Plot
The subject of the play is typical for a morality play. It recounts neither biblical events, nor a saint's life, nor miracles. Instead, ''Ordo Virtutum'' is about the struggle for a human soul, or Anima, between the Virtues and the Devil. The piece can be divided as follows: