The rapid development of polyphonic music in Paris around 1200 resulted in the so called Nôtre Dame style, where for the first time in Europe three- and four-part  notated music was heard. This new style also featured a surprising rhythmic vitality, only comparable to rhythmic complexities of extreme 20th century music.

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Musical life in nunneries of the middle ages was generally rich. The fact that women later on in history was precluded from partaking in public music making, make people think otherwise; but we know that teaching and music making in the nunneries from early on was being performed several places at a high level, as high as in the best monasteries. Often the nuns cultivated their own and a unique repertoire at the same time as they kept up with newer developments in Europe.
The development of polyphonic music in the period 800 – 1170 was quite slow and found different guises around Europe. But special circumstances (or pure coincidence?) resulted in quite revolutionary developments in music around Nôtre Dame in Paris. Perhaps these almost explosive developments had something to do with the flourishing student life, or perhaps of the extreme concentration of learned scholars and musicians.
This development around 1200 in Paris resulted in the so called Nôtre Dame style, where for the first time in Europe three- and four-part  notated music was heard. A giant step in music was here taken within a very short span of time. This new style also featured an incredible and surprising rhythmic vitality only comparable to rhythmic complexities of extreme 20th century music. The churches of Paris were competing in producing the most lavish musical adornments of the divine service at the major feasts. The few singers around who could master this difficult virtuoso style (called organistae, i.e. performers of organum) were quick to exploit the situation, and the wages went up considerably. So already around 1200 we have the first examples of highly paid singers, - a feat that has been characteristic of Europe in the following 800 years: think of Farinelli, Jenny Lind, Nellie Melba, Pavarotti, Sinatra og Michael Jackson. Hardly any instrumentalists have ever been near fees like that.
During the 13th century these great Organum compositions, leading composer names are Leonin and Perotin, spread all over Europe and became very popular and much performed. The most “catchy” episodes from the big works went with the singers out in the streets or at parties, where these “Organistae” could make still more money on the same music. Now these episodes were provided with new texts of a much more worldly nature and voilá, a new musical form was born, the “Motet”, often with love-lyrics, nature descriptions and the like, and sometimes with different texts in either voice.
This unique repertoire we shall perform in all its sacred and secular variants, but from an unusual angle: Research tells us that this music has been thriving among nuns also (maybe not the most bawdy!) and in my view the Nôtre Dame style is especially well suited to female voices. Up to now this repertoire has usually always been performed by men, just look at the different recordings, but this concert project has also included a recording session, and this recording, Seized by sweet desire, is now available on the Naxos-label, sung by our own rather secular nuns of Musica Ficta. · Bo Holten