Were medieval women composers more than just a historical anomaly?
In short: While the works of Hildegard of Bingen are widely celebrated today, they represent only part of a larger, lost musical landscape. This lecture explores the phenomenon of female composers in the Middle Ages.
Professor Christopher Page examines the presence of women in medieval music, focusing on the tension between the surviving repertoire and the lost works of others. While the abbess, naturalist, and composer Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179) has been brought out of obscurity through modern recordings, her musical legacy is exceptionally rich compared to her contemporaries.
The lecture investigates the broader phenomenon of female mystics who composed rhapsodic spiritual songs. Although many of these women remain little known because their works did not survive, the presentation seeks to bring their contributions into the light.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Medieval Music: The Mystery of Women - Professor Christopher Page
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