In the Shadow of Notre Dame
Medieval Paris reawakened in story and song
Paris, 1200 – A time of almost unparalleled musical vibrancy and ambition… Now only echoes.
Marginalia invites you to rewind the clock 800 years and to explore a world that has remained silent for too long. Journey with us through the streets of a bustling university town, full of bright, ambitious scholars from all over Europe. Follow them over the bridge onto the Île de la Cité and into the towering new cathedral of Notre Dame. There let yourself be transported by some of the most mesmerising and intricate music of all time, and put yourself in the shoes of the exquisitely talented, yet forever nameless singers who created it.
7.45pm | 1 December 2021
St Bene’t’s Cambridge
Free entry
Researcher & Creator – Dr Chloë Allison
Performers – Dr Chloë Allison, Toby Ward, Louis Watkins, Simon Grant
This event was part of The Multimedia Craft of Wonder conference, supported by CRASSH and Cambridge University English Faculty. COVID-19 safety measures will be in place.
Two-voice piece for Christmas illuminated with the Tree of Jesse, Manuscript F (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Pluteus 29.1), fol. 65r
Two-voice piece for Christmas illuminated with Visit of the Magi, Flight to Egypt, and Slaughter of the Innocents, Manuscript F (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Pluteus 29.1), fol. 99r
What our audience thought
“The imaginative contextualisation and heavenly music all opened up a brand-new world for me!”
“Blew my mind. So funny and educational – an all-round excellent performance!”
“Beautiful voices, illuminating information, inspiring location!”
“Extremely informative and well-researched. Spoke well to both academic and non-specialist audiences.”
