About Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine (more on that later), was a Medieval nun of many talents.

Not only was Hildegard a German Benedictine abbess – the female superior of a community of nuns – but she was also a composer, writer, philosopher, mystic, and one of the first (if not the first) natural historians. In fact, Hildegard is one of the earliest known composers, as most of the other musicians at the time did not sign a name to their music.

Despite being shut away in an obscure monastery in Rhineland (the Rhineland is the name used for a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine River) for most of her long life, she spent her time creating an incredible collection of works that we can study today.

About Hildegard of Bingen

From Girl to Nun

The youngest of 10 children, Hildegard was born into a noble family in Bermersheim, Germany. At the time it was custom for the tenth child to be given to the Church in service, so as a young girl (sometime around 8 years old depending on the account) she traveled to the lonely hilltop monastery Disibodenberg under the care of Jutta of Sponheim, an older girl who later became the abbess. Hildegard officially became a Benedictine nun when she turned 18 years old.

Hildegard spent almost 40 years there, and it wasn’t easy. Each of the few other nuns at the monastery, also from noble families, lived in a small cell, separated and confined from the monks who shared the building. One lonely window let in sunlight, and the nuns were allowed only one scanty meal a day (two during the summer). Their schedules were tight, as prayers happened at regular intervals. And the nuns often complained of illness due to the harsh living conditions.

Hildegard as Abbess

In 1136 Hildegard succeeded Jutta as the abbess. Aside from taking care of the nuns and promoting worship, she moved her small group of 20 nuns to the St. Rupertsberg monastery in 1150. Hildegard founded a second monastery at Eibingen Abbey 15 years later.

She spent her life learning, writing, composing, and teaching. And as she got older, Hildegard traveled and preached throughout the Rhineland. Her many visions set her apart as a mystic and theologist during her lifetime.

Hildegard of Bingen was canonized and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. This title is given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made significant contributions to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing.

Works

Hildegard was incredibly prolific. Her works include writings on theology (including a compilation of her many visions she had throughout her life), nearly 400 letters to various popes, emperors, and other church leaders, records of her sermons, writings on natural medicine and cures, musical compositions, and so much more.

Music

Hildegard’s best-known works today are her compositions. She left behind 70 pieces of music – one of the largest musical collections from a single Medieval composer. The nun was never formally trained as a musician, but she taught herself how to play instruments and compose. Much of her music came to her during her visions and trances, and she believed that music was a type of meditation that promoted healing, joy, and positivity.

One of her compositions is a sacred musical drama called Ordo Virtutum (“Order of the Vitrutes”) composed in 1151. The plot centers around the struggles for a human soul between the Virtues and the Devil. The music in the play contains 82 different melodies sung in plainchant (except the Devil’s part). Alternating solo lines and chorus chant tell the story.

Hildegard’s musical style is characterized by soaring, ecstatic melodies that pushed beyond the ranges of traditional Gregorian chant. Her music lacks any indication of tempo or rhythm and was notated in neumes [musical symbols] that indicated vocal ornamentation, often highly melismatic [the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession.]. Adding to the theatrical character of the piece, the Devil, bereft of the gift of divine harmony, can only grunt and yell. The absence of music for his character serves as a powerful symbolic reminder of his separation from God.

Scott Tuomi

Check out the full version of the musical play here, and listen to the entrancing melodies:

Hildegard’s other compositions also reflected her desire to worship through music. Because she had grown up listening to chant in mass, she used that as inspiration to set her own text to energetic yet organic melodies. Her lack of formal Latin training allowed her songs to flow like poetry.

Hildegard’s work Ave Generosa combines flowing melodies with lush lyrics to praise Mary, the mother of Jesus:

Text

Latin Text	English Translation
Ave, generosa, gloriosa et intacta puella. Tu pupilla castitatis, tu materia sanctitatis, que Deo placuit.	I behold you, noble, glorious and whole woman, the pupil of purity. You are the sacred matrix in which God takes great pleasure.
Nam hec superna infusio in te fuit, quod supernum Verbum in te carnem induit.	The essences of Heaven flooded into you, and the Great Word of God dressed itself in flesh.
Tu candidum lilium, quod Deus ante omnem creaturam inspexit.	You appeared as a shining white lily, as God looked upon you before all of Creation.
O pulsherrima et dulcissima, quam valde Deus in te delectabatur, cum amplexionem caloris sui in te posuit, ita quod Filius eius de te lactatus est.	O lovely and tender one, how greatly has God delighted in you. For He has placed His passionate embrace within you, so that His Son might nurse at your breast.
Venter enim tuus gaudium havuit, cum omnis celestis symphonia de te sonuit, quia, Virgo, Filium Dei portasti, ubi castitas tua in Deo claruit.	Your womb held joy, with all the celestial symphony sounding through you, Virgin, who bore the Son of God, when your purity became luminous in God.
Viscera tua gaudium habuerunt, sicut gramen, super quod ros cadit, cum ei viriditatem infudit, ut et in te factum est, o Mater omnis gaudii.	Your flesh held joy, like grass upon which dew falls, pouring its life-green into it, and so it is true in you also, o Mother of all delight.
Nunc omnis Ecclesia in gaudio rutilet ac in symphonia sonet propter dulcissima Virginem et laudabilem Mariam, dei Genitricem.	Now let all Ecclesia shine in joy and sound in symphony praising the most tender woman, Mary, the bequeather/seed-source of God.
Amen.	Amen.

And this video showcases some of Hildegard’s most beautiful compositions:

Visions

Hildegard’s most significant philosophical and theological works are her three volumes of her visions. These visions began at the young age of three years old and continued until she died. Each illustrated volume describes all of Hildegard’s visions followed by an interpretation.

*Side note: these visions are why Hildegard was known as the Sibyl of the Rhine. The sibyls were Ancient Greek oracles – a priestess who received visions and prophecies from the gods – and she lived in the Rhine.

For more about these theological volumes, click here.

Scientific and Medical Writings

As part of her life as a nun, Hildegard spent time tending to her monastery’s herbal garden and leading the infirmary. As she practiced medicine and continued learning through the monastery’s library, she combined physical treatment for disease with more holistic methods rooted in spiritual healing.

Hildegard documented her works and ideas about using the earth for medicine in two volumes. Volume one, Physica, contains several books outlining the scientific and medicinal properties of plants, stones, fish, reptiles, and other animals. The second volume, Causae et Curae, explores the human body, its connections to the rest of the natural world, and the causes and cures of various diseases. These writings show areas of Medieval medicine that were otherwise not well-documented.

A Woman of Many Talents

In recent years, scholars and musicians alike have found inspiration in Hildegard of Bingen. Her vast writings help us understand life in the Medieval times and inspire us to reconnect to the earth. Her compositions prove that interesting, beautiful, and relatable music can come in all different types of styles. Even though she died over 800 years ago, Hildegard’s works stand the test of time.