Hildegard of Bingen

  

Nationality: German

Born: 1098, Bockelheim

Died: September 17, 1179, Bingen

Specialist Genres: Plainsong settings of her poetry

Major works: Ordo Virturtum, Symphonia armonie 

celestium revelationum

Hildegard was born into a noble German family in 1098 although the exact date is uncertain and is one of the earliest known composers. She was considered to be the 10^th child of Mechtild of Merxheim-Nahet and Hildebert of Bermersheim and was dedicated to the church as a tithe. When she was 8 years old she was sent to the Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg. In 1136 she became an abbess and around the age of 50 she founded a nunnery near Bingen in the Rhine valley. She is often referred to as a saint and there is a feast day celebrated in Germany on September 17. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named her a doctor of the church.

Hildegard wrote a great deal of lyrical poetry which was collected in the volume called Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum. 

 

Ordo Virturtum is the earliest surviving morality play (thought to have been written around 1151) and has music attached to it, which is written in German neumatic notation. The play consists of monophonic melodies the 'Anima' (the human soul) and 16 virtues.

In addition to Ordo Virturtum, there are are 69 musical compositions by Hildegard that have survived, each accompanied by an original poetic text. This is considered to be one of the largest surviving repertoires by a medieval composer.

Her music was not strictly in the style of monastic plainsong, exemplified by her decorated melodies and originality.

In recent decades early music has seen a considerable revival and in 1984 an album consisting of Hildegard's music called “A feather on the breath of God” was released and became very popular.