Hildegard was born into a family of nobles in the service of the counts of Sponheim, close relatives of the Hohenstaufen emperors. Because she was a tenth child, and a sickly one from birth, and also perhaps as a political move, at the age of eight Hildegard's parents sent her as a tithe to the church. Hildegard was put in the care of Jutta, the sister of Count Meinhard of Sponheim, just outside the Disibodenberg monastery in Germany. Jutta was enormously popular and acquired so many followers a small nunnery sprang up around her. Upon Jutta's death in 1136 Hildegard was chosen magistra of the community, and eventually moved the group to a new monastery on the Rupertsberg at Bingen on the Rhine.
From the time she was very young, Hildegard claimed to have visions. She received a prophetic call from God five years after her election as magistra in 1141 demanding of her, "Write what you see". At first she was hesitant about writing her visions, holding them inside. She was finally convinced to write by members of her order after falling physically ill from carrying the unspoken burden.
Recent scholarly interest in women in the medieval church has led to a popularization of Hildegard - and particularly of her music. Approximately eighty compositions survive, which is a far larger repertoire than almost any other medieval composer. Among her better 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. It was created, like all of Hildegard's music, to be performed by the nuns of her convent. The text of her compositions uses a form of modified medieval Latin unique to Hildegard, for which she created many invented, conflated and abridged words, while the music itself is monophonic, designed for limited instrumental accompaniment (usually just using hurdy gurdy drones), and characterised by soaring soprano vocalisations. In addition to music, Hildegard also wrote medical, botanical and geological treatises, and she even invented an alternative alphabet. Due to her inventions of words for her lyrics and a constructed script, many conlangers look upon her as a mediaeval precursor.
She collected her visions into three books: the first and most important Scivias ("Know the Way") completed in 1151, Liber vitae meritorum ("Book of Life's Merits") and De operatione Dei ("Of God's Activities") also known as Liber divinorum operum ("Book of Divine Works"). In these volumes, written over the course of her life until her death in 1179, she first describes each vision, then interprets them. The narrative of her visions was richly decorated under her direction, presumably drawn by other nuns in the convent, while transcription assistance was provided by the monk Volmar (see illustration) with pictures of the visions. Her interpretations are usually quite traditionally Catholic in nature. Her vivid description of the physical sensations which accompanied her visions have been diagnosed by neurologists (including popular author Oliver Sacks) as symptoms of migraine; however others have seen in them merely colourful illustrations of the prevailing church doctrine of her time, which she supported, rather than actual visions. The book was celebrated in the Middle Ages and printed for the first time in Paris in 1513.
Hildegard's visionary writings maintain that virginity is the highest level of the spiritual life. There are many instances both in her letters and visions which decry the misuse of carnal pleasures. In Scivias Book II Vision Six.78,
"God united man and woman, thus joining the strong to the weak, that each might sustain the other. But these perverted adulterers change their virile strength into perverse weakness, rejecting the proper male and female roles, and in their wickedness they shamefully follow Satan, who in his pride sought to split and divide Him Who is indivisible. They create in themselves by their wicked deeds a strange and perverse adultery, and so appear polluted and shameful in My sight..."
"...a woman who takes up devilish ways and plays a male role in coupling with another woman is most vile in My sight, and so is she who subjects herself to such a one in this evil deed..."
"...And men who touch their own genital organ and emit their semen seriously imperil their souls, for they excite themselves to distraction; they appear to Me as impure animals devouring their own whelps, for they wickedly produce their semen only for abusive pollution..."
"...When a person feels himself disturbed by bodily stimulation let him run to the refuge of continence, and seize the shield of chastity, and thus defend himself from uncleanness." (translation by Mother Columba Hart and Jane Bishop).
Hildegard was a powerful woman by the standards of the Middle Ages. She communicated with Popes such as Eugene III and Anastasius IV, statesmen such as Abbot Suger, German emperors such as Frederick I Barbarossa, and on one occasion with St. Bernard of Clairvaux who although he reportedly advanced her work at the Synod of Trier 1147/48, seemed to have little regard for her as evidenced from the one letter from him she received. Nevertheless many Abbots and Abbesses asked her for prayers and opinions on various matters. She traveled widely, giving public speeches, a rarity for a woman of the time.
Hildegard was one of the first saints for which the canonization process was officially applied, but the process took so long that all four attempts at canonization (the last was in 1244, under Pope Innocent IV) were not completed, and remained at her beatification. However, she was already called a saint by the people before the canonization attempts. As a result of the long-standing devotion of the people to Hildegard, her name was taken up in the Roman martyrology at the end of the 16th century without a formal canonization process, earning her the title of saint. Her feast day is September 17. The shrine with the relics of Hildegard is in her second monastery in Eibingen near Rüdesheim (on the Rhine).
