THE GREAT CATHEDRALS: SOISSONS relaxing, contemplative, peaceful, inspirational, consoling

Original orchestral music from MusicTreks.org (www.musictreks... If you’ve been to Paris, the west façade of Soissons Cathedral may be familiar. That’s because the 13th century tower is a copy of Notre Dame’s twin towers, which were completed ten to twenty years earlier than Soissons’. The architects had planned a second tower, but for reasons unknown, it was never built. The existing tower received severe bomb damage during World War 1.
Designated by the Pope a “basilica,” Soissons Cathedral has special status in the Roman Catholic Church, including the right to possess a papal throne and papal high altar. Based on the design of Chartres, Soissons was built over 100 years, from 1177 until the late 13th century.
For the text sung by the choir, I chose Requiem Aeternam (Eternal rest) from the Latin Mass, and I scored the piece for large chorus, strings (11 violins, 13 cellos, and 9 double basses), and 6 French horns.
Soisson Cathedral is also known as Cathedrale Saint-Gervais Saint-Protais. An earlier version of this piece is included in my Requiem Mass (2021), 1st movement.
About The Great Cathedrals collection: The great medieval cathedrals of Europe are among the world’s oldest and most magnificent buildings. Nowhere else can we experience the artistry and ethos of the Middle Ages so vividly. Nowhere else can we come face-to-face with the skill and imagination of ancient architects, stone masons, sculptors, and stained-glass artists and craftsmen.
Walking through these sacred places, we can almost hear the voices of the many thousands of worshippers and visitors who have trod these same stones in centuries past. The great cathedrals are, indeed, windows on an ancient world. They are inspiring monuments to the artistry of medieval Europe, and to the vision and skill of the people who built them.
Like all MusicTreks programs, this video features original “neoclassical” music that is relaxing, tranquil, contemplative, romantic, peaceful, consoling, soothing, inspirational, beautiful, and cinematic in tone.
No stock footage or photography, and no internet content of any kind, is used in any MusicTreks.org videos. This video, including all music and images, is original, and is © 2024 by D. Ellicott Ray