With vocal music, performers must be aware not only of the shape and inflection of the musical line, but also of the shape and inflections of the accompanying text. Each language has a unique palette of consonant and vowel sounds, which composers can use with spectacular effect to highlight or alter the textures of the piece. However, languages are not static, and the change in accepted pronunciations over the course of centuries poses a special challenge to the student of the vocal music of the Middle Ages and Rennaissance. Did the composer have a different sound in mind when he or she set the text to music? More directly, should the cadences of languages used in the past influence performances for modern-day audiences? While there is no intrinsic reason to prefer one over the other, in Uncloistered we strive to learn how the music and texts might have sounded at the time they were written, and then compare the textures of the piece with those produced with modern pronunciations to make an informed decision. We therefore consult linguistic references for each piece we study to help give an idea of the presumed pronunciation of text, based on analyses of diaries, rhyming poetry, and (when possible) treatises on language dating from the period and region the piece was composed. We hope that by giving such attention to the text, we will be able to find unexpected colors and depths that may not be evident at first glance, and give the music as much vitality as possible.