> No exaggeration.

Hildegard of Bingen.

Abbess, artist, author, counselor, linguist, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, activist, visionary and composer.

She’s been referred to by at least one modern biographer as a polymath

Read more here

She was the first composer with an extant biography. One of her works, the Ordo Virtutum, has been called the first form, and possibly the origin, of opera.

She wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal texts, as well as letters, liturgical songs, poems, and the first surviving morality play, while supervising brilliant miniature illuminations.

Having absorbed all that and feeling quite inadequate, it’s tempting to link to Ian Dury’s “Ain’t half been some clever…”

Which would be utterly indelicate.

Instead here’s

Alleluia- In Maria Benignitas, Alleulia- O Virga Mediatrix by Discantus from Hortus Delicarium

On the other hand, I bet she had a sense of humour

So here’s Ian after all

PS The image is the Rochus Chapel with the Hildegard Altar, overlooking the Rhine.

14 Jan This entry was published on 14 January, 2008 at 14:02. It’s filed under Mainz, Region and tagged Bingen. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.