Hildegard von Bingens Green Truth:

Musical Connection to the Numinous in Item de Virginibus,

A Brief Exploration of the Responsorial

Frontispiece of Scivias,2 showing Hildegard receiving a vision,

dictating to Volmar, and sketching on a wax tablet

Mia Sykes, Barony of Darkwater

Fhrktter, Adelgundis and Carlevaris, Angela, eds. Hildegardis Scivias. Turnhout: Brepols, 1978. LX,
917 pp., with 35 plates in six colors and three black-and-white plates. Corpus Christianorum. Continuatio
Mediaevalis, vols. 43 and 43A.
1

Dedicated to
My Patroness and Peer, Duchess Islay Elspeth of Glen Meara,
My Laurel, Master Niall Dolphin and
My barbarian husband, Rnn Mr Rioghbhardin.

My deepest thanks to:

Ehrenhafte Frau Adelheid Leinwater
Without her help and encouragement, I would have never even understood what an
Art/Sci was. Her classes were full of invaluable information, and her donation of time to
the Barony to share her plethora of wisdom is greatly appreciated.
Lady Brigid DArcy
The gift of your talent in creating for me a costume which is not only functional, but an
overwhelming donation of your time and skill, is humbling. I thank you from the
bottom of my heart.
Cheryl Lynne Helm
This talented composer allowed a stranger the use of her work in assistance with
transcription of the responsorial.
Countess Dulcia MacPherson
The lovely Laurel not only has donated her time and wisdom to me and provided me
with immeasurable guidance, but started me on the correct path of creating my Art/Sci
project. I am deeply in her debt.
Despotissa Eirene Agapia apo Mytilene
After spending over an hour on the phone with me regarding my project and offering
guidance, I conceived the unique aspect of my presentation. Her vision is remarkable,
and her knowledge greatly appreciated.
Duchess Islay Elspeth of Glen Meara
Words cannot express all that my Peer, patroness and head of my household has done
for me, both in supporting this project and her irreplaceable friendship. Thank you for
your support, the gifts of guidance and fabric, and your knowledge.
Howard Goodall
A close friend, named the Ambassador of Music for the United Kingdom by Tony Blair,
Howard reviewed my paper and transcription for accuracy. As Hildegard is one of his
focus composers, his knowledge was invaluable.
Master Octavio de Flores
I am so grateful for the Masters willingness to assist and review my documentation,
offer advice and answer the myriad of questions from an unknown, first-time entrant.
His graciousness and knowledge is respected and valued by me beyond measure.

Table of Contents
Chapter One:

Hildegard of Bingen

Chapter Two:

An Exploration of the Music of Item de Virginibus

History of the Responsorial
Translation from Latin to modern English
Musical Notation
Time Signature
Pitch Standard

Chapter Three:

Vocal Standards of Hildegards Era

Style of singing and preferred vocal quality
Volume
Latin pronunciation
The use of memorization in performance

Chapter Four:

Description of the Particulars of Responsorials

Presentation
Nuns habits and deviations from tradition
What tradition required
Hildegards adaptations
Location of area in which the responsorial was presented
Members of the congregation
Presentation standard
Choir positioning and mannerisms
Use of music books

Chapter Five:

Recreation of the Performance of Item de Virginibus

Envisioned Historical Presentation
My Performance of Item de Virginibus
In Conclusion

Appendix A:
Appendix B:

Various Documents and Images Pertinent to this Paper

Full Text of Tengswich letter to Hildegard, and Hildegards
response
Working Translation of Item de Virginibus
Transcription of Item de Virginibus in Modern Notation
Extensive Description of a Benedictine Abbey

Appendix C:
Appendix D:
Appendix E:
Glossary
Bibliography

Chapter One
A Brief Biography of Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 1179)
I didnt immediately follow this command. Self-doubt made me hesitate. I
analyzed others opinions of my decision and sifted through my own bad opinions
of myself. Finally, one day I discovered I was so sick I couldnt get out of bed.
Through this illness, God taught me to listen better. Then, when my good friends
Richardis and Volmar urged me to write, I did. I started writing this book and
received the strength to finish it, somehow, in ten years. These visions werent
fabricated by my own imagination, nor are they anyone elses. I saw these when I
was in the heavenly places. They are Gods mysteries. These are Gods secrets. I
wrote them down because a heavenly voice kept saying to me, See and speak!
Hear and write!3
These are the words of a remarkable woman born in the late 11th century and who
lived through most of the 12th. She was a woman ahead of her time a spiritualist,
writer, illuminator and composer; she was the bane of Kings, Popes and
contemporaries, to whom she sent chiding or thought-provoking missives. She was a
mystic who experienced visions, written down in her voluminous works, which have
survived almost a thousand years. A devout Benedictine nun and polymath, she
challenged the masculine clerical authority of her time with her unusual concepts and
deviation from tradition.
Hildegard of Bingen was born in Germany in the year 1098, the tenth child of a
noble family; at the age of eight, she was sent to the convent at Disibodenberg. When the
abbess Jutta von Sponheim, who was also Hildegards close friend, died in 1136,
Hildegard became abbess of Disibodenberg for twelve years.
When the community of nuns grew too large for the inadequate resources of the
abbey, Hildegard moved her daughters to Rupertsberg in 1150. This defied the wishes of

Acevedo-Butcher. Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader. New Orleans: Paraclete Press, 2007, p. 63.

Page 2 of 52
Disinbodenbergs Abbot, who forbid the women to leave the Abbey. Following his
proclamation, Hildegard soon became paralyzed and unable to leave her bed, a
phenomenon attributed to going against Gods desire of their relocation; in the face of
such obvious Divine intervention, Abbot Kuno relented.4 Hildegard quickly recovered
and, in keeping with her need for expansion to accommodate the ever-growing
gathering of nuns and acolytes, she founded the Abbey of Eibingen fifteen years later.
This is not the first time that her immobile will challenged a superior and triumphed,
nor would it be the last.
Her correspondence is legendary and voluminous, and she called upon rulers to
school their behavior by offering them her criticisms and suggestions. Additionally, her
works were so numerous that almost eighty survive today, a rarity not only from that
time period, but almost unheard of for the writings of a woman.
The two pieces which could be considered her opuses are a morality play, Scivias,
and a collection of liturgical antiphons and responsorials, Symphonia armoniae
celestium revelationum.
She was lauded as the first female polymath, in that she wrote music (she is
considered by historians to have composed the first opera), poetry and plays; along with
these creative works, she commented on the Gospels, medicine, herbology, the Rule of
St. Benedict, and various other topics too numerous to catalog in a review examining
only one of her musical works. However, the most noteworthy of her writings
concerned her unbidden visions which comprise the majority of Scivias, considered to
be her seminal work.
McGrade, Michael. Hildegard von Bingen. Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: allgemeine
Enzyklopaldie der Musik, 2nd edition, T.2, Vol. 8, ed. Ludwig Fischer. New York: (Kassel and New York:
Bahrenreiter, 1994.
4

