Customer Reviews

Disembodied Voices: Music and Culture in an Early Modern Italian Convent

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A very absorbing, enjoyable and well researched history as well as mystery of a 16th and early 17th century Italian convent: Santa Cristina della Fondazza (Bolonga, Italy) and Lucrezia Vizzana (1590-1662) Songs Of Ecstasy And Devotion From A 17th Century Italian Convent - Vizzana / King, Musica Secreta, known as "the convents only musically published nun composer". Before I read this book, while listening to music by other baroque composers, equally enclosed, I marveled at their music and wondered how it was possible that cloistered nuns such as Vizzana could produce such sophisticated music so informed by the culture of the 17th century while living within the confines of the convent seemingly cut off from the world. "Disembodied voices" refers to the voices of the nuns as heard by the public, the nuns being hidden from view behind a grill or screen.

Many questions were answered in my reading of this book: What was the purpose and function of music in the lives of these cloistered women who otherwise lived their lives in silence? What was the extent of musical training? What types of instruments were accessible in the convent? What contacts were available to these women musically outside the convent walls? How did they use their music to communicate and attempt to bring peace to themselves, their world and to the world outside the convent?

Unfortunately, what we learn from our reading is that the climate of jealously, pettiness, hysteria, false accusations and anger which developed in the convent among the nuns proved Vizzana's undoing, along with the mandates of the church which sought to restrict the nuns' musical creativity and performance. As a result, Vizzana never again ventured into print following the 1623 publication of her "Componimenti Musicali" and the convent itself eventually dissolved.

Most importantly to me in my reading of this book was that it communicated a sense of how profoundly important music was to these woman and to their sense of self-expression. It was, perhaps, that aspect of their daily lives that made them whole, something which they could not live without. Once realizing that, the music becomes most precious. I was left with the thought that I am very fortunate indeed to be able to listen to this music, to have it available to me all these centuries later and to understand what went into its creation through great research liked that contained in this book and through those who study and perform this music for my appreciation and edification.

See [..] for follow-up on the present use of the cloister, restoration work and rediscovered 16th century paintings and decoration.

Peace.

- Grace W. Hurd - January 2012