Recent developments have uncovered the early correspondence of Heloise and Abelard. This discovery has allowed the identification of a number of ‘lost’ lyrics by Abelard and has revealed that Heloise, too, was a lyricist of great stature. This article reviews some of their works and touches upon their connection with the ‘goliardic’ tradition, the Carmina Burana, and their influence upon Walther von der Vogelweide and other poets. The sequences and liturgical dramas of Heloise survive with music of an individual style. The dramas, moreover, are of notable originality: they influenced the later history of the genre (including the Carmina Burana Easter dramas) to a considerable and enduring extent.

This article considers Heloise's activity as abbess of the Paraclete, examining what contribution she may have made to its liturgical practice. It relates the testimony of Peter the Venerable and Hugh Metel to Heloise as inspirational leader and author to what we can learn about her from Abelard's preface to the Paraclete Hymnal. In particular, attention is directed to the understanding of Mary Magdalen at the Paraclete by both Abelard and Heloise. This suggests, I argue that ‘Epithalamica’ and the Easter plays are part of Heloise's literary output, and that she exercised a major influence on Abelard.

What did the planctus mean to Abelard? During the 1130s Abelard was rethinking this musical genre and its potential for expressing personalized, dramatic lament. Abelard's relationship with Heloise at this time (and indeed her own literary output) may have provoked a reaction to the generic features of the planctus.

This article investigates the correctable technologies for musical drafts available to composers during the central and later Middle Ages (twelfth-fifteenth centuries). The starting point is a unique passage from the autobiography of Renier, abbot of St Laurence of Liège (c. 1110/20-90), which clearly describes someone sight-reading a new work from the text and musical notation entered on wax tablets (an edition and translation of the passage are provided). Additional musical references to wax tablets are discussed, as are references to other correctable technologies (text supports and appropriate styli) potentially available to composers, such as varieties of sleeked pasteboard, slate tablets, lead used directly on paper or parchment, liquid correcting fluid or powder or paste, and composition in the mind. Descriptions from the contemporary technical literature, archaeological and iconographical evidence are briefly presented. An estimate of the relative prevalence of these techniques is ventured with references to aspects of the technologies and their musical application which require further investigation.

This year has brought new issues from several long-time contributors to the chant discography. Ranking with the abbey of Solesmes in sheer quantity of chant recordings is Schola Hungarica, whose new disc is titled ‘The Holy Lady of Chartres’ (no. 1 in the list below). Although this is not billed ‘Magyar Gregorianum’ as the last entry was (2001, no. 10), it does in fact include an Office originating in Chartres that is preserved only in Hungary. Matins responsories for the common of the Blessed Virgin include three responsories attributed to Fulbert of Chartres (two of which were recorded by Ensemble Venance Fortunat, 1993, no. 18, since reissued as L'Empreinte Digitale ED 13036). The third responsory, Ad nutum Domini, receives its first chant recording here. This is a set of Matins responsories in numerical modal order. Despite the neat fit of Fulbert's three pieces with the rest, the notes decline to assert that this integral set of responsories originated at Chartres. Masses for Purification and Assumption from two Chartres sources, Provins 12 and Chartres 520, fill out the disc.