Page 3 of 52
Hildegard was initially concerned whether her notations on these uncontrolled
visions should be recorded and eventually made available in published form; she wrote
to Bernard, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Clairvaux, for his advice. He
responded favorably and, when part of Scivias was shown to Pope Eugenius, Bernard
encouraged the Head of the Catholic Church to approve it. This recounting of her
visions was taken down by her scribe, Volmer, who was her magister at the Abbey of
Eibingen. He aided her for thirty years, using his superior grasp of Latin to record her
many visions and her copious creative music and musings.5
Volmar passed away in 1173, and Hildegard followed him into paradise in 1179.
Her official biography was begun the following year by Benedictine monks who had
worked under Hildegard at Rupertsberg, and knew her well enough to set down her life
experiences to share with posterity. An example of the regard in which she was held is
found in the fact that, soon after her death, she was referred to as St. Hildegard by the
laity; however, she was never canonized by the Catholic Church.6

Grant, Barbara L. Five Liturgical Songs by Hildegard von Bingen. Signs, Vol. 5, No. 3. Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1980, pp. 558 564.
6 Disse, Dorothy. Other Womens Voices: Translations of Womens Writings Before 1700.
<<http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/index.html>>.
5

Page 4 of 52
Chapter Two
An Exploration of the Music of Item de Virginibus

History of the Responsorial

Item de Virginibus was composed as the Responsorial to Antiphon Number 38
by Hildegard von Bingen. It appears in Scivias, which was completed either in the year
1151 or 1152, and composed for liturgical use in the convent.
The subject of both the Antiphon and Responsorial is that of the holy virgins of
the church, with the unique element of symbolism included:
In the antiphon, Hildegard makes a mystical identification between the sensual
flowers of the Garden and the stones in the walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem. In
the responsorial, the women become an inverted tree, thereby acquiring cosmic
dimensions. If the two are considered together, as they appear in the Scivias,
starting with the small circles of their lovely faces, the circular movement
becomes wider and wider, gathering an amazing amount of energy until it joins
the very orb of the sun and moves still further to become the most comprehensive
of circular embraces.7
This dizzying exploration of the divinity of womanhood and its correlation to
nature is exhibited in the soaring melody of the music. As the repetition of the theme is
addressed in ascending notes, it brings the listeners to the heights of the Gods, and then
slowly returns them to reality with the gentle descent to the bottom of the staff and the
conclusion of the responsorial.
Hildegard afforded the nuns under her care with immense respect, refusing to
accept the social mores placed upon women in the church. The Abbess knew that the
feminine was as much a necessity to comprehending the Divine as was the masculine,

Ibid, pp. 563 4.

Page 5 of 52
and celebrated the parity which created the remarkable beauty she experienced in her
visions and expressed through her exceptional music.

Translation from Latin to Modern English

Item de Virginibus,8 commonly known by its first line: O Nobilissima
Viriditas,9was written in classical Latin (as were all of Hildegards compositions). The
lyrics are not only beautiful, but evocative and offer visual splendor in the images which
they paint:
O nobilissima viriditas, quae radicas in sole,
et quae in candida serenitate luces in rota,
quam nulla terrena excellentia comprehendit,
tu circumdata es amplexibus divinorum mysteriorum.
Tu rubes ut aurora et ardes ut solis flamma.
A rudimentary translation of the Latin, without adding any artistry to the
rendition, still reveals the exquisite message spoken through Hildegards music.10
O nobilissima viriditas,11 quae radicas in sole
O noble greenness, you who have grown your roots in the sun,
et quae in candida serenitate luces in rota,
And who shines brightly around the rotating world,
quam nulla terrena excellentia comprehendit,
There is nothing of the earth which can seize you,
tu circumdata es amplexibus divinorum mysteriorum.
You are enveloped in the embrace of the sacred mysteries.
Latin, In Praise of Virgins.
Latin, O Noblest Greenness.
10 Please see Appendix C for an exact breakdown of the translation.
11 Viriditas is the combination of two Latin words: Green and Truth. It was first used by Hildegard to
describe natures divine healing power, visualizing transference from plants to human beings; Hildegard
saw this concept as the expression of the encompassing power of the Divine upon the earth. The Word of
God regulates the movements of the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The Word of God gives the light which
shines from the heavenly bodies. He makes the wind blow, the rivers run and the rain fall. He makes trees
burst into blossom, and the crops bring forth the harvest. (Fox, Matthew (ed.). Hildegard von Bingens
Book of Divine Works, Vision 1:2. Vermont: Bear & Company, 1987.)
8
9

Page 6 of 52
Tu rubes ut aurora et ardes ut solis flamma.
You are shining like the rosy sunrise, blazing alone in the fire of the sun.
There have been a myriad of artistic interpretations of the responsorial
published; no matter the skill of the writer, the splendor of Hildegards words is
inescapable. That said, there were several exceptional versions which seemed to
articulate Hildegards intended meaning;12 arguably, what follows is a superior
rendition:
O most noble Greenness, rooted in the sun,
And who shines in bright serenity upon the wheel,
Nothing on earth can comprehend you,
You are encircled in the arms of divine mysteries.
You are radiant as the dawn and burn as the flame of the sun. 13
These words encapsulate a moment in the mind of Hildegard, inviting us to
experience and view what she envisaged and dictated to her scribe; the sharing of such a
mystical image is a rarity and, as such, evidences why after centuries her work is still
analyzed and performed today.
Musical Notation
The facsimile of the original responsorial is published in a book of the
Riesencodex facsimiles;14 below is an image of a transcription prepared from the
referenced facsimile.15 When comparing the transcription of the music to modern
notation, while there are several areas which are subject to interpretation by the
transcriber, most utilize the knowledge that the singers of the time typically improvised
a portion of their performance (this can be surmised from the neumes below, which
Please see Tab 1B, History of the Piece.
Helm, Cheryl Lynn (ed). Item de Virginibus. 2004.
14 Hildegard von Bingen Lieder. Faksimile. Riesencodex (Hs.2), fol. 466-481v. Ed. von Lorenz, Welker.
New York: Old Manuscripts & Incunabula, 2005.
15 Hildegard of Bingen, Hildegard of Bingens Book of Divine Works with Letters and Songs. Edited by
Matthew Fox. New Mexico: Bear & Company, Inc., pp. 374-5.
12
13

Page 7 of 52
evidence the need to use discretion and knowledge of period music in order to create a
transcription). However, after a comparison of the printed and copyrighted document,
what follows appears to be an accurate rendition.

Time Signature
Many scholars and musicians have equated the music of the medieval era to jazz
in that, as mentioned in the previous section, there was believed to be a great deal of
individual interpretation by the singer. An additional similarity to todays jazz style is
the stylistic syncopated rhythm which differs from that of common 4/4 time not only in
musical terms, but also in the emotional feeling the time signature evokes from its
listeners.

Page 8 of 52
In examining the music of the responsorial,16 the perfect long (ratio of 3:1)
rather than the imperfect long (ratio of 2:1) created the divine tone of the piece,
arguably imitating the liberated sense of nature in its sense of freedom.17
However, there were instances in which the basic pulse of the music appeared to
be in triplets, but at other times there was a more duple feeling. Horne claims that this
is a complexity, as some transcriptions are written with no specific rhythm.18 Again,
this can be a correlation with the unpredictable nature of the green truth of which
Hildegard saw as the connection between mankind and the spiritual.

