Women Composers at Ephrata

The Ephrata Codex provides direct evidence of women composers at Ephrata. Name inscriptions adjacent to specific musical hymn settings in the Codex provide credit to five individuals who were solitary brothers and sisters of Ephrata. The three credited sisters are Sister Föben (Christianna Lassle), Sister Ketura (Catherine Hagamann) and Sister Hanna (Hannah Lichty). These women have been overlooked by scholars and are largely unknown to the American public. Our recent research and and creative activity (Herbert, 2018, 2019, and 2020) discovered these composers and brings attention to them. Below are short profiles on Föben, Ketura, and Hanna. As we learn more about these women, we will provide updates.