The historic French city celebrates its 25th annual Festival Musique en l'Ile
When the ancients constructed their ornate churches and sprawling cathedrals, there were no microphones to amplify sound through their massive, resplendent corridors. Instead, the acoustics of the building carried the harmonies of the choir and the voice of the priest from the chancel to the rear of the nave.
And with all of our modern advances, there is still no better place to hear the haunting vocals of a resounding choir than in the churches of old. When you travel to France with Grand Circle on The Seine: Paris to Normandy or Cruising Burgundy & Provence to the Cote d’Azur River Cruises, you may have the rare opportunity to hear the enchanting sounds of choirs from around the world when Paris celebrates its annual Festival Musique en l'Ile.
Marking its 25th annual festival in 2011, the Festival Musique en l'Ile is a two-month summer concert series featuring some of the best choirs and vocal ensembles from around the world at two churches in the heart of Paris: St-Louis-en-l’Ile (translated “St. Louis on the Island”) and St-Germain-des-Prés (“St. Germain of the Fields, or Meadows”)—the oldest church in Paris.
Organized the by musical association La Toison d’Art, this festival—running from July through September of 2011—features a range of sacred and classical music, including gospel, Corsican and Gregorian chant, and early Baroque masterpieces by such composers as Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel.
According to Nadia Koehl, Grand Circle’s Program Services and Land Operation Coordinator in France, aside from the superb traditional sounds offered by the Festival Musique en l’Ile, the churches of St-Louis-en-l’Ile and St-Germain-des-Prés are destinations unto themselves.
The oldest church in Paris, St-Germain-des-Prés was built in the sixth century and was once the burial place of Merovingian kings. Many elements of the original church were destroyed over the centuries by war and fire (it sustained significant damage from an explosion during the French Revolution, when the church housed a gunpowder factory), but some of the original marble columns remain, as does the church’s original medieval feel. Today, the Romanesque and Gothic St-Germain-des-Prés sits at the center of the bustling Left Bank, which has long been home to artists and intellectuals.
A little further to the east and about a 15-minute walk from the famed Notre Dame Cathedral, St-Louis-en-l’Ile sits on a small island in the Seine. Constructed beginning in the mid-1600s, the church (unknown to many tourists) boasts an immense Baroque interior with an impressive organ and stunning acoustics—making it a perfect concert location and a beautiful spot to sit and contemplate your time in Paris.
Visit the historic St-Louis-en-l’Ile and St-Germain-des-Prés churches—and enjoy the angelic sounds of the choirs—in Paris on our The Seine: Paris to Normandy or Cruising Burgundy & Provence to the Cote d’Azur River Cruises.