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Stanford Lively Arts Presents: Anonymous 4
Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8pm
Memorial Church
Secret Voices: The Sisters of Las Huelgas Music of Thirteenth-Century Spain
The internationally renowned Anonymous 4’s newest program is a return
to the heart of the quartet’s favorite century, and to a repertoire
that confirms medieval women could—and did—sing the most complex
polyphony written in the Gothic era.
This varied repertoire of 13th-century polyphony and sacred Latin song
was collected for a convent of noble and aristocratic women, in spite
of a rule forbidding the singing of polyphony by the women of their
order. Their convent, Las Huelgas at Burgos in north central Spain, was
on the road to the well-known shrine of Sant'Iago de Compostela. Did
these women send emissaries out to collect sacred music from England,
France, and Germany, or did pilgrims who stopped at their convent for
rest and refreshment leave, as a token of their thanks, copies of songs
they may have been carrying along? It will never be fully known, but
there is no mistaking the international nature of this music—the
elegant French love-motets, original conductus, English works, and
heartfelt Laments—and the role of the women who performed the most
virtuosic, avant-garde polyphonic music of their time.
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All sales are final, no refunds or exchanges. Replacement of lost or damaged tickets subject to a service charge. Please note: Use of cameras, video recorders or audio recording equipment not allowed in the auditorium, and is strictly enforced.
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