Celestial Sirens

The most famous musicians of early modern Milan were its cloistered nuns, despite the efforts of church officials to limit their musical lives. This book details the cultural context, religious traditions, musical styles, and personal meaning of the music written by and for them from the late 16th to the early 18th century, and outlines the ways in which their status as female virgins was - and was not - central to their musical expression of their piety.