendit de cælis
Ensemble: Ensemble Anonymus.- ANALEKTA.
-
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Anonymous
In natali Domini
Ensemble: Ensemble Anonymus.- ANALEKTA : FLX23106.
- ANALEKTA.
- 7.
-
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±Êé°ù´Ç³Ù¾±²Ô
Isaias Cecinit
Ensemble: The Hilliard Ensemble. Director: Paul Hillier.- ECM RECORDS : 837 751-2-.
- ECM RECORDS.
- 6.
-
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±Êé°ù´Ç³Ù¾±²Ô
Sederunt Principes
Ensemble: The Hilliard Ensemble. Director: Paul Hillier.- The Hilliard Ensemble: Perotin.
- ECM.
- 9.
Broadcast
- Wed 6 Dec 2023 12:00Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3
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