O vis eternitatis
Hildegard von Bingen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que omnia ordinasti in corde tuo, per Verbum tuum omnia creata sunt sicut voluisti,
Et ipsum Verbum tuum
Induit carnem
In formatione illa
Que educta est de cdam.
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore
cbstersa sunt.
Per incarnationem suam,
Quam divinitas exspiravit
Sine vinculo peccati.
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore
cbstersa sunt.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto.
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore
cbstersa sunt
The Latin lyrics of "O vis aeternitatis" by Hildegard Von Bingen, performed by Sequentia, speak to the eternal power and creative force of God. The opening line translates to "O power of eternity, who has ordered all things in your heart." It acknowledges that everything in existence was created by God's Word, and that Word took on flesh in the formation of Jesus Christ. The line "In formatione illa que educta est de cadam" refers to the formation of the first woman, Eve, from Adam's rib.
The repeated refrain "Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore contusa sunt" translates to "And so the garments of God were bruised by the greatest pain." This line suggests the suffering endured by Christ during his crucifixion, symbolized by the metaphor of torn garments. The following verse shifts the focus to the benevolence of the Savior, who liberated all through his incarnation and released humanity from the bondage of sin.
The second paragraph again emphasizes the suffering and sacrifice of Christ: "Quam divinitas exspiravit sine vinculo peccati" translates to "Which divinity breathed forth without the bond of sin." It highlights the divine nature of Christ being free from sin. The passage ends with the familiar refrain, affirming the resilience and triumph of Christ's garments despite the immense pain endured.
Overall, these lyrics reflect Hildegard Von Bingen's deep contemplation of God's power, the divine plan of creation, and the significance of Christ's incarnation and sacrifice. The text invites listeners to meditate on the profound mysteries and transformative power of these divine acts.
Line by Line Meaning
O vis aeternitatis
O power of eternity
Que omnia ordinasti in corde tuo, per Verbum tuum omnia creata sunt sicut voluisti
Through your Word, you have ordered everything in your heart, and everything was created as you desired
Et ipsum Verbum tuum Induit carnem
And your very Word took on flesh
In formatione illa Que educta est de cadam
In that formation that was brought forth from Adam
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore cbstersa sunt.
And so His garments were torn from the greatest pain
V. O quam magna est benignitas Salvatoris, qui omnia liberavit Per incarnationem suam
Oh, how great is the goodness of the Savior, who liberated everything through His incarnation
Quam divinitas exspiravit Sine vinculo peccati
How the divinity breathed out without the bond of sin
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore cbstersa sunt.
And so His garments were torn from the greatest pain
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
R. Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore cbstersa sunt.
And so His garments were torn from the greatest pain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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Morgenstern77
This is how the universe sounds... it's hard to belive that this was from almost 1000 years ago, Hildegard was truly an amazing composer and timeless
Moira Forest
Au bout de mille ans, cette musique exerce toujours de la fascination, quelle musique actuelle pourra en faire autant ?
decimal point
This is the epitome of tranquility, the voices are like a sweet stream flowing from the mouths of angels..
goodcatholicboy shaw
You Have Made A Sign In My Heart You made a sign in my heart Where the moon is full enough To be empty of itself. I shall stay up Touching the starlight, Until something of me melts in You, Beloved. You have placed a light Under the dress of Creation. I want undoing As a waterfall wants undoing in its own release. I am a leaf trembling On the furthest branch of You. I listen to the heartbreaking Love-songs of the wind.
Wylye_guy
Hildegard von B's music is sensational, the more so when one considers the time at which it was written. I think we should hear it more often - a lot more often in fact!
Cassie B
Refreshes the Soul...brings peace to the Spirit... what beautiful music! Thank you for posting. It's healing music, overwhelmed 🙏
Valentina Hallberg
How strong could be the human soul, to bear the eternity and loving it as well...
msentropic
Coming up through the centuries, and now here, in my room, through the aether. It's good to be alive in the third millennium.
KhagarBalugrak
Truly one of the best pieces of music ever written.
Paul Manning
The myriads spell lasts for eternity and resounds into the hearts of receptive mankind. An Angel calls out to them 'Let this message touch you deeply allow a stream of peace to pervade your souls, and may you hear this until you are cleansed of all hatred and bitterness, obey its meaning, it's secret is not known to all, search for the answers and you will truly have serenity in your lives' And the mighty angel's name is Love. (for my son, Elliott x. Daddy)