The history of music at the Maison royale de Saint-Louis at Saint-Cyr - the famous convent school founded by Madame de Maintenon and established by Louis XIV in 1686 as a royal foundation - is both rich and intriguing; its large repertory of music was composed expressly for young female voices by important composers working within significant contemporary musical genres: liturgical chant, sacred motets, theatrical music, and cantiques spirituels. A close study of the musical repertory at the Maison royale reveals much about subtle changes in musical style and performance practices at Saint-Cyr in the eighteenth century.