Hildegard von Bingen was a fascinating historical figure. She was an exceptional woman and a noted polymath. A polymath is a person with encyclopedic knowledge who excells in almost anything she/he pursues. She was a mystic and visionary of wondrous proportion, a composer, an artist, an herbalist, an author, a counselor, a linguist, a naturalist, a scientist, a physician, a philosopher, a poet, and an activist. She is the first known composer with an existing biography. One of her works, the Ordo Virtutum, has been called the first form, and possibly the origin, of opera. She wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal texts, as well as letters, liturgical songs, poems, and the first surviving morality play.
She was an 11th century Renaissance woman! I would also add that Hildegard was a feminist icon to that list, but that would be adding a modern concept to an ancient time. Nevertheless, I think it’s fair to assume that Hildegard herself knew how intelligent and powerful she was in a time when women’s scope was so narrow.
Hildegard von Bingen, also known as Blessed Hildegard or Saint Hildegard, was a German abbess of a large convent in 11th century Germany. She was placed into a convent by her family as a young girl and was known to have intense visions at a very early age. Hildegard’s first recollection as a youth was about a vision, where she propounded upon a vision she had with such detail, that her family and community were amazed. Her visions were recorded by an anchoress named Jutta (who was her teacher) and her lifelong secretary and scribe, Volmar. Hildegard described her visions as fantastic and luminous. According to well-known neurologist Oliver Sacks, her visions are a classic example of extraordinary imagery preceding a migraine. Dr. Sacks says in his book, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, that Hildegard’s “visions were instrumental in directing her towards a life of holiness and mysticism. They provide a unique example of the manner in which a physiological event, banal, hateful or meaningless to the vast majority of people, can become, in a privileged consciousness, the substrate of a supreme ecstatic inspiration.”
She composed music based on her visions. Her known compositions - that is, the ones that still physically exist - are numerous considering how little we have from the Middle Ages period. Her compositions vary in subject matter, ranging from 43 antiphons, 18 responsories, 4 hymns and 7 sequences, 2 symphonies (for virgin and widows) and three unique pieces (Alleluia, Kyrie and O viridissima virga) for a total of 77 works.
This Composition was posted on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at 3:03 pm and is filed under von Bingen. You can follow any responses to this Composition through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
[...] process of searching for classical music that heavily involves women. She’s played Hildegard von Bingen, Nixon in China (libretto was written by a woman), and more. She’s gotten a lot of [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am
[...] process of searching for classical music that heavily involves women. She’s played Hildegard von Bingen, Nixon in China (libretto was written by a woman), and more. She’s gotten a lot of [...]