ModernMedieval Voices Performs Music by Hildegard of Bingen

ModernMedieval. Photo courtesy of Early Music Now.

The modern term “Renaissance man” celebrates our admiration for those whose expertise and accomplishments span many fields. As early as the 17^th century, such individuals were described as “polymaths.” And before that…there was Hildegard of Bingen.

Born near Frankfurt, Germany in 1098 and given to the church at the age of 8, Hildegard was a Christian mystic who began to experience visions as a child. Throughout her 81-year life, as the abbess of two Benedictine monasteries, she mastered philosophy, herbology, medieval literature, medicine, biology and natural history.

Hildegard also was a composer. Her works of liturgical chant are the focus of The Living Word: Music of Hildegard, a program by ModernMedieval Voices on Saturday, Feb. 8. The program, presented by Early Music Now, pairs chants by Hildegard with music honoring the Virgin Mary and two new works inspired by Hildegard’s life and music.

Created and directed by Dr. Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, a member of the world-renowned vocal quartet Anonymous 4, ModernMedieval Voices is an all-female ensemble that combines the vocal techniques developed by Anonymous 4 with a fresh approach to programming. Writing for Classical Voice America, Anne E. Johnson assures lovers of Anonymous 4’s vocal blend that “ModernMedieval has taken up the tapestry without dropping a stitch. The tradition continues, to borrow Hildegard’s words, per exempla puri soni – through examples of pure sound.”

The International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies asserts that “more works can be definitely attributed to Hildegard than any other composer from the Middle Ages.” These include a cycle of chant called Symphony of the Harmony of Heavenly Revelations and two morality plays. Noting their accessibility to modern singers, Horner-Kwiatek explains that “Hildegard chants are to be found in two large manuscripts, written down by scribes rather than Hildegard herself.” Horner-Kwiatek will discuss this in a pre-concert talk.

Hildegard’s chants are monophonic: a single melody line sung in unison. Their musical innovation includes the use of melisma: moving between several notes while singing a single syllable of text. The texts use frequent imagery from the natural world, reflecting Hildegard’s conviction that nature is an expression and extension of the Divine. A chant praises the Virgin Mary “for in you bloomed a beautiful flow’r whose fragrance wakened all the aromas from their arid state.” Her tribute to Jerusalem promises that the city “cannot be obscured by the apathy of mortals just as a mountain cannot be hidden by the valley, crowned with roses, lilies and purple…”

The program includes two contemporary works written by Horner-Kwiatek and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, echoing Hildegard’s devotion to the Virgin Mary and her adoration of the virtues of Love and Wisdom.

The Living Word will be performed at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 628 N. 10th  St., Milwaukee. Charles Grosz, executive and artistic director of Early Music Now, chose the venue, which has no set seating and acoustics suited to the human voice, to allow ModernMedieval Voices to perform in the round, surrounded by the audience. Limited tickets are available at www.earlymusicnow.org.