Pitch Standard
It is generally accepted by the academic music community that the pitch standard
in the Middle Ages varied from region to region and from year to year before the current
pitch standard of a=440 Hz was adopted in 1939. In reviewing the table by J.A. Ellis,
published in 1880,19 there are several records from Germany which could be utilized in
surmising a similar pitch standard to be found as that of Eibingen Abbey. In assessing
an average of the oldest records located in Germany, a standard of 473.93 Hz for the
year 1574 is appropriate.20 This standard is also supported in Lynn Cavanaghs A Brief
History of the Establishment of International Standard Pitch a=440 hertz. She claims:

Consisting of breves, double-long or maxima, long and semi-breve, the measures by which rhythm is
determined.
17 Horne, Nigel. The Written Notation of Medieval Music. Dolmetsch Online.
<<http://www.dolmetsch.com/medieval.pdf>>. (16 July 2008 is the Accession Date of Web Page.), p. 2.
18 Ibid.
19 Harris, A.J. History of Musical Pitch a table prepared by Mr. A.J. Ellis and published in 1880 (with
additions from later publications). Mr. Harris traveled to different European locations and established
the pitch standard in hertz (Hz) of these locations, as well as using primary records to establish his
findings.
20 Ibid. This average was calculated by utilizing only those records with a date prior to 1700 and which
were made in Germany. The oldest record was that where A4 = 506.9 Hz, taken in Halberstadt, Germany
in 1361 on a cathedral organ.
16

Page 9 of 52
To take Germany prior to 1600 as an example, organ pitch there is thought to
have varied from a high of A=567 for the first simple pipe organs of the Middle
Ages to a low of A=377 Hz for the early modern German organ around 1511.21
Thus, although it has been submitted by some scholars that pitches in the Middle
Ages were lower than todays standard, it would appear that in various circumstances
(especially those which are pertinent to this presentation) this principle is uncertain.
Some academics might regard this presented argument as flimsy, such as those who
disputed and mocked Alfred Wegeners theory of continental drift. After utilizing such
an equation, it is probable that the pitch standard varies from that which has been
conventional for years.

21 Cavanagh, Lynn. A brief history of the establishment of international standard pitch a=440 hertz.
WAM: Webzine About Audio and Music. <<http://www.wam.hr/Arhiva/US/Cavanaugh 440Hz.pdf>>.

Page 10 of 52
Chapter Three
Vocal Standards of Hildegards Era
Style of singing and preferred vocal quality
While, as in any venue in which music is performed, vocalists and
instrumentalists will always interpret and present the piece in a manner which
incorporates their own talents and personalities, the presentation of historical pieces
must adhere to some strictures outlined by contemporary sources.
As this paper explores the style of performance utilized in the rendition of Item
de Virginibus in the sacred venue, not only should the stylistic standard of the time be
reviewed and recreated, but also that which was desired by the composer.

What Tradition Required

When examining contemporaneous literature of the period, it can be surmised
that the desired vocal quality for singers in the Middle Ages was comparable to that of a
lyric coloratura soprano: sweet, agile and delicate with a clear tone.
Isadore of Seville said:
Sweet voices are subtle and fine, clear and keen. Brilliant voices are those
that possess great carrying power, so that they entirely fill a space, just like
the sound of trumpets. Delicate voices are like those of little breath, like
children, women and the sick, or string instruments. Those with the most
delicate strings emit delicate and fine sounds. Large voices are those
produced with a considerable volume of breath, like those of men. Keen
voices are fine and high, as we see in string instruments. A hard voice is
one that produces sounds forcibly, like thunder or like the sounds of an
anvil whenever the hammer strikes hard iron. A harsh voice is one that is
hoarse and produced as faint and equal pulsations. A blind voice is one
that, as soon as it is produced, falls silent; having been suffocated, it can by
no means be sustained for long, just as the case with earthen pots. An
invigorating (vinola) voice is soft and flexible, and it receives its name
from vinnus, that is, a softly shaped curl. A perfect voice is thus high,

Page 11 of 52
sweet and clear: high, so it might soar up to the highest pitches; clear, so
that it might fill the ears; sweet, so that the spirits of the listeners might be
charmed. If any of these qualities is missing, the voice is not perfect.22
The performance of pieces was addressed by the Abbot of Yorkshire as follows:
Theatrical singers caused Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 1167), abbot of the
celebrated Cistercian abbey in Yorkshire, to become positively livid: the
whole body is agitated, by theatrical gestures, the lips are twisted, the
eyes roll, the shoulders are shrugged, and the fingers bent in response to
every note. The laitys reactions to these antics was, according to Aelred,
nothing less than derision exactly the opposite of what one ought to
expect in a sacred place.23
Taking this admonition into consideration, the admirable vocal quality of sacred
music of Hildegards time was sweet and clear, delivered in a temperate manner; too, it
appears that even secular music was not exempted from the unforgiving judgment of the
Abbot of Yorkshire.

Hildegards Adaptations
Hildegards views on music and, in particular, singing, were that the celebration
of the Divine through song was the ultimate manner in which the numinous could be
experienced by mankind. Quoting the Sybil of the Rhine,24 Brendan Doyle remarks:
She once said that singing words reveals their true meaning directly to the
soul through bodily vibrations. I think we can conclude from this
statement that her world view centers around an intimate relationship
between body (the mouth, throat, vocal chords, diaphragm and lungs) and
the spirit (breath) Hildegards compositions are incredibly physical.
This makes wonderful sense if we realize that she was a physical scientist
as well as a musician. Singing her music comes close to hyperventilation
at times. When she writes about the Spirit, you know she understands the
Spirit as wind, as breath, because you become the wind. When she writes
Isadore of Sevile. Etymologies. Strunk, Oliver, McKinnon, James and Treitler, Leo, ed. Source
Readings in Music History: The early Christian Period and the Latin Middle Ages. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, Inc., 1998, pp. 149 155.
23 Dyer, Joseph. The Voice in the Middle Ages. The Cambridge Compendium to Singing. Ed. John
Potter. Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press, 2000: 166 7.
24 A moniker frequently given to Hildegard, because of her visions and gift of prophecy.
22

Page 12 of 52
about Divine Mysteries, you sing out of the deepest space of your physical
being from the comfort of normal range to the extremes of your vocal
potential. Here music reveals that we, too, are divine mysteries. 25
Hildegards own words encourage the singer to embrace the Divine in
performance, and held true to this herself. When she and the nuns of Rupertsberg were
forbidden the sacraments and celebration of the offices with music, she pleaded in a
letter to the condemning prelates: for the body is in truth the clothing of the soul,
which has a living voice, and thus it is fitting that the body, together with the soul, sing
praises to God through its own voice.26
Singing as a physically and emotionally involved activity, moving beyond lyrics
and musical notes, is an ardent experience outside the agreeable performance achieved
in following Isadore of Sevilles direction. This Divine expression in a sacred venue,
expressed in any form of artistry, is a connection with God which can be equated with
the ecstasy experienced by the devout in celebrating certain portions of the Mass.

