Medieval Composers 1150-1400
Hildegard Von Bingen 1098-September 17, 1179
Hildegard Von Bingen
1098-September 17, 1179
- Hildegard Von Bingen was a Benedictine nun who was a mystic, writer, musician, philosopher and naturalist.
- Hildegard Von Bingen was recently made a saint by the Pope.
- Hildegard once wrote, “Woman may be made from man, but no man can be made without a woman,” and many people believe her to be a feminist (someone who is for equal rights for both men and women).
- Hildegard was given to the church at age 8 as a tithe (giving 10% of your money to the church) from her family because she was the tenth child.
- Hildegard was sickly most of her life, but lived to age 81. Historians now believe she had severe migraines.
- Hildegard said she had visions of God her whole life. At age 43, she said God told her to “write down what you see and hear” and revealed her visions to the world.
- Hildegard had a lot of power and sometimes used it to not do what the church told her. This was uncommon for women of the time.
- Hildegard wrote nine books, seventy poems, seventy-two songs, and a play.
- The Pope said Hildegard could preach in public which was extremely unusual for medieval nuns, but Pope Eugenius III wanted to win his battle against the Cathar heresies and needed Hildegard’s help.
- She was considered the “Dear Abbey” of the 12th century. Bishops, nobles, monks, and mayors all wrote letters to Hildegard seeking her advice.
- Hildegard was a botanist who studied the natural sciences and wrote two books on medicine and natural history.
The History of Hildegard Von Bingen
One of the most interesting stories about medieval composers is that of Hildegard von Bingen. She was not only an important composer who created a great deal of important music, but she was an author, a nurse, and some say she even saw visions of the future which helped her write her music and books. But to understand her contributions, we must first understand her story.
Life
Hildegard von Bingen was born around 1098 A.D.; she was the youngest of a family with lots of children and was often sick as a child. This sickness would carry on late into her life, as well. Hildegard says she received visions from God at the age of three years old. When she was five, she says she began to understand the nature of these visions. Hildegard would say in her writings that she saw all the world in the light of God by using the five senses we all have: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Even though she believed the visions were a good thing and coming directly from God, she didn’t share them with anyone for a long time.
Before she was sixteen years old, her parents gave her over to be a servant of the Christian Church at a monastery – a building where monks live under strict religious rules. During her time there, she met a woman named Jutta von Sponheim, a noblewoman living in the same monastery. Jutta would be given charge over Hildegard, meaning she was responsible for her health and happiness. Jutta taught Hildegard a lot of things, including how to read and write. Hildegard and Jutta were very close, and Hildegard even told Jutta about her visions. Jutta had visions herself. People would come from places far away to hear what she saw in her visions.
In the middle of her life, Hildegard says she received a vision from God, telling her to write about what she was seeing. At first, she was very afraid to do it. After refusing to write, she found herself getting very ill until she started doing what she had been told. Before her death in 1179, she had written several books, composed many pieces of music, and founded her own monastery.
Hildegard von Bingen is a fascinating person whose influences on the world of music – and beyond – are numerous and inspiring.
Religious Books
Perhaps the most important, and interesting, books that Hildegard von Bingen wrote were her books on theology (thee-all-uh-gee). Theology is a word which means the study of religions, which makes sense considering Hildegard thought her visions came from God, and she lived most of her life in a religious monastery. Around the age of 40, Hildegard got the vision which told her to write down what she saw and heard. After getting permission from the Abbot – the leader of the monastery – she started doing just that.
Her first collection was called Scivias which means “know the ways.” In it, she recorded 26 visions that she had, as well as their meaning. Shortly after this book was published, Hildegard was the subject of an investigation by the Pope – the leader of the Catholic Church – into whether Hildegard’s visions were true or not. After her book was read out loud to the Pope, he sent Hildegard a letter telling her she did a good job. After this, Hildegard would publish two more books of the same kind.
