Fellows Lunch: Exploring Notre-Dame's Intangible Acoustic Cultural Heritage

Notre-Dame, the emblematic Gothic cathedral is one of the most recognizable cultural heritage sites in Paris. In 2019, a fire in the cathedral's attic destroyed the spire, left large holes in the vaulted ceiling, and threatened the structural integrity of the building. While the cathedral is being rebuilt in the image of its "last known visual state before the fire," longstanding cathedrals like Notre-Dame should be considered to be "living buildings" that continuously evolve in response to social, political, cultural, and ecclesiastical factors. In this talk, we will discuss how we can use room acoustics simulation to preserve, study, and listen to Notre-Dame's intangible acoustic cultural heritage, especially while the modern cathedral is inaccessible by the general public.

Host or Publisher Yale Institute of Sacred Music