Latin pronunciation
It is an accepted verity that the Latin of the time was accented by the vernacular
of the singer. 27 Since Item de Virginibus was written by a German abbess and sung by
her and the nuns under her care, the postulation their Latin had a German inflection is
sound.

Doyle, Brendan. Introduction. Hildegard of Bingens Book of Divine Works with Letters and Songs.
Edited by Matthew Fox. Vermont: Bear & Company, Inc., 1987, p. 364.
26 von Bingen, Hildegard. Epistle 47: To the Prelates of Mainz. Strunk, Oliver, McKinnon, James and
Treitler, Leo, ed. Source Readings in Music History: The early Christian Period and the Latin Middle
Ages. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998, p. 185.
27 Abeele, Vanden Hendrik. Researching and Developing Performance Practice in Late Medieval Chant.
Dutch Journal of Music Theory, V. 12, No. 1. The Netherlands: Amsterdam Press, 2007.
25

Page 13 of 52
The use of memorization in performance
In examining contemporaneous woodcuts (or those made closely on the heels of
the time period), choir members would gather about a podium or single music book in
order to share the music.28 From this visual evidence, singers were at the very least
familiar with the music so as to facilitate such an arrangement. It is likely that a good
part, if not all, of the music was memorized and books were solely to refresh the memory
if the performer faltered. As improvisation was also utilized, it is possible sheet music
was provided to bring the creative singer back to the original melody.

Volume
As mentioned earlier in this chapter,29 Isadore of Seville declared, A hard voice
is one that produces sounds forcibly, like thunder or like the sounds of an anvil
whenever the hammer strikes hard iron.30 From this statement, excessive volume is
converse to the desired vocal quality of the era. It must also be considered that Item de
Virginibus was performed in a church, which typically had excellent acoustics, allowing
the singer to express a larger range of expression with volume, yet still be heard.

For more detailed support, please see Tab 3.D.

See Tab 2.A.
30 Isadore of Sevile. Etymologies. Strunk, Oliver, McKinnon, James and Treitler, Leo, ed. Source
Readings in Music History: The early Christian Period and the Latin Middle Ages. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, Inc., 1998, pp. 149 155
28
29

Page 14 of 52
Chapter Four
Description of the Particulars of Responsorials Presentation
Nuns Habits and Deviations from Tradition
Once again, Hildegard of Bingen flouted tradition in her treatment of and
demands upon her daughters in the abbeys. Although censured for the practice, her
arguments were revolutionary in their consideration of womankind and their place in
the celebration of Mass and themselves. While she did adhere to the strictures of dress
required by St. Benedicts Rule, there were some exceptions on which she would not
compromise.

What they would have worn according to tradition

It may be surmised from woodcuts and illuminations in which Hildegard and her
nuns appear31 that she and her nuns adhered to requisite mode of dress of the
Benedictine abbeys in which they resided.
St. Benedict outlined in Chapter 55 of his Rules for Monasteries: We believe
the following dress is sufficient for each monk: a tunic, a cowl (thick and woolly for
winter, thin or worn for summer), a scapular for work, stockings and shoes to cover the
feet.32
Father Stephanos, in his well-respected blog of a Benedictine monk, expounds
further:
Originally, St. Benedict did not specify any single color for the clothing
of monks. In the early 800s the Church decreed black as the standard
See Appendix D, No. 2.
St. Benedict. Saint Benedicts Rule for Monasteries, translated from the Latin by Leonard J. Doyle
OblSB, of Saint Johns Abbey. MN: Order of Saint Benedict, 2001: Ch. 55.

31

32

Page 15 of 52
color. The scapular for St. Benedict was originally only a work apron. By
the 800s it had been taken the ritual form my article describes.33
Thus, the customary garb of a Benedictine nun of Hildegards time would consist
of a tunic, scapular, wimple, veil and cuculla, simple and plain in its construction.34

Hildegards Adaptations
Hildegard, however, encouraged her nuns to deviate from such coarse wear,
especially on feast days; this practice was so common that she received a chiding missive
from a fellow abbess, in which variations from the Benedictine standard were described:
We have, however, also heard about certain strange and irregular practices
that you countenance. They say that on feast days your virgins stand in
the church with unbound hair when singing the psalms and that as part of
their dress they wear white, silk veils so long that they touch the floor.
Moreover, it is said that they wear crowns of gold filigree, into which are
inserted crosses on both sides and the back, with a figure of the Lamb on
the front, and that they adorn their fingers with golden rings.35
The acerbic disapproval of this ostentatious display is indicative of an inflexible
adherence to the standards set forth by St. Benedict. Hildegard not only celebrated her
music in her own manner, she also honored the purity and exquisiteness of each bride of
Christ, the virgins of her Item de Virginibus.

Father Stephanos. Suitable Habits for Benedictine Monks and Nuns. Me Monk. Me Meander.
<http://monkallover.blogspot.com/search?q=suitable+habits>. The description to which he refers is as
follows: Over the tunic and the cincture goes the scapular. It was originally an apron for work, but over
time it began to be seen as a symbol of the work of the Cross, and was made increasingly longer and worn
all the time, not just for work. The scapular is a long panel of cloth with a hole in the middle for the head.
It is shoulder-wide, straight-sided, ankle-length and square-cornered. The scapular hangs nearly to the
ankles both in front of the body and behind.
34 Ibid.
35 Hildegard and Baird, Joseph L. The Personal Correspondence of Hildegard of Bingen: Selected Letters,
with an Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Ehrman, Radd K. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2006, p. 24. The entire text of the correspondence between the two Abbesses is included as Appendix B.
33

Page 16 of 52
Location of area in which the responsorial was presented
As Benedictine abbeys were built according to stringent parameters,36 following a
set floor plan. Although only one of the three monasteries which Hildegard founded is
standing today37 (albeit greatly altered over the passage of centuries), postulation can be
made that these edifices were constructed as were other Benedictine abbeys, such as St.
Gall, below.

The Plan of St Galls38

Typically, the choir would enter and stand behind a choir screen,39 which was
often decorated with paintings or sculptures and separated the choir from the church.
However, obviously not all abbeys utilized the choir screen; taking in mind Mistress

Please see Appendix E for an extensive discussion regarding the Benedictine abbey structure.
The Abbey at Eibingen.
38 Horn, Walter William Horn and Born, Ernest. The Plan of St Gall. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1979, 3 vols.
36
37

39

See Appendix A for an example of the choir screen.

Page 17 of 52
Tengwiches admonition of the raiment of Hildegards nuns on Holy Days,40 supposition
that the Abbess daughters consistently followed this practice is questionable.
Utilizing extent edifices in exploring historical possibility is a difficult task,
considering that, although Ebingen Abbey exists today, it is a dissimilar structure in
comparison to when it was founded during the 12th century (as can be seen in the image
below).41

Benediktinerinnenkloster Eibingen, Picture by Moguntiner, October 2006.

