Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen

Source: Science 2.0

Born circa 1098 in Germany, (Saint) Hildegard of Bingen was a superstar of medieval composition. She is thought to have been placed in the care of Jutta, daughter of Count Stephan II of Sponheim, at age eight. In 1112 she and Jutta entered the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg, she fourteen. Upon Jutta's death in 1136 Hildegaard became magistra of the nunnery until founding her own in 1150 in Rupertsberg. A second monastery followed at Eibingen in 1165. As Hildegard was a mystic, before we advance too far it is well to regard the intellectual, philosophical and metaphysical backdrop to the musical world in addition the Church:

We might as well start with ancient Greece where classical music for the next couple of millennia and more begins, Grecian influence to be a major thread for centuries to come beyond Hildegard's time. Pythagoras of Samos, born circa 570 BC, found harmony in the cosmos via mathematics and his music of the spheres or, musica universalis, applied to the concept of celestial orbs. Pythagoras' notions on harmony, or varieties similar such as Hildegard's, have been seriously examined ever since, albeit not wholly in agreement with modern science. Kepler supposed there to be congruence between musical intervals and planetary relationships in the 17th century. As for harmony in far away lands, there was the sacred sound called Om as presented in the Hindu 'Upanishads' sometime between 800 and 300 BC. Farther off in China music necessarily interwove with Qi (: Ch'i).

As for the spiritual ramifications of a roaring sun in celestial symphony with other astronomical bodies, I don't know, they less easy to hear than a heartbeat. Yet the physical and psychological affects of pitch, tonality, vibration and frequency have been no small study for quite some time, discussed in relation to present-day string theory as well. But you don't have to know how all of it works to get in touch with a rippling stream, thunder rolling over the earth, or the rhythm of a crashing tide from your boat rocking like a cradle side to side. If you listen to your tires slapping time over cracks on the interstate a choir of angels are bound to come around soon. My guess is that Hildegard, herself, got some harmony in her bones upon something like hearing the wind moan. People listened and heard differently in Hildegard's time, for where has it been quiet since radio and television?

Hildegard had been subject to visions since a child, yet was reluctant to speak of them. it wasn't until after founding her monastery in Rupertsberg that she completed 'Scivias' in 1151/52, a book of 26 visions written over a period of ten years. Portions of that work in progress had been read by Pope Eugenius III in 1148. He concurring that such were divinely inspired, Hildegard now acquired the most important endorsement of all, that of the Papacy, and began writing on all manner of subjects in various forms: music for the liturgy, a morality play titled 'Ordo Virtutum' ('Play of the Virtues'), sermons, a couple of volumes addressing medicine, an invented language, a Gospel commentary, and a couple hagiographies (biographies of saints). She also left behind nearly four hundred correspondences with such as emperors and popes. Her second theological volume was 'Liber Vitae Meritorum' ('Book of Life's Merits'), completed sometime between 1158 and '63, she at Rupertsberg. Her last work before her death was the theological tome of 1193, 'Liber Divinorum Operum' ('Book of Divine Works'), concerning ten visions.

As for music, Hildegard may have begun composing music as early as 1140. But I've identified no dates beyond her morality play, 'Ordo Virtutum', possibly written in 1151. Which leaves a wide range of years in which might written her liturgical hymns collected into 'Symphonia Armoniae Celestium Revelationum'. Thought to have written at least 77 works, those for the Church included a Kyrie for the ordinary Mass, antiphons (settings for 'Psalms'), responses (settings for 'Psalms'), canticles (settings for Biblical texts) and sequences. Hildegard composed in Rhineland neumes and square notation on four lines, steps along the path that required centuries from rudimentary neumes to the eventual treble and bass of the grand staff now conventional for a few centuries. The first staff was a single horizontal line developed by Guido d'Arezzo in his 'Aliae Regulae' of about 1030, to which he eventually added up to four. Notation during Hildegard's time yet looks foreign to most contemporary musicians, and can't be transcribed to five lines without a scholastic knowledge of neumes. Her works would have been sung by nuns or noblewomen. Per below, dates unknown to me except sometime between 1140 and 1179 are stacked alphabetically.

'O ecclesia oculi tui'   Sequence in honor of St. Ursula composed by Hildegard of Bingen

Graindelavoix directed by Björn Schmelzer 2008

'O ignis spiritus Paracliti'   Sequence composed by Hildegard of Bingen

Performed by the Anonymous 4

'O virtus Sapientiae'   Antiphon composed by Hildegard of Bingen

Performed by Hildegard von Blingin

'O vis aeternitatis'   Responsorial composed by Hildegard of Bingen

Performed by Sequentia

'Ordo Virtutum'   Drama written by Hildegard of Bingen   1151 ?

The Karthäuserkirche in Basel, Switzerland   October 2012

Hildegard died on 17 September 1179 and was beautified, but had trouble becoming an officially recognized saint. She was nevertheless referred to as a saint, appeared in 'Roman Martyrology' in the latter 16th century and was made a Doctor of the Church, a rank higher than sainthood, in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Anonymous 4: Anonymous 4   Wikipedia

Hildegard von Bingen:

Carmen Elvira Brigard

Owen Hopkin

Joshua J. Mark

Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon

Hildegard von Blingen: Medium   YouTube

Musica Universalis (Harmony of the Spheres / Pythagoras):