It sounds like St. Hildegard would agree with the old saying, “when you sing, you pray twice.” She was actually very interested in music. In fact, she wrote a great number of musical pieces. I find it interesting to consider the eclectic mix of interests that she pursued.
It seems that the overarching categories include, music, medicine, and theology. Although this seems like a diverse list, maybe the three have more to do with each other than we might think. After all, what is theology? It is essentially the study of God, who is the creator of our world and all that is in it. What advances can there be in medicine without knowing as much as possible about the world, which God created. In particular, Hildegard’s specialization was all about natural remedies, so she was certainly focused on God’s world, as it applies to our health.
So how does music fit into that picture. Her description of the salvation history of mankind, as revealed to her by God, includes the important role of music. She explains that in the Garden of Eden, Adam started out with a pure voice and regularly joined with the angels in song to praise God. Then after his fall from grace, music and musical instruments had to be invented to get closer to the appropriate way to worship God. Feasibly, this understanding of the relationship between God and music could be why Hildegard’s music often sounds like what you might expect the singing of the angels to sound like. (explained here)
Speaking as a girl from a family who loves to sing, I am a particular fan of this teaching. We are big fans of the music ministry in any church. My mom was a church music director for years, so I obviously sang in her choirs and cantered for her from time to time. Now that she is retired and I moved with my family across town, I am usually attending mass with my husband and son. We just enjoy singing from our places in the congregation. Thankfully, we were blessed to find a parish that also values their music ministry.
I found a group called Sequentia, who released recordings of The Complete Works of Hildegard von Bingen, on 9 CDs. It was released in 2017. (info can be found here) According to the Sequentia release information, St. Hildegard “referred to her songs collectively as ‘The Harmonious Music of Celestial Revelations’ (symphoniae harmoniae celestium revelationum)” They also say, “Hildegard was admired for fearlessly exploring the soul’s place in the cosmos and giving it voice through her unique musical vision.”
I listened to a few passages of her music, and it does have a very heavenly quality about it. Evidently, she intended for the sisters in her convent to sing these pieces, along with the usual Gregorian Chant music that was prevalent.
So Hildegard received visions from God that allowed her to understand the complex relationship between God and man. She was also given the rare gift to be able to express some of that beauty in the form of music. She created pieces of music that allow us to glimpse the glory of God, even while we are still in our earthly lives.
I love this idea, although to be honest, lots of musical experiences make me feel close to God. Have you ever been brought to tears by beautiful music? I really don’t think we should underestimate the power of music to communicate in a way that words alone will never achieve.
Lord, we thank you for the beautiful gift of music in our lives. Let us always remember how it connects us to You.