Music
Hildegard’s contributions to music should not be ignored. Even though she is perhaps most well-known for her visions, she was a very talented musician and composer. She is said to have been taught by her friend, the monk Volmar, how to notate music. One of the most important contributions that she made was the Ordo Virtutum which means Play of the Virtues. Like many plays during the medieval period, it was about how to live a good life and other moral lessons. It is interesting to note that this is the very first piece of musical theater writing that was not directly tied to a church service.
Medicine
Hildegard von Bingen also wrote a number of books about medicine and caring for sick people. They were not tied into her religious books, and they were not influenced by the visions she had. Instead, her books reflected her experiences caring for the sick in the monastery, as well as tending the garden. She had a collection of books called Physica which listed the different scientific and medicinal properties of different rocks, animals, and plants.
In Conclusion
The life, works, and story of Hildegard von Bingen is fascinating and interesting. There is just so much that she contributed to the world, whether it be her religious books, musical compositions, or medicine and science texts, she is certainly a figure wroth learning about.
Life
Hildegard von Bingen was born around 1098 A.D.; she was the youngest of a family with lots of children and was often sick as a child. This sickness would carry on late into her life, as well. Hildegard says she received visions from God at the age of three years old. When she was five, she says she began to understand the nature of these visions. Hildegard would say in her writings that she saw all the world in the light of God by using the five senses we all have: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Even though she believed the visions were a good thing and coming directly from God, she didn’t share them with anyone for a long time.
Before she was sixteen years old, her parents gave her over to be a servant of the Christian Church at a monastery – a building where monks live under strict religious rules. During her time there, she met a woman named Jutta von Sponheim, a noblewoman living in the same monastery. Jutta would be given charge over Hildegard, meaning she was responsible for her health and happiness. Jutta taught Hildegard a lot of things, including how to read and write. Hildegard and Jutta were very close, and Hildegard even told Jutta about her visions. Jutta had visions herself. People would come from places far away to hear what she saw in her visions.
In the middle of her life, Hildegard says she received a vision from God, telling her to write about what she was seeing. At first, she was very afraid to do it. After refusing to write, she found herself getting very ill until she started doing what she had been told. Before her death in 1179, she had written several books, composed many pieces of music, and founded her own monastery.
Hildegard von Bingen is a fascinating person whose influences on the world of music – and beyond – are numerous and inspiring.
Religious Books
Perhaps the most important, and interesting, books that Hildegard von Bingen wrote were her books on theology (thee-all-uh-gee). Theology is a word which means the study of religions, which makes sense considering Hildegard thought her visions came from God, and she lived most of her life in a religious monastery. Around the age of 40, Hildegard got the vision which told her to write down what she saw and heard. After getting permission from the Abbot – the leader of the monastery – she started doing just that.
Her first collection was called Scivias which means “know the ways.” In it, she recorded 26 visions that she had, as well as their meaning. Shortly after this book was published, Hildegard was the subject of an investigation by the Pope – the leader of the Catholic Church – into whether Hildegard’s visions were true or not. After her book was read out loud to the Pope, he sent Hildegard a letter telling her she did a good job. After this, Hildegard would publish two more books of the same kind.
Music
Hildegard’s contributions to music should not be ignored. Even though she is perhaps most well-known for her visions, she was a very talented musician and composer. She is said to have been taught by her friend, the monk Volmar, how to notate music. One of the most important contributions that she made was the Ordo Virtutum which means Play of the Virtues. Like many plays during the medieval period, it was about how to live a good life and other moral lessons. It is interesting to note that this is the very first piece of musical theater writing that was not directly tied to a church service.
Medicine
Hildegard von Bingen also wrote a number of books about medicine and caring for sick people. They were not tied into her religious books, and they were not influenced by the visions she had. Instead, her books reflected her experiences caring for the sick in the monastery, as well as tending the garden. She had a collection of books called Physica which listed the different scientific and medicinal properties of different rocks, animals, and plants.
In Conclusion
The life, works, and story of Hildegard von Bingen is fascinating and interesting. There is just so much that she contributed to the world, whether it be her religious books, musical compositions, or medicine and science texts, she is certainly a figure wroth learning about.
Critical Thinking Questions
- What other activities did Hildegard do besides music?
