At New York’s Juilliard School of Music on Saturday, Paul Simon returned to the stage for the first time since his summer “Quiet Celebration” tour ended. While his appearance was unannounced until he walked onto the stage of the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, what wasn’t surprising was the song he helped play — one he wrote more than 50 years ago that’s having a new moment in the culture.

For the final performance of the school’s “Fall Festival,” devoted to “the great melting pot of culture” and featuring student singers and musicians, Simon joined Rhiannon Giddens for his “American Tune.” The performance started with an orchestral version of Bach’s hymnal “O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded” (which inspired part of Simon’s own melody for his song) and Simon sitting on a stool and playing guitar

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