Members of the congregation

In keeping with Benedictine tradition, Abbess Hildegards sacred music would
have been heard during the eight hours of the Divine Office42 by those attending the
mass, such as the local laity, and any pilgrims or visitors to the monastery. 43 The
See Appendix B, which is the entirety of the correspondence between the two women..
Unfortunately, there are no remains of the medieval cloister, which was devastated during the Thirty
Years War in 1632. Both the convent and the church were restored during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. Mechart, June. Monastic Matrix. << http://monasticmatrix.org/>>
42
Matins (during the night), Lauds (at dawn), Prime (6:00 am), Terce (9:00 am), Sext (12:00 noon), Mid-Afternoon
Prayer (3:00 p.m.) Vespers (sundown) and Compline (before retiring for the evening). Cabrol, Fernand. Divine
Office. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 5 May 2009
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11219a.htm>.
43
Grant, Barbara L. Five Liturgical Songs by Hildegard von Bingen. Signs, Vol. 5, No. 3. Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1980, pp. 559.
40
41

Page 18 of 52
Offices would take place in the church, as indicated in Appendix E, situated within the
monastery.

Presentation Standard
Choir Positioning and Mannerisms
From illuminations and woodcuts contemporaneous with the period in which the
responsorial was initially performed, it appears that both sacred and secular singers
gathered around a podium with a book upon it, or held a bound collection of sheet
music which was shared between several singers.

44

44

Unfortunately, I was not able to find the source of this image, as the website on which I located it does
not cite its name or location. New Liturgical Movement. <<http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/
2008/12/churchs-open-musical-society.html>>. (7 May 2009 is the Accession Date of the Web Page.)

Page 19 of 52

Illumination of secular choir singing, beginning of day, psalm Cantate domino.

Printed psalter, Cologne: Conrad Winters, 1482. Copy 2, New York Public Library.

As to the mannerisms of the choir as they sang, again the caustic view of Abbot
Aelred, as previously indicated in Tab2.A45 should be considered, as only by viewing
such a presentation would encourage him to make such an observation:
the whole body is agitated, by theatrical gestures, the lips are twisted, the eyes
roll, the shoulders are shrugged, and the fingers bent in response to every note.
The laitys reactions to these antics was, according to Aelred, nothing less than
derision exactly the opposite of what one ought to expect in a sacred place.46
While Hildegard encouraged her nuns to embrace and perform music as a full
body experience,47 it can be surmised that the spiritual community would take the
Abbots words to heart to avoid such contortions; such a performance as he condemned
was not of the sacred but born of vanity and poor ability.

45

Pertinent section repeated here for ease of review.

Dyer, Joseph. The Voice in the Middle Ages. The Cambridge Compendium to Singing. Ed. John
Potter. Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press, 2000: 166 7.
47 As quoted in Tab 2.A, Hildegards compositions are incredibly physical. This makes wonderful sense
if we realize that she was a physical scientist as well as a musician. Singing her music comes close to
hyperventilation at times. Doyle, Brendan. Introduction. Hildegard of Bingens Book of Divine Works
with Letters and Songs. Edited by Matthew Fox. Vermont: Bear & Company, Inc., 1987, p. 364.
46

Page 20 of 52
Use of music books
From various sources, including woodcuts, mention in contemporary letters and
extent examples created during this time period, it must be concluded that while books
containing the music were utilized by the vocalists in a sacred setting, they were most
likely shared among the singers, illustrated below in what appears from its title and
contents to be a teacher directing students.

The Singing Lesson; from Spiegel des menschlichen Lebens, Augsburg, about 1475-76.

Page 21 of 52
Chapter Five
Recreation of the Performance of Item de Virginibus

Envisioned Historical Presentation

The nuns move gently, as if gliding, to their place beside the Holy Altar. They
wear the traditional black Benedictine habit, but the manner in which the cloth flows
reveals it to be lighter than that of the traditional wool. The young women walk with
hair unbound beneath delicate silk veils which reach their feet, and about their head are
crowns of gold woven into fragile filigree, are adorned with a figure of the Holy Lamb of
God above their brows, and three crosses on the back and both sides. Upon the slim
fingers of the virgins are gold rings, sparkling in the light. Even if their gentle birth was
not a known fact, each carries themselves with nobility which reveals their grace with
every measured step. They take their places quietly, moving as wind in the leaves in
perfect symmetry.
When it comes time for them to sing, their voices are celestial, as pure as
crystalline mountain water, flowing from note to note with a gentle seamlessness which
transports the listener to the numinous bringing some to tears, others to a sense of
awe and some to an inexpressible happiness. The sisters do not overtly perform the
responsorial with extraneous movements; however, the expression on their faces and
the total involvement of body and voice are incomparably beautiful.
The responsorial finishes, and there is a deep quiet, as if all there collectively held
their breaths, broken by the voice of the priest as he continues the mass.

Page 22 of 52
My Presentation of Item de Virginibus
The perfection of the imagined moment in time is, unfortunately, not viable to
recreate in the secular setting of a judged presentation. The ideal would be to present
the competition entry in a medieval church, which offers the rich acoustics necessary to
produce the transportation to the spiritual with traditional delicate vocal performance;
additionally, the exact sacred experience, which involves devout believers sharing a deep
faith, is impossible to recreate in a solo, outdoor location.
That said, in my presentation, I attempted to compensate for the unavoidable
differences in the true offering which took place in the 12th and 13th centuries.
In an effort to bring the viewers into the world of the Abbey of Eibingen, I chose a
less formal setting. Those watching were greeted as pilgrims to the Abbey and, while
awaiting the preparation of their rooms were offered the experience of celebrating the
departed Abbess Hildegard through her music. The responsorial chosen was on which
honored her primary passionate belief, that of Viriditas.
Vocally, I took Isadore of Sevilles admonition to heart to maintain a sweet and
inspired tone, while remaining as clearly audible as possible to do so in an outdoor
setting. In addition, I concentrated on the simplest of presentations without
abandoning Hildegards concept that singing was a full body experience which should
transport the listeners and the vocalist to become one with the Divine. Along those lines
of allowing the music to speak through me rather than simply sung, I improvised a good
part of the responsorial, in keeping with the scholarly comparison of the medieval music
of the era to the spontaneous nature of jazz.
In more technical review of the choices made, I selected the time signature of
because it was the most commonly used and, after review of the music and rehearsal

Page 23 of 52
with both modalities, it seemed to best fit the piece. As to the pronunciation of the
classical Latin, I utilized a German accent; this choice was made as Hildegard was raised
and lived in Germany, and most of her nuns were German, they would have a provincial
German accent to their Latin.
Finally, the habit which I wore was based on Mistress Tengswichs description of
the nuns on Feast Days as much as feasibly possible to recreate. The overdress was of
black linen, and my veil and undress of cream silk. The long sleeves were lined with
gold-colored silk brocade, and the girdle of trim lined with black cotton.48 Although I
had no means to obtain a crown as described by Mistress Tengswich, I wore a goldcolored coronet and rings in my closest approximation of the items.

