In the earliest centuries of the church, women took part in singing in worship. But as the churches grew, so did opposition to women performing as a part of the liturgical rites. Singing schools were established for men only, but women could sing in the convents (Bowers and Tick 4). The first substantial group of compositions by a woman composer were those of Hildegard of Bingen, who lived from 1098 to 1179. She was a multi-talented visionary who created in several genre. She was one of ten children, and her noble parents dedicated her life to God as a tithe (Newman 5). Her earliest teachers were a nun and a monk, Jutta of Sponheim and Volmar of St. Disibod, who later became her friend, confidant, and secretary.
Women at this time were not even allowed to attend school, unless they successfully disguised themselves as men. Hildegard worked tirelessly in various creative ways to convey her spiritual understanding to those in her world. She had a strong interest in medicine, and at least one of her books deals with medical topics-- Book of Simple Medicine (Flanagan 225).
According to history, Hildegard was troubled with migraine headaches and often would have a severe migraine attack before creating something in literature or music. She was nearly debilitated from the headaches but apparently saw them as some sort of precipitating factor to the creative act (Flanagan 208). Her major and minor literary works are quite numerous. The musical works include Symphonia harmoniae celestium revelationum, which includes Carmina and Ordo virtutum and Hildegard von Bingen: Lieder. Hildegard and her work were well-respected in her time.
Differences in the availability of education for men and for women have been a factor in women composers being able to do their work. During much of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, women had virtually no access to studies in cathedral schools or apprenticeship to a master musician (Bower...