Autumn Fredline
Seigler
IB Music
25 September, 2015
Saint Hildegard of Bingen
Saint Hildegard of Bingen was an twelfth century composer that has had a major influence on the twenty first century, almost a millennium later. She is noted as the first known and documented female composer. She was born in 1098 and died in 1178. Hildegard lived in Germany, at a time where the Catholic Church was an extreme power. Being the tenth child to her family, Hildegard was offered to the church and became a nun, dedicated to her religion. In the church, she was raised by an anchoress, Jutta. Hildegard was not a simple nun, though. She would see visions from a very young age that were trusted by the church. She was referred to as a mystic, and even Pope Eugenius III regarded her work as divinely inspired by God. She began to preach, and became highly valued in the eyes of the public. During this time period, it was unheard of for a woman to be a composer, a divinely inspired one at that. Women were seen as the lowlier sex, and were discouraged…show more content… "Hildegard of Bingen." Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3979-3980. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
"Hildegard of Bingen." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Ed. Edward I. Bleiberg, et al. Vol. 3: Medieval Europe 814-1450. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 252. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
"Hildegard of Bingen." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Ed. Edward I. Bleiberg, et al. Vol. 3: Medieval Europe 814-1450. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 416-417. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
"Hildegard of Bingen." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 22. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 240-242. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sept.