Hidden and Forbidden: The World of the Medieval Cantrix

Behind the walls of the medieval cloister, there flourished a musical realm hidden from outsiders by circumstance, tradition, or design. While women religious started out with similar opportunities to praise God in song enjoyed by their male counterparts, over the course of the Middle Ages, their singing came to be seen as inappropriate and problematic. Cantrices were deemed dangerous – likened to “harlots in the temple” and “Sirens” who inspired in their listeners lascivious thoughts and weakness in body and mind. Yet the sisters were not easily silenced, and despite the efforts of the authorities, they developed discrete musical traditions that were shared among convents of various orders— with some musical practices safeguarded from the outside world, and others contested, purged, and banned. In this program, we explore their hidden, forbidden world.