Description

The nuns of the chief Parisian convents of the 17th century cultivated music as a tool of devotion essential to their ceremonies. The Visitandines—the nuns of the congregation founded by François de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal—were no exception. In front of a fervent assembly, and sometimes accompanied by a few instruments, they would be heard on important feast days in works by the finest musicians: choral masses or petits motets for solo voices. This recording presents a musical re-enactment of a religious service as might have been heard in such a setting. Les Boréades and six sopranos are conducted for the occasion by the French early-music specialist Hervé Niquet.