Hildegard von Bingen

Introduction

Throughout the Middle Ages, women had a life that was totally dominated by the male members of the family. They were expected to be very submissive and instantly obey not only their fathers and husbands, but other male members as well. Any kind of "disobedience" was seen as a crime against the church and domestic violence was accepted as a way of beating an unruly girl into submission. Not only were they expected to be obedient, they were also expected to marry very young and to have large families. The exception of this life was one of a nun; who was given to a church at an early age to devote her life totally to God. One such prolific nun, writer and composer of the Middle Ages was Hildegard von Bingen who, despite the heavy patriarchal times, became very respected and well known by many.

Get Your Sheet Music Here

One Stop Music: Hundreds of titles to choose from for vocal and instrumental. Digital and printed sheet music available.

Hildegard's Early Years

Hildegard von Bingen was born at Rheinhesse in Germany on September 16, 1098 to Hildebert and Mechthild von Bermersheim.They were a family of nobles in the service of the counts of Sponheim; who were close relatives of the Hohenstaufen emperors. She was also the youngest daughter(the 10th child) and was dedicated at birth to the church. Hildegard
started to see visions of luminous objects at a very early age and she continued to have these visions throughout her life. However, she kept these visions to herself with the exception of telling her
instructors Volmar and Jutta when she was sent to Disibodenberg at the age of 8. Disibodenberg was a monastery in Germany where she received religious
education from Jutta,the sister of Count Meinhard of Sponheim who was also an anchoress. An anchor or anchoress was a monk or a nun who spent their
lives in complete solitude devoting their lives to God through prayer,contemplation, or hand working activities. However Jutta was so popular as an instructor that a small nunnery sprang up around her due to so many followers. Another instructor of Hildegard's was Volmar. Volmar was a St. Disibod monk who acted as prior and father confessor for the nuns
at Disibodenberg.

Hildegards Visions and Writings

Hidegard was 38 years old when Jutta died, leaving her as head of the convent while living within the cramped walls of the anchorage. She later moved the community to a new monastery on the Rupertsberg at Bingen on the Rhine. Five years after her election as magistra in 1141, Hildegard received a prophetic call from God telling her to write down everything she would observe in her visions. This vision gave her instant understanding of the meaning of the religious texts.

"And it came to pass ... when I was 42 years and 7 months old, that the heavens were opened and a blinding light of exceptional brilliance flowed through my entire brain. And so it kindled my whole heart and breast like a flame, not burning but warming... and suddenly I understood of the meaning of expositions of the book"

However, feeling of inadequacy overwhelmed her as well:

"But although I heard and saw these things,because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness but out of
humility, until weighed down by a scourge of god, I fell onto a bed of sickness."

Preachings and Writings

Hildegard lead a very active life of preaching and writing as well as being a nurse-physician in the infirmary at Mount St. Dusubide. Often prolific in her writing, she would often write about the duty of seeing to it that every person has the opportunity to use the talents that God has given them and to realize their God-given potential. She would also write about social justice and freeing the downtrodden as well as writing several medical texts. She also wrote more than 72 songs, including
a morality play set to music. Being one of the largest repertoires of the medieval composers, 80 of Hidegard's works have survived. Among her best known works is the Ordo Virtutum ("Order of the Virtues" or "Play of the Virtues"), a type of early oratorio for women's voices, with one male part, that of the Devil.

Unlike so many women of her time, Hildegard von Bingen was often asked by abbots and abbesses for prayers and opinions on various matters as well as traveling widely during her four preaching tours, the only woman to have done so during the Middle Ages. She also communicated with various Popes which included Anastasius IV and Eugene III as well as
various emperors and statesmen. Hildegard travelled and preached throughout southern Germany, Switzerland and even Paris. Deeply moved by her
sermons, people asked her to provide written copies of them for their own readings. Her use of metaphor, as well as non verbal means in communication and visual imagery helped reach out to those that were hard of hearing or totally deaf.

The Later Years

In 1171 she completed her last preaching tour when she was 73 years old and two years later her long-time secretary died. However, Hildegard continue to write despite all the monastery work. Unfortunately, she was briefly in trouble with her church during her last year for providing a Christian burial for a man who was excommunicated. She stated that the man repented on his deathbed and received sacraments. She also protested eloquently when her convent was subject for indictment. This indictment was later revoked. Hildegard von Bingen died on September 17, 1179 at the age of 81.