Convent class

A new recording by Musica Secreta and Celestial Sirens turns the spotlight on the musical world of Lucrezia Borgia’s daughter for the first time. Suor Leonora d’este was a princess, nun and gifted musician, known to have played clavichord, harpsichord and organ. She was immersed in the rich musical world of the convent, which saw the nuns singing polyphony ever day. Around this period, in 1543, an anonymous book of motets was published in Venice, entitled Musica quinque vocum motetta maternal lingua vocata. It’s thought to be the earliest published polyphony intended for nuns, perhaps even connected to the convent in which Suor Leonora spent 60 years. It will be released this March on Obsidian Records.