This book presents the first study of music in convent life in a single Hispanic city, Barcelona, during the early modern era. It explores how convents were involved in the musical networks operating in sixteenth-century Barcelona and reveals the intrinsic role played by nuns and lay women in the city's urban musical culture.

Ascensión Mazuela-Anguita is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Granada, Spain.

1. Mapping convents' sounds in the city 2. Music as a commodity: Music, convents, and the economy of the city 3. Music as a symbol of political power and social status 4. Music to reach heaven 5. Beyond the city: Religious orders as national and international music networks