Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098 – 1179)
Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine abbess, mystic, visionary, author, and composer. Her written works include visionary theology, medicine, and natural history with an emphasis on botany and the medicinal qualities of plants.
In sheer quantity of surviving music, Hildegard is the best known of medieval composers regardless of sex. In recent decades her music has been extensively performed and recorded. Her liturgical songs are monophonic with vocal melodies set to her own Latin texts. Despite their harmonic simplicity, her vocal lines are highly expressive and closely connected to the words of the texts, many of which reflect devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Here is a selection of five of Hildegard’s hymns and songs sung by the Los Angeles-based Ensemble Vocatrix.
Texts of Hildegard’s music are available on the Hildegard Society website.