Conclusion
Hildegard was a divinely-inspired author and composer, citing her visions for the
myriad of compositions utilizing countless diverse themes. She was also a woman
outside her time, opinionated and audacious, evidenced by her revolutionary ideas and
copious correspondence to kings, the Pope, major secular figures and other notable
individuals of the time.
One of the most innovative concepts was that of the correlation between mankind
and nature, expressed in the term viriditas, or green truth. This led her to write
Item de Virginibus, honoring the exquisiteness of the virgins under her care and the
Divine connection which ties together all of Gods creations.

48

My ability to wear this exception garb was due to the generosity of Duchess Islay Elspeth and Glen Meara, and
the exceptional talents of Lady Brigid DArcy.

Page 24 of 52
Item de Virginibus, in its topic and composition, is not only superb musically
but unique in its theme. The composition transports the hearer beyond the ordinary
with the striking images of the radiant dawn shining upon the noble greenness of
creation impossible for humanity to grasp, as the full expression of the spiritual realm
of God is beyond mankinds simple comprehension.
Hildegards Item de Virginibus is a unique venue in which such aspiration to
understand the holy realm can bring the listener closer to Divine experience. In a time
when the Church played such a pivotal role in the lives of Europe, her responsorial must
have given those who heard the Responsorial a suggestion of the melody of the voice of
God.

Page 25 of 52
Appendix A
Various Documents and Images Pertinent to this Paper

Page 26 of 52

Riesencodex (Hs. 2) der Hessischen Landesbibliothek Wiesbaden fol. 466-481v Herausgegeben von Lorenz Welker
mit einem Kommentar von Michael Klaper 1998. Format 50 x 35 cm. 44 Seiten, Einfhrung dt./engl. mit 10
Schwarzwei-Abbildungen, Notenbeispielen, 32 Seiten Faksimile, Leinen, DM 298, (3-89500-037-X)

Although not facsimiles of Item de Virginibus, these are examples of the Riesencodex,
which were found online.

Page 27 of 52

Hildegard, her scribe Volmar and one of her nuns, from the Codex Latinus 1942.

This image provides a primary source for determination of the style of the habits
worn by the nuns under Hildegards care.

Page 28 of 52

Images of the choir and choir screen from a typical Benedictine abbey found in
St. tienne, Caen, France.49

Ground-plan of St Gall.50

Vadnal, Jane. Images of Medieval Art and Architecture. <<http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/

menufrance/caeetie.html>>
50 Abbey: Benedictine. Encyclopdia Britannica, 11th Edition. ed. Hugh Chisholm Massachusetts:
Cambridge University Press, 1902.
49

Page 29 of 52
Appendix B
Correspondence from Tengswich,
Mother Superior of Andernach
to Hildegard of Bingen51
To Hildegard, mistress of the brides of Christ, Tengswich, unworthy superior of
the sisters of Andernach, with a prayer that she eventually be joined to the highest order
of spirits in heaven.
The report of your saintliness has flown far and wide and has brought to our
attention things wondrous and remarkable. And, insignificant as we are, these reports
have highly commended the loftiness of your outstanding and extraordinary mode of
religious life to us. We have learned from a number of people that an angel from above
reveals many secrets of heaven for you to record, difficult as they are for mortal minds to
grasp, as well as some things that you are to do, not in accordance with human wisdom,
but as God himself instructs them to be done.
We have, however, also heard about certain strange and irregular practices that
you countenance. They say that on feast days your virgins stand in the church with
unbound hair when singing the psalms and that as part of their dress they wear white,
silk veils so long that they touch the floor. Moreover, it is said that they wear crowns of
gold filigree, into which are inserted crosses on both sides and the back, with a figure of
the Lamb on the front, and that they adorn their fingers with golden rings. And all this
despite the express prohibition of the great shepherd of the Church, who writes in
admonition: Let women comport themselves with modesty not with plaited hair, or
gold, or pearls, or costly attire. [I Tim. 2.9] Moreover, that which seems no less
Hildegard and Baird, Joseph L. The Personal Correspondence of Hildegard of Bingen: Selected Letters,
with an Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Ehrman, Radd K. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2006, pp. 24 26.
51

Page 30 of 52
strange to us is the fact that you admit into your community only those women from
noble, well-established families and absolutely reject others who are of lower birth and
of less wealth. Thus we are struck with wonder and are reeling in confusion when we
ponder quietly in our heart that the Lord himself brought into the primitive Church
humble fishermen and poor people, and that, later, at the conversion of the gentiles, the
blessed Peter said: In truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons [Acts
10:54]. Nor should you be unmindful of the words of the Apostle in Corinthians: Not
many might, not many noble, but God hath chosen the contemptible and the ignoble
things of this world [1 Cor. 1.26 -28]. We have examined as accurately as possible all
the precedents laid down by the fathers of the Church, to which all spiritual people must
conform, and we have found nothing in them comparable to your actions.
O worthy bride of Christ, such unheard-of-practices far exceed the capacity of our
weak understanding, and strike us with no little wonder. And although we feeble little
women wholeheartedly rejoice with all the esteem due your spiritual success, we still
wish you to inform us on some points relative to this matter. Therefore, we have
decided to send this humble little letter to you, saintly lady, asking by whose authority
you can defend such practices, and we devoutly and meekly beseech, worthy lady, that
you not disdain to write back to us as soon as possible. Farewell, and remember us in
your prayers.

Page 31 of 52

Correspondence from
Hildegard of Bingen in Response52
To Mistress Tengswich
The Living Fountain says: Let a woman remain within her chamber so that she
may preserve her modesty, for the serpent breathed the fiery danger of horrible lust into
her. Why should she do this? Because the beauty of woman radiated and blazed forth in
the primordial root, and in her was formed that chamber in which every creature lies
hidden. Why is she so resplendent? For two reasons: on the one hand, because she was
created by the finger of God and, on the other, because she was endowed with wondrous
beauty. O, woman, what a splendid being you are! For you have set your foundation in
the sun, and have conquered the world.
Paul the apostle, who flew to the heights but kept silent on earth so as not to
reveal that which was hidden [cf. II Cor. 12.4], observed that a woman who is subject to
the power of her husband [cf. Ephes 5.22; Col 3.19], joined to him through the first rib,
ought to preserve great modesty, by no means giving or displaying her vessel to another
man who has no business with her, for that vessel belongs to her husband [cf I Thess 44]. And let her do this in accordance with the words spoken by the master of the earth
in scorn of the devil: What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder [Matt
19.6].
Listen: The earth keeps the grass green and vital, until winter conquers it. Then
winter takes away the beauty of that flower, and the earth covers over its vital force so
that it is unable to manifest itself as if it had never withered up, because winter has
52

Ibid. pp. 26 29.

