Performing Piety : Musical Culture in Medieval English Nunneries

Addressing questions about the musical life in English nunneries in the later Middle Ages, Yardley pieces together a mosaic of nunnery musical life, where even the smallest convents sang the monastic offices on a daily basis and many of the larger houses celebrated the late medieval liturgy in all of its complexity. "Cover" -- "Title" -- "Copyright" -- "Dedication" -- "Contents" -- "List of Illustrations" -- "List of Musical Examples" -- "List of Tables" -- "Preface" -- "Introduction" -- "1 The Religious Rules" -- "2 Musical Leadership in the Nunnery" -- "3 The Reality of Musical Life" -- "4 Everyday Musical Practices: Psalters, Hours, and the Office of the Dead" -- "5 Pomp and Piety: Processional Practices in Nunneries" -- "6 The Consecration of Nuns" -- "7 A Case Study in Benedictine Practices: Barking Abbey" -- "8 The Bridgettine Nuns of Syon Abbey" -- "Conclusions" -- "Appendix A: List of Nuns Holding the Position of Cantrix" -- "Appendix B: The Role of the Chantress at Syon Abbey" -- "Appendix C: Theoretical Material from Wherwell Abbey" -- "Appendix D: The Visitatio from the Wilton Processional" -- "Notes" -- "Selected Bibliography" Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 List of Musical Examples 12 List of Tables 14 Preface 16 Introduction 19 1 The Religious Rules 33 2 Musical Leadership in the Nunnery 61 3 The Reality of Musical Life 91 4 Everyday Musical Practices: Psalters, Hours, and the Office of the Dead 113 5 Pomp and Piety: Processional Practices in Nunneries 130 6 The Consecration of Nuns 176 7 A Case Study in Benedictine Practices: Barking Abbey 195 8 The Bridgettine Nuns of Syon Abbey 219 Conclusions 244 Appendix A: List of Nuns Holding the Position of Cantrix 248 Appendix B: The Role of the Chantress at Syon Abbey 250 Appendix C: Theoretical Material from Wherwell Abbey 254 Appendix D: The Visitatio from the Wilton Processional 258 Notes 270 Selected Bibliography 317 Index 330 Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-14 The Religious Rules....Pages 15-42 Musical Leadership in the Nunnery....Pages 43-72 The Reality of Musical Life....Pages 73-94 Everyday Musical Practices: Psalters, Hours, and the Office of the Dead....Pages 95-111 Pomp and Piety: Processional Practices in Nunneries....Pages 113-158 The Consecration of Nuns....Pages 159-177 A Case Study in Benedictine Practices: Barking Abbey....Pages 179-202 The Bridgettine Nuns of Syon Abbey....Pages 203-227 Conclusions....Pages 229-232 Back Matter....Pages 233-326