Angel Song ─ Medieval English music in history

Although medieval English music has been relatively neglected in comparison with the repertoire from France and Italy, there are few musicians who have not heard of the achievements of composer John Dunstaple, or who have not listened to the thirteenth-century song ’Sumer is icumen in’. Similarly, the effects of the contenance angloise on continental composers such as Guillaume Dufay have been described in the standard narratives of music history. Yet, although many sources of early English music have been discovered over the past century, they remain largely unknown to a broader audience, and have made little impact on the how the history of English music is told. Angel Song: Medieval English Music in History re-examines well-known and lesser-known pieces, exploring their earliest manuscript sources and tracing their reception in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Colton reappraises the role of historians in crafting the history of English music between 1200 and 1450, examining their agenda, and suggesting new ways to understand the repertoire and its cultural context.

Lisa Colton is Subject Leader for Music at the University of Huddersfield, where she is also responsible for the musicology curriculum. Lisa gained a PhD at the University of York. Her AHRC-funded doctoral thesis, 'Music and Sanctity in England, c.1260-c.1400', explored themes of nationalism, sanctity and virginity in late medieval English music. As Chair of the Plainsong and Medieval Music Society 2010-2013, Lisa has been involved in the organisation of conferences and colloquia and in the encouragement of young scholars in medieval music research. Lisa’s published articles have appeared in Plainsong and Medieval Music, Early Music, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Contemporary Music Review and Music and Letters.