Page 32 of 52
ravaged it. In a similar manner, a woman, once married, ought not to indulge herself in
prideful adornment of hair or person, nor ought she to lift herself up to vanity, wearing a
crown and other golden ornaments, except at her husbands pleasure, and even then
with moderation.
But these strictures do not apply to a virgin, for she stands in the unsullied purity
of paradise, lovely and unwithering, and she always remains in the full vitality of the
budding rod. A virgin is not commanded to cover up her hair, but she willingly does so
out of her great humility, for a person will naturally hide the beauty of her soul, lest, on
account of her pride, the hawk carry it off.
Virgins are married with holiness in the Holy Spirit and in the bright dawn of
virginity, and so it is proper that they come before the great High Priest as an oblation
presented to God. Thus through the permission granted her and the revelation of the
mystic inspiration of the finger of God, it is appropriate for a virgin to wear a white
vestment, the lucent symbol of her betrothal to Christ, considering that her mind is
made one with the interwoven whole, and keeping in mind the One to whom she is
joined, as it is written: Having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their
foreheads [Apoc 14.1] and also These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth [Apoc
14-4].
God also keeps a watchful eye on every person, so that a lower order will not gain
ascendancy over a higher one, as Satan and the first man did, who wanted to fly higher
than they had been placed. And who would gather all his livestock indiscriminately into
one barn the cattle, the asses, the sheep, the kids? Thus it is clear that differentiation
must be maintained in these matters, lest people of varying status, herded all together,
be dispersed through the pride of their elevation, on the one hand, or the disgrace of

Page 33 of 52
their decline, on the other, and especially lest the nobility of their character be torn
asunder when they slaughter one another out of hatred. Such destruction naturally
results when the higher order falls upon the lower, and the lower rises above the higher.
For God establishes ranks on earth, just as in heaven with angels, archangels, thrones,
dominions, cherubim, and seraphim. And they are all loved by God, although they are
not equal in rank. Pride loves princes and nobles because of their illusions of grandeur,
but hates them when they destroy that illusion. And it is written that God does not cast
off the mighty, since He himself is mighty [Job 36.5]. He does not love people for their
rank but for their works which derive their savor from Him, just as the Son of God says:
My food is to do the will of my Father [John 4:34]. Where humility is found, there
Christ always prepares a banquet. Thus when individuals seek after empty honor rather
than humility, because they believe that one is preferable to the other, it is necessary
that they be assigned to their proper place. Let the sick sheep be case out of the fold, lest
it infect the entire flock.
God has infused human beings with good understanding so that their name will
not be destroyed. It is not good for people to grab hold of a mountain which they cannot
possibly move. Rather, they should stand in the valley, gradually learning what they are
capable of.
These words do not come from a human being but from the Living Light. Let the
one who hears see and believe where these words come from.

Page 34 of 52
Appendix C
Working Translation of Item de Virginibus

O nobilissima viriditas, quae radicas in sole

Oh [noble, well born; aristocratic] [greenness; fresh green color of plants; green
vegetation; youthful vigor], by which the [take root; grow roots] upon [sun]
O noble greenness, you who have grown your roots in the sun
et quae in candida serenitate luces in rota,
in which [bright, clear, transparent; clean/spotless; lucid; candid; kind; innocent,
pure, radiant, unclouded; (dressed in) white; of light color; fair skinned, pale] and which
upon openly [fine weather; favorable conditions] [light, daylight, light of day; life;
world; day] [whirl round; revolve, rotate]
And who shines brightly around the rotating world,
quam nulla terrena excellentia comprehendit,
[that/which] no [of earth, earthly; earthy; terrestrial] [be eminent/preeminent;
excel] [catch/seize/grasp firmly; arrest; take hold/root/fire, ignite; conceive
(baby); embrace; include/cover/deal with (in speech/law); express (by
term/symbol)]
There is nothing of the earth which can seize you,
tu circumdata es amplexibus divinorum mysteriorum.
you [surround; envelop,] are [clasp, embrace, surrounding] [divine, of a
deity/god, godlike; sacred] [mysterious; of a mystery/secret rite].
You are enveloped in the embrace of the sacred mysteries.

Page 35 of 52
Tu rubes ut aurora et ardes ut solis flamma.
You [be red, become red] when [shine like the sunrise] and [be on fire; burn,
blaze; flash; glow, sparkle] when [only, single; lonely; alone, having no
companion/friend/protector; unique] whole [inflame, set on fire; excite].
You are shining like the rosy sunrise, blazing alone in the fire of the sun.

Page 36 of 52
Appendix D
Transcription into Modern Notation
My transcription of the responsorial into todays standard music notation, using
Noteworthy Composer:

Page 37 of 52

Page 38 of 52
Appendix E
Extensive Description of a Benedictine Abbey
Encyclopdia Britannica, 11th Edition53

CHURCH
A. High altar
D. Nave
MONASTIC BUILDINGS
G. Cloister
J. Abbots house
M. Bakehouse and brewhouse
P1. Scriptorium with library k
Q1.chapel
Q4. dormitory
R. Infirmary (1 6 as above in
the house of novices)
U. House for blood-letting
X1X1. Guest-house for those of
superior rank

53

B. Altar of St Paul
E. Paradise

C. Altar of St Peter
FF. Towers

H. Calefactory, with dormitory over

K. Refectory
N. Cellar
P2. Sacristy and vestry
Q2. refectory
Q5. masters room
S. Doctors house

I. Necessary
L. Kitchen
O. Parlour
Q. House of Novices
Q3. calefactory
Q6. chambers
T. Physic garden

V. School
X2X2. Guest-house for the poor

W. Schoolmasters lodgings
Y. Guest-chamber for strange
monks

This appendix is directly taken from the entry. I have formatted it to suit the style of this paper.

Page 39 of 52
MENIAL DEPARTMENT
Z. Factory.
a. Threshing-floor
d. Kiln
g. Goat-sheds
k, k. Servants and workmens
sleeping-chambers
n. Poultry-keepers house
s, s, s. Kitchens

b. Workshops
e. Stables
h. Pig-sties
l. Gardeners house

c, c. Mills
f Cow-sheds
i. Sheep-folds
m,m. Hen and duck house

o. Garden
t, t, t. Baths

q. Bakehouse for sacramental

The general appearance of the convent is that of a town of isolated houses with
streets running between them. It is evidently planned in compliance with the
Benedictine rule, which enjoined that, if possible, the monastery should contain within
itself every necessary of life, as well as the buildings more intimately connected with the
religious and social life of its inmates. It should comprise a mill, a bake house, stables
and cow-houses, together with accommodation for carrying on all necessary mechanical
arts within the walls, so as to obviate the necessity of the monks going outside its limits.
The general distribution of the buildings may be thus described: The church,
with its cloister to the south, occupies the centre of a quadrangular area, about 430 feet
square. The buildings, as in all great monasteries, are distributed into groups. The
church forms the nucleus, as the centre of the religious life of the community. In closest
connexion with the church is the group of buildings appropriated to the monastic line
and its daily requirements the refectory for eating, the dormitory for sleeping, the
common room for social intercourse, the chapter-house for religious and disciplinary
conference. These essential elements of monastic life are ranged about a cloister court,
surrounded by a covered arcade, affording communication sheltered from the elements
between the various buildings. The infirmary for sick monks, with the physicians house
and physic garden, lies to the east. In the same group with the infirmary is the school for
the novices. The outer school, with its headmasters house against the opposite wall of

