Hildegard Von Bingen Analysis

Hildegard von Bingen was a German Benedictine abbess, theologian, and visionary writer, known across Europe as Saint Hildegard or Sybil of the Rhine. She produced major works of religious literature including visionary tracts, essays on natural science and medicine, liturgical dramas, and songs for devotional performance (The State College of Florida). The twelfth century Catholic Church recognized the divine source of Hildegard’s prophecies, and authorized her to organize events of public ministry outside the walls of her cloisters. During a time when the ideas of few women were acknowledged, her teachings reinforced the religious practice of the Christian faith, and inspired the works of other leading mystics of the middle ages (Benedict
They were written for celebration on specific days in the Church calendar, and her antiphons were sung during times of prayer (Hildegard-society.org). Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum, translating to “Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations”, was the title given to the collection of sixty-nine of her liturgical compositions. The collection saw a reoccurring theme of the story of salvation, and the majority were monophonic chants. The most famous, Divine Office, honored women and the virgin saints, and O Successor honored the descendants of Christ. Hildegard is also known for creating the first medieval morality play, Ordo Virum or “Play of the Virtues”. Its performance was used to celebrate the opening of her first monastery in Rupersberg. The musical casted a large group of Virtues, a Soul, and a Devil. The dialogue represents all that a soul will experience in a lifetime. The Devil’s lines were never sung, in compliance with Hildegard’s belief that evil did not know the harmony of music (The State College of Florida). This work in particular, inspired Dante Aligheri’s Divine Comedey, and is still performed in modern Catholic