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A Conductor’s Guide to the Music of Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard and Her Music devastatingly sad, to profoundly mystical, to exhilarat-
Hildegard was the youngest of ten children, and at ingly joyful. Unison singing is also important work for
the age of eight she was promised as a tithe to God. an ensemble. As William Mahrt asserts in A Performer’s
She was chosen to serve as companion to Jutta von Guide to Medieval Music, “in unison, the singers can per-
Sponheim (1092-1136), an ascetic woman who had fect elements of tuning, timbre, diction, rhythm, and
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resolved to live as an anchoress at the monastery of expression in common.” In contrast to many chants in
Disibodenberg. As anchoresses, the women vowed to the Gregorian repertory, Hildegard’s melodies exhibit
withdraw from society to devote their lives to religious a wide vocal range, sometimes spanning up to two oc-
pursuits from within the confines of their affiliated taves plus a fourth. The connection between text and
community. The women were enclosed at Disiboden- music is an important feature of Hildegard’s music.
berg on November 1, 1112, at which point Hildegard The Symphonia songs comprise Hildegard’s own newly
was committed to a life of spiritual devotion. After Jut- composed religious poetry, with the exceptions of the
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ta died in 1136, Hildegard, then thirty-eight years old, Kyrie and Alleluia. Hildegard’s music, images, and po-
was unanimously elected to lead the growing commu- etry are interconnected in a holistic representation of
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nity of women. the visions she experienced. The act of singing was
Hildegard’s literary, artistic, and preaching work be- central to the lives of the monks and nuns practicing
gan once she was called to lead the nuns. During her the Benedictine Rule, and Hildegard’s music and texts
lifetime she was highly respected and influential as a were intended to be experienced by the singers with the
prolific writer and visionary. Remarkably, during a time intention of elevating one’s own morality and experi-
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when it was illegal for women to sermonize publicly, she encing the harmony of the universe.
led a series of preaching tours well into the final decade Three common notational possibilities exist for
of her life. Hildegard died on September 17, 1179, at Hildegard’s Symphonia: (1) the original twelfth-century
the age of eighty-two. After hundreds of years’ worth Rhineland neumes, (2) Solesmes-style square-notation
of attempts, she was canonized on May 10, 2012, and neumes, and (3) a modern transcription using some
made Doctor of the Church on October 7, 2012, being form of noteheads on a five-line staff. Each notation-
one of only four women to receive this distinction. al possibility involves positive elements as well as chal-
Hildegard’s extant musical output comprises seven- lenges. The manuscript sources have the benefit of
ty-seven musical works (all but two with original po- being closest to the original creation but require a spe-
etry) and music for the spiritual drama Ordo Virtutum, cialist’s knowledge in reading the symbols. Standard-
amounting to the largest collection attributed to any ized square-notation neumes can contain a wealth of
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single composer in the twelfth century. Preparing and performing practice information and may be more ac-
performing Hildegard’s music is challenging yet deeply cessible to read than the manuscripts, but it may also be
rewarding. Monophonic plainchant is an exciting and uncomfortable for those who do not consistently spend
refreshing addition to a choral program in that it pro- time in this notational world. Modern staff transcrip-
vides singers with the opportunity to perform music tions are appealing in the clarity of pitch content, yet
that is a different texture and style than much of the nuances of the neumes and the physical shape of the
repertoire performed in high school, university, and phrases that are inherent in neumatic notation, partic-
community settings. ularly in the expressive shapes of ornamental and com-
Hildegard’s music is deeply expressive and thrilling pound neumes, can be lost in a modern transcription.
to sing as an ensemble, particularly in regard to modal- A richer understanding of each resource and elements
ity, technically demanding monophonic singing, and a of performing practice of medieval plainchant may be
vivid text/music connection. Contemporary musicians helpful in assisting the director in learning and teach-
do not often have the opportunity to perform modal ing this repertoire.
music, which has its own unique musical affects that
are visceral for a singer to experience, ranging from

20 CHORAL JOURNAL May 2025 Volume 65 Number 8