Welcome to Paris, 1924

Wide, sweeping boulevards, trees lining the Avenue des Champs Elysées, the Eiffel Tower piercing the Parisian night sky…we all have an idea of what Paris looks like, now and in the past. Paris has always been a favorite study of painters and photographers, poets and journalists alike.

But what did Paris sound like? How do we recapture the essence of the city’s soundscape in bygone eras?

Using extensive primary source research and digital humanities-inspired analytical techniques, we are working to answer these questions and many others.

Below, you can interact with three preliminary maps that introduce our project. The first represents the different types of performance venues where music was performed in 1924 – concert halls, theaters, café-concerts, public parks, private salons, etc. The second offers a way to explore the day-by-day offerings of each venue (just click on a dot, then on the right-pointing triangle at the top right to advance the date). The third makes it possible to hear the concert programs performed across the city on January 27, 1924.

You can keep up to date with the progress of our research through the Dialogue page, and you can find our rationale, methodology, and team bios on the About page.

Music Venues of 1924 Paris

Performances in 1924 Paris by location and date

Sounds of January 27, 1924

This project is generously supported by three programs at St. Olaf College: by the Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry program, by Digital Humanities on the Hill, and by the McNair/Trio program.