The Notre-Dame School of Paris
Workshop and concerts, October 20th and 21st
Westmount Park United Church
Long before the Renaissance period in European history,
a great flourishing of cultural and intellectual activity and
development took place during the 12th and into the
13th centuries. Musically, this renaissance was led by the
Notre-Dame School in Paris. The innovations in musical
composition and notation to come out of Notre-Dame form
the very roots of Western music. Here, the organum was
perfected and reached its apogee, while rhythmic notation
and the motet were invented. It was also during this period
that polyphonic composition was finally emancipated from
the sacred sphere and allowed to broaden the scope of
secular musical expression.
