When was hildegard born

The proximity of the anchorage to the church of the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg it was attached physically to the church undoubtedly exposed young Hildegard to musical religious services and were the basis for her own musical compositions.

After Jutta's death, when Hildegard was 38 years of age, she was elected the head of the budding convent living within cramped walls of the anchorage. Yet Hildegard was also overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and hesitated to act.

Her scientific views were derived from the ancient Greek cosmology of the four elements-fire, air, water, and earth-with their complementary qualities of heat, dryness, moisture, and cold, and the corresponding four humours in the body-choler yellow bile , blood, phlegm, and melancholy black bile. Human constitution was based on the preponderance of one or two of the humours. Indeed, we still use words "choleric" , "sanguine" , "phlegmatic" and "melancholy" to describe personalities.

Sickness upset the delicate balance of the humours, and only consuming the right plant or animal which had that quality you were missing, could restore the healthy balance to the body. That is why in giving descriptions of plants, trees, birds, animals, stones, Hildegard is mostly concerned in describing that object's quality and giving its medicinal use.

Thus, "Reyan tansy is hot and a little damp and is good against all superfluous flowing humours and whoever suffers from catarrh and has a cough, let him eat tansy. It will bind humors so that they do not overflow, and thus will lessen.

Hildegard's writings are also unique for their generally positive view of sexual relations and her description of pleasure from the point of view of a woman. They might also contain the first description of the female orgasm.

Hildegard wrote hymns and sequences in honor of saints, virgins and Mary. She wrote in the plainchant tradition of a single vocal melodic line, a tradition common in liturgical singing of her time. Her music is undergoing a revival and enjoying huge public success. One group, Sequentia , is planning to record all of Hildegard's musical output in time for the th anniversary of her birth in Their latest recording Canticles of Ecstasy is superb.

Be sure to read the translations of the latin text of the songs which provide a good example of Hildegard's metaphorical writing, and are imbued with vibrant descriptions of color and light, that also occurs in her visionary writings. MF, fr. L sanguineus, fr. MF melancolie, fr. LL melancholia, fr. Gk, fr.

The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen Introduction Hildegard of Bingen was a remarkable woman, a "first" in many fields.

At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard, known as "Sybil of the Rhine", produced major works of theology and visionary writings. When few women were accorded respect, she was consulted by and advised bishops, popes, and kings.

She used the curative powers of natural objects for healing, and wrote treatises about natural history and medicinal uses of plants, animals, trees and stones.

She is the first composer whose biography is known. She founded a vibrant convent, where her musical plays were performed. Although not yet canonized, Hildegard has been beatified, and is frequently referred to as St. Revival of interest in this extraordinary woman of the middle ages was initiated by musicologists and historians of science and religion.

Less fortunately, Hildegard's visions and music had been hijacked by the New Age movement, whose music bears some resemblance to Hildegard's ethereal airs. Her story is important to all students of medieval history and culture and an inspirational account of an irresisible spirit and vibrant intellect overcoming social, physical, cultural, gender barriers to achieve timeless transcendence.

The Early Years Hildegard was born a "10"th child a tithe to a noble family. As was customary with the tenth child, which the family could not count on feeding, she was dedicated at birth to the church.

Even at this age, Hildegard knew that her visions were a gift from God. At the age of 42, Hildegard of Bingen experienced a midlife awakening. She received a vision, wherein she believed God had instructed her to write down what she saw. Hildegard was hesitant to do so, at first. She spoke of this milestone experience in her first work, Scivias. Doubt had stopped her. The Pope responded with a letter of blessing. This papal approval of her visions happened during the Synod of Trier and As headmistress of the nuns at Disibodenberg, Hildegard of Bingen began the process of separating her convent from the monastery.

Two reasons for separation include i increasing space constraints; and ii a growing sense of independence among the nuns. This created conflict with the sometimes rigid provisions of the Benedictine order. Fearing the loss of revenue from dowries accompanying new entrants to the convent, and in order to retain the dowries already contributed, Hildegard and her fellow nuns faced fierce objection from the monks.

Eventually, the Archbishop of Mainz forced the Abbott at Disibodenberg to consent. Hildegard of Bingen and about twenty nuns moved from Disibodenberg to Rupertsberg, near the town of Bingen. The consecration of the new church and cloister occurred in After six years of difficult negotiations, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen returned to her former monastery a portion of the assets first contributed by the women of the convent.

In Hildegard founded a second abbey at Eibingen. Hildegard arranged for 30 nuns to occupy two vacant monasteries. In Scivias , Hildegard of Bingen portrays a magnificent history of salvation, from creation through the order of redemption and the development of the Church, to perfection at the end of times. Scivias is both prophetic and admonishing in the manner of Ezekiel and the Book of Revelation. It also famously describes the structure of the universe as an egg.

Each composition has its own original poetic text. For Hildegard of Bingen, music was a special gift from God to support the salvation of man. And Ordo Virtutum emphasizes the importance of music in communicating spiritual subtext.

In some ways the book was a continuation of Ordo Virtutum as it depicts the eternal struggle between good and evil, virtue and vice. It contains one of the earliest descriptions of Purgatory as the stop before Heaven where a soul works off its debts. Around the same time, Hildegard started work on her practical guides to nature and healing. Its style is characterized by soaring melodies that can push the boundaries of the more staid ranges of traditional Gregorian chant.

As with all medieval chant notation, Hildegard's music lacks any indication of tempo or rhythm; the surviving manuscripts employ late German style notation, which uses very ornamental neumes. The reverence for the Virgin Mary reflected in music shows how deeply influenced and inspired Hildegard of Bingen and her community were by the Virgin Mary and the saints. Wednesday, 16 September Philharmonie, Main Hall.

Thursday, 7 September Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen, O. As of August Past Events. Wednesday, 16 September Philharmonie, Main Hall.