Beguinages (‘begijnhoven’) are unique to the Low
Countries. Originally, beguine communities were disseminated over a
large area comprising the northern and southern Low Countries,
northern France, and parts of present-day Germany and Switzerland.
The typical ‘court’ beguinages, however, are
represented most strongly in the southern Low Countries, where a
considerable number of them still exist. On account of their
historical, architectural, and socio-religious value, a selection
of thirteen beguinages was recognized as World Heritage by
Unesco in 1998.
Only recently, research has paid closer attention to the material
culture of beguinage life, including literacy and book culture
among beguines. Beguinae in cantu instructae focuses on another
‘new’ aspect of this musical culture, and for the first
time describes and studies the sources of the beguines’
musical life. The volume fills a void in current musicology and
beguine scholarship, sketching the previously unassessed quality,
quantity, stylistic diversity, and historical and geographical
dissemination of the repertory.
On the one hand, a number of source studies yield a deeper insight
into several aspects of the preserved patrimony, which proves
to be both rich and diverse. The ‘story behind the
music’ provides the context necessary for a full
understanding of the sources. On the other hand, this book aims at
stimulating further exploration of the music by providing a
repertory of all music manuscripts and prints that have been found
thus far. Beguinae in cantu instructae will inform the general
reader on new aspects of beguine life; furthermore, it will provide
amateur and professional musicians with new material (from the
Middle Ages to the late 18th century) and historians and
musicologists with a basis for further study and research.