Page 40 of 52
the church, stands outside the convent enclosure, in close proximity to the abbots
house, that he might have a constant eye over them. The buildings devoted to hospitality
are divided into three groups, one for the reception of distinguished guests, another
for monks visiting the monastery, a third for poor travellers and pilgrims. The first and
third are placed to the right and left of the common entrance of the monastery, the
hospitium for distinguished guests being placed on the north side of the church, not far
from the abbots house; that for the poor on the south side next to the farm buildings.
The monks are lodged in a guest-house built against the north wall of the church. The
group of buildings connected with the material wants of the establishment is placed to
the south and west of the church, and is distinctly separated from the monastic
buildings. The kitchen, buttery and offices are reached by a passage from the west end of
the refectory, and are connected with the bakehouse and brewhouse, which are placed
still farther away. The whole of the southern and western sides is devoted to workshops,
stables and farm-buildings. The buildings, with some exceptions, seem to have been of
one story only, and all but the church were probably erected of wood. The whole
includes thirty-three separate blocks. The church (D) is cruciform, with a nave of nine
bays, and a semicircular apse at either extremity. That to the west is surrounded by a
semicircular colonnade, leaving an open paradise (E) between it and the wall of the
church. The whole area is divided by screens into various chapels. The high altar (A)
stands immediately to the east of the transept, or ritual choir; the altar of St Paul (B) in
the eastern, and that of St Peter (C) in the western apse. A cylindrical campanile stands
detached from the church on either side of the western apse (FF).
The cloister court, (G) on the south side of the nave of the church has on its east
side the pisalis or calefactory, (H), the common sitting-room of the brethren,

Page 41 of 52
warmed by flues beneath the floor. On this side in later monasteries we invariably find
the chapterhouse, the absence of which in this plan is somewhat surprising. It appears,
however, from the inscriptions on the plan itself that the north walk of the cloisters
served for the purposes of a chapter-house, and was fitted up with benches on the long
sides. Above the calefactory is the dormitory opening into the south transept of the
church, to enable the monks to attend the nocturnal services with readiness. A passage
at the other end leads to the necessarium (I), a portion of the monastic buildings
always planned with extreme care. The southern side is occupied by the refectory (K),
from the west end of which by a vestibule the kitchen (L) is reached. This is separated
from the main buildings of the monastery, and is connected by a long passage with a
building containing the bake house and brewhouse (M), and the sleeping-rooms of the
servants. The upper story of the refectory is the vestiarium, where the ordinary clothes
of the brethren were kept. On the western side of the cloister is another two story
building (N). The cellar is below, and the larder and store-room above. Between this
building and the church, opening by one door into the cloisters, and by another to the
outer part of the monastery area, is the parlour for interviews with visitors from the
external world (O). On the eastern side of the north transept is the scriptorium or
writing-room (P1), with the library above.
To the east of the church stands a group of buildings comprising two miniature
conventual establishments, each complete in itself. Each has a covered cloister
surrounded by the usual buildings, i.e. refectory, dormitory, &c., and a church or chapel
on one side, placed back to back. A detached building belonging to each contains a bath
and a kitchen. One of these diminutive convents is appropriated to the oblati or
novices (Q), the other to the sick monks as an infirmary (R).

Page 42 of 52
The residence of the physicians (S) stands contiguous to the infirmary, and the
physic garden (T) at the north-east corner of the monastery. Besides other rooms, it
contains a drug store and a chamber for those who are dangerously ill. The house for
bloodletting and purging adjoins it on the west (U).
The outer school, to the north of the convent area, contains a large schoolroom
divided across the middle by a screen or partition, and surrounded by fourteen little
rooms, termed the dwellings of the scholars. The head-masters house (W) is opposite,
built against the side wall of the church. The two hospitia or guest-houses for the
entertainment of strangers of different degrees (X1 X2) comprise a large common
chamber or refectory in the centre, surrounded by sleeping-apartments. Each is
provided with its own brewhouse and bakehouse, and that for travellers of a superior
order has a kitchen and storeroom, with bedrooms for their servants and stables for
their horses. There is also a hospitium for strange monks, abutting on the north wall of
the church (Y).
Beyond the cloister, at the extreme verge of the convent area to the south, stands
the factory (Z), containing workshops for shoemakers, saddlers (or shoemakers,
sellarii), cutlers and grinders, trencher-makers, tanners, curriers, fullers, smiths and
goldsmiths, with their dwellings in the rear. On this side we also find the farmbuildings,
the large granary and threshing-floor (a), mills (c), malthouse (d). Facing the west are
the stables (e), ox-sheds (f), goatstables (gl, piggeries (h), sheep-folds (i), together with
the servants and labourers quarters (k). At the south-east corner we find the hen and
duck house, and poultry-yard (m), and the dwelling of the keeper (n). Hard by is the
kitchen garden (o), the beds bearing the names of the vegetables growing in them,
onions, garlic, celery, lettuces, poppy, carrots, cabbages, &c., eighteen in all. In the same

Page 43 of 52
way the physic garden presents the names of the medicinal herbs, and the cemetery (p)
those of the trees, apple, pear, plum, quince, &c., planted there.54

54 Abbey: Benedictine. Encyclopdia Britannica, 11th Edition. ed. Hugh Chisholm Massachusetts:
Cambridge University Press, 1902.

Page 44 of 52
Glossary55

Antiphon: a psalm, hymn, or prayer sung in alternate parts; a verse or a series

of verses sung as a prelude or conclusion to some part of the service.
Breve. the longest modern note, equivalent to two semibreves or whole notes;
and brevis. a note in medieval mensural notation equal to one-half or one-third of a
longa.
Coloratura Soprano: A type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that
is distinguished by agile runs and a bell-like tone.
Dramatic Coloratura Soprano: a coloratura soprano with great flexibility in
high-lying velocity passages, yet with great sustaining power comparable to that of a full
spinto or dramatic soprano. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately middle
C (C4) to high F (F6).
Longa: the second longest note in medieval mensural notation.
Matins: the office, together with lauds, which constituted the first of the seven
canonical hours, usually held at midnight or 2:00 a.m., certainly before sunrise.
Mensural: pertaining to measure.
Neume: any of various symbols representing from one to four notes, used in the
musical notation of the Middle Ages but now employed solely in the notation of
Gregorian chant in the liturgical books of the Roman Catholic Church.
Polymath: an individual who excels in several areas of expertise, usually
unrelated ones.

55

These definitions were created by utilizing an online dictionary and my own knowledge.

Page 45 of 52
Responsorial: A chant or anthem recited or sung after a reading in a church
service.
Sfogato Soprano: A coloratura soprano who is able to sing above high F (F6)
with great ease. One of the defining characteristics of the Sfogato sound is a light and
easy upper extension above F6, making it more unusual for a singer with a darker or
heavier sound to be considered a sfogato soprano.
Viriditas: Literally translated from Latin, this means Green Truth. The
word was created by Hildegard of Bingen, to describe the correlation between nature
and mankind.

Page 46 of 52

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