Copyright © 2015 Paula Higgins. For personal study, non-commercial use only. For all other uses, prior permission in writing from the author is required. ***************************************************************** SPOKEN TEXT OF A PUBLIC LECTURE GIVEN AT THE BRIGHTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL PRE-FESTIVAL CONFERENCE “Rediscovering Women” 17 OCTOBER 2015 ***************************************************************** ‘AN ALL MALE AFFAIR’ REVISITED: HISTORICAL WOMEN IN THE EARLY MUSIC MARKETPLACE, c1973-2015 PAULA HIGGINS ************************************************************ The late David Munrow (1942-1976), a key figure in the UK early music movement of the later twentieth century, had firm opinions on the participation of women therein. In the second issue of the then fledgling journal Early Music, published in 1973, he wrote: The solo vocal lines themselves usually suggest the use of high male voices, most commonly at a pitch which implies the use of falsetto technique. Female participation seems to have been rare: medieval music making was an all male affair at the professional level whether in court or in chapel and there is little evidence for the use of female voices before the mid-15th century. This would correspond with the fact that the songs are almost invariably written from the man’s point of view. Amour courtois placed the lady above the man in status: she was his ‘souverain’ and he owed her loyalty as to the feudal overlord. No doubt ladies sang love songs in private in the Middle Ages, but it would have been quite improper for them to do so in front of a courtly gathering. . . 1 1