A History of Singing: Chants, Chansons & Cathedral Choirs

Course Summary

Delve into the history of song and consider these questions:

• What did Medieval music really sound like?
• How was it performed and recorded?
• Why did music become such an integral component of life? 

Trace the path of sacred music from monophony to complex polyphony, while considering the evolution of notation, the effect of the pilgrimage phenomenon on the growth of secular music, and the significance of practitioners such as Dame Hildegard of Bingen, Machaut, Dufay, Josquin, Perotin and Marenzio.

Your guide is Dr Richard Stone, who has has long been intrigued by history and fascinated by human creativity. An extended period of tertiary study produced a Degree in Art History and Music along with Diplomas in Art and Design and in Education, followed by a satisfying 30-year career as a teacher and lecturer in independent schools. Throughout his teaching career, Richard also practised as a painter and photographer and satisfied an urge to travel by developing a program of European study tours. Since the mid-90s, Richard has accompanied more than 20 groups of secondary students and adults to various destinations in search of cultural enlightenment. Richard has been teaching at the CAE since 2016, sharing his enthusiasm for history, literature and the arts through a range of talks.