- Why do you think Hildegard was special for her time?
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Guido De Arezzo (c.991-1050)
The History of Guido de Arezzo
Guido de Arezzo was an Italian music theorist and Benedictine monk during the High Medieval era who had a great influence on the development of Western music notation. Many people believe him to be the inventor of modern staff music notation. Before Guido de Arezzo, monks had to learn music by rote (repetition) and read something called neumatic notation. Over long distances, music would change and become inconsistent. Guido tried to make it easier for people to learn music and create a way for music to stay the same from one place to another.
The Micrologus
Guido de Arezzo wrote the Micrologus around 1026 and dedicated it to Tedald, Bishop of Arezzo. This treatise teaches a new singing and teaching practice for Gregorian chant and discusses the composition of polyphonic music.
The Guidonian Hand
Guido de Arezzo used the hand to teach sight-singing to singers of Gregorian chant. This is the first known use of solfege. Each part of the hand represented a note within the hexachord system, a system that spans almost three octaves. A music teacher would point to a specific part of their hand to show singers what pitch to sing. This helped the singers visualize the music. Guido de Arezzo used syllables to represent each note. ut, re, mi, fa, sol, and la. Today, we still use do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do to represent the solfege pitches of a major scale.
Staff Notation
Around 1000, Guido de Arezzo invented the four line staff. This took the place of the neumatic system monks had been using. It wasn't until around 1200 when the five line staff we use today for music notation gained popularity.
Guido's Life
Guido was born in Italy around 990. Not much is known about his life, but it was written that he had a "high reputation for musical learning." In 1025, Guido moved to Arezzo. His job was to train the singers at the cathedral. Pope John XIX invited him to Rome to speak about his new teaching method after he wrote his treatise, The Micrologus. Guido fell ill and returned to the city of Arezzo. He passed away around 1050.
The Micrologus
Guido de Arezzo wrote the Micrologus around 1026 and dedicated it to Tedald, Bishop of Arezzo. This treatise teaches a new singing and teaching practice for Gregorian chant and discusses the composition of polyphonic music.
The Guidonian Hand
Guido de Arezzo used the hand to teach sight-singing to singers of Gregorian chant. This is the first known use of solfege. Each part of the hand represented a note within the hexachord system, a system that spans almost three octaves. A music teacher would point to a specific part of their hand to show singers what pitch to sing. This helped the singers visualize the music. Guido de Arezzo used syllables to represent each note. ut, re, mi, fa, sol, and la. Today, we still use do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do to represent the solfege pitches of a major scale.
Staff Notation
Around 1000, Guido de Arezzo invented the four line staff. This took the place of the neumatic system monks had been using. It wasn't until around 1200 when the five line staff we use today for music notation gained popularity.
Guido's Life
Guido was born in Italy around 990. Not much is known about his life, but it was written that he had a "high reputation for musical learning." In 1025, Guido moved to Arezzo. His job was to train the singers at the cathedral. Pope John XIX invited him to Rome to speak about his new teaching method after he wrote his treatise, The Micrologus. Guido fell ill and returned to the city of Arezzo. He passed away around 1050.
Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377)
The History of Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut was a French composer and poet who was one of the main figures of the ars nova style during the late Medieval era. Guillaume de Machaut is often thought of as the most important French composer and poet of the 14th century. His death marks the end of the ars nova style and for many year after, many people still admired and imitated him.
Guillaume de Machaut helped develop a song form called the motet. A motet is a short piece of sacred unaccompanied polyphonic choral music. He also helped develop secular (non-religious) song forms such as the lai and the formes fixes: rondeau, virelai, and ballade. Historians believe his Messe de Nostre Dame is the earliest known complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by one composer.
Life
Guillaume de Machaut was born to a big family of seven children around 1300 in the region of Reims, France. During the medieval era, people were often given a surname according to where they were from. "De" means "of" or "from." Guillaume was most likely from a small town called Machault. So, his name means Guillaume from the town of Machault. From 1323 to 1346 he worked as secretary to John I, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia. He became a canon in 1337. As the secretary of the king, Guillaume followed him on many trips all around Europe. In 1340, Guillaume de Machaut settled in Reims where he remained canon. King John was killed in battle in 1346, so Guillaume de Machaut began working for other rulers and aristocrats. Machaut survived a plague called the Black Death (1347-1351). He spent the rest of his life living in Reims, composing music and writing poetry.
Music
Guillaume de Machaut was one of the first composers to write both secular and non-secular music. Most of Machaut's secular works had a theme of "courtly love." Sometimes he also wrote a song to celebrate a special event.
Messe de Nostre Dame
Guillaume de Machaut composed Messe de Nostre Dame (Mass of Our Lady) in the early 1360s most likely for the Rheims Cathedral. It was the first mass to be written by a single composer. Musicologists don't agree about whether or not this mass is cyclic (a multi-movement form of music). It doesn't have a tonal center. Instead it used two modes (a type of scale that doesn't start on the tonic or first degree of a major scale). There is also no melodic theme that runs throughout the entire mass. It may have been written as separate compositions that were later put together. But, the music all celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Poetry
Guillaume de Machaut wrote about 400 poems. Most of his poetry is not set to music. His poetry shows his mastery of different rhyme schemes. Machaut wrote a treatise on his poetry writing techniques titled Prologue. It tells us how he organized poetry into different genres and with different rhyme schemes.
What is ars nova?
Ars nova means "new art." It's a period of time which tried new musical ideas in France. The ars nova period lastest between the 1310s to 1377. One of the characteristics of ars nova was the rhythmic complexity. Philippe de Vitry wrote a treatise about ars nova around 1320. Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut were both very important composers in the ars nova style.
Guillaume de Machaut helped develop a song form called the motet. A motet is a short piece of sacred unaccompanied polyphonic choral music. He also helped develop secular (non-religious) song forms such as the lai and the formes fixes: rondeau, virelai, and ballade. Historians believe his Messe de Nostre Dame is the earliest known complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by one composer.
Life
Guillaume de Machaut was born to a big family of seven children around 1300 in the region of Reims, France. During the medieval era, people were often given a surname according to where they were from. "De" means "of" or "from." Guillaume was most likely from a small town called Machault. So, his name means Guillaume from the town of Machault. From 1323 to 1346 he worked as secretary to John I, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia. He became a canon in 1337. As the secretary of the king, Guillaume followed him on many trips all around Europe. In 1340, Guillaume de Machaut settled in Reims where he remained canon. King John was killed in battle in 1346, so Guillaume de Machaut began working for other rulers and aristocrats. Machaut survived a plague called the Black Death (1347-1351). He spent the rest of his life living in Reims, composing music and writing poetry.
Music
Guillaume de Machaut was one of the first composers to write both secular and non-secular music. Most of Machaut's secular works had a theme of "courtly love." Sometimes he also wrote a song to celebrate a special event.
Messe de Nostre Dame
Guillaume de Machaut composed Messe de Nostre Dame (Mass of Our Lady) in the early 1360s most likely for the Rheims Cathedral. It was the first mass to be written by a single composer. Musicologists don't agree about whether or not this mass is cyclic (a multi-movement form of music). It doesn't have a tonal center. Instead it used two modes (a type of scale that doesn't start on the tonic or first degree of a major scale). There is also no melodic theme that runs throughout the entire mass. It may have been written as separate compositions that were later put together. But, the music all celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Poetry
Guillaume de Machaut wrote about 400 poems. Most of his poetry is not set to music. His poetry shows his mastery of different rhyme schemes. Machaut wrote a treatise on his poetry writing techniques titled Prologue. It tells us how he organized poetry into different genres and with different rhyme schemes.
What is ars nova?
Ars nova means "new art." It's a period of time which tried new musical ideas in France. The ars nova period lastest between the 1310s to 1377. One of the characteristics of ars nova was the rhythmic complexity. Philippe de Vitry wrote a treatise about ars nova around 1320. Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut were both very important composers in the ars nova style.
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