Page 24 - CJMay25

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

Square Chant Notation: ommended resource for those familiar with or interest-
Barth, Ritscher, and Schmidt-Görg’s Lieder ed in learning standard square notation.

Square-notation neumes represent a compilation of In the Lieder editions, the neumatic notation is
various medieval neumes standardized at the end of preserved and clearly legible, the use of standard-
the nineteenth century through the work of monks at ized neumes may be more easily decipherable than
the Benedictine Abbey of Solesmes in France. In 1969, the handwritten Rhineland neumes, and the pitch-
two nuns from Eibingen Abbey in Rüdesheim am Rhe- es are printed clearly on the staff. The archaic script
in, Germany—Sister Pudentiana Barth and Sister M. in the manuscript sources is replaced by traditional
Immaculata Ritscher—along with musicologist Dr. Jo- Latin spelling in a simple font. The use of standard-
seph Schmidt-Görg transcribed Hildegard’s Symphonia ized neumes maintains neume groupings, compound
and her liturgical play, Ordo virtutum, into square nota- neumes, and ornamental neumes. Movable C and F
tion. There is a beautiful 2012 publication by musicol- clefs mark where the solfège syllables “doh” and “fah”
ogist and Hildegard scholar Dr. Barbara Stühlmeyer occur and are used to indicate the mode the piece is
based on the 1969 Lieder edition, which is an excellent in (based on final, range, and pitch organization) and
resource for musicians (Figure 2). Stühlmeyer’s Lie- may be moved on the staff to avoid extensive ledger
11
der is a logical, organized, economical, and accessible lines. Other advantages to working with a Lieder edi-
printed work that would be a practical and highly rec- tion includes the correction of suspected scribal errors
12
in the manuscript and the addition of breath marks,
suggested ficta, and custodes (a little note at the end of
a line indicating the next pitch) to aid the performer.
One challenge for non-German speakers is that the
commentary and translations in both Lieder editions
are in German. The most notable challenge in work-
ing with a Lieder edition is that it presumes an ability to
read square notation. While this may be a deterrent to
those who do not have training in this type of literacy,
chant notation can be extremely accessible to a musi-
cian literate in modern notation. The preface to the
Liber Usualis is still used in educational settings as a tool
to learn to read chant notation. 13

Modernized Transcription
Free editions of selections from Symphonia are avail-
able online. The International Studies of Hildegard
von Bingen Website is a rich resource and, in addition
to a wealth of information about Hildegard’s works,
includes pitch content, recordings, translations, and
scholarly commentary on the poetry and music (for a
14
musical example, see Figure 3 on the next page). The
complete Symphonia transcribed in modern notation by
Dr. Marianne Richert Pfau is available through Hilde-
Figure 2. No. 16 Caritas Abundat, gard Publishing. This collection comprises eight vol-
from Stühlmeyer’s edition of Hildegard Lieder pp. 59–60. umes and derivative octavos of selected sets and pieces.
Used with kind permission.
Each volume includes a transcription guide with a ta-

22 CHORAL JOURNAL May 2025 Volume 65 Number 8