A música no contexto da cerimónia da Profissão nos mosteiros femininos portugueses (1768-1828)

Abstract

A collection of vows with musical notation intended for the cerimony of the nuns' Profession in some Portuguese monasteries and two volumes with music by António José da Silva Gomes e Oliveira related with the same type of ceremony, which are preserved in the Centro de Estudos Musicológicos of the Biblioteca Nacional in Lisbon, are the starting point for an approach to the musical life in female religious institutions during the Ancien Régime, centred in the specific situation of the Profession. Intended to be sung by the nuns themselves, each of these vows is personalized and adapted to their individual vocal capacities, since different versions of the same piece present different levels of technical difficulty. They also show some affinities with the plainsong melodies used in Portugal during the 18th and 19th centuries. The available music materials are analysed and integrated in their functional context and in the musical life of the institutions, and of contemporary social and cultural conditions.