Hildegard von Bingen
Period: Medieval
Born: c. 1098 in Bemersheim, Germany
Died: Monday, September 17, 1179 in Rupertsburg, Germany
Nation of Origin: Germany
Major Works:
Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum (a collection of her poems set to music)
Ordo Virtutum (a morality play)
Other Information:
Hildegard von Bingen was Abbess of Rupertsburg and a mystical poet and singer. She began to record her religious visions in the form of poetry beginning about 1150. She also provided melodic outlines using a primitive system of neumes that have allowed contemporary scholars to create educated guesses about what her music sounded like. Hildegard is known for mystical and florid interpretations of plainchant. She is one of the first identifiable composers in the history of western music.
General Bibliography:
Reese, Gustave, Music in the Middle Ages : With an Introduction on the Music of Ancient Times, W.W. Norton & Company, October 1940, ISBN: 0393097501
Sachs, Curt, The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, W. W. Norton & Company, 1943, ASIN: 0393097188
Seay, Albert, Music in the Medieval World, W. W. Norton & Company, 1943, ASIN: 0393097188
Slonimsky, Nicolas and Kuhn, Laura; Editors, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Gale Group, December 2000, ISBN: 0028655257
Sadie, Stanley and Tyrrell, John; Editors, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Groves Dictionaries, Inc., January 2004, ISBN: 0195170679
Rutherford-Johnson, Tim, Kennedy, Michael, and Kennedy, Joyce The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 6th Edition, 2012, ISBN: 0199578109
Links to essays at other sites:
Please note: Each link will open in a new window.
Biographical essay from Wikipedia
An excellent biography by Kristina Lerman
