King Priam King Priam King Priam is an opera by Michael Tippett, to his own libretto. The story is based on Homer's "Iliad", except the birth and childhood of Paris, which are taken from the "Fabulae" of Hyginus. The premiere was on 29 May 1962, at Coventry. The opera was composed for an arts festival held in conjunction with the reconsecration of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, for which Benjamin Britten also wrote his "War Requiem", which was first performed in the Cathedral the day after the premiere of "King Priam". The first Covent Garden performance was on 5 June, conducted by John
History of music in Paris Before the 16th century all music performed in the cathedral was a cappella, except for use of organ while chanting. One of the most famous Paris composers of the 14th century was Guillaume de Machaut, who was also renowned as a poet. He composed a famous mass, the Messe de Nostre Dame, or Mass of our Lady, in about 1350, for four voices. Besides church music, he wrote popular songs in the style of the troubadours and trouvères. The crowds on the streets, squares and markets of Paris were often entertained by singers of different kinds. The "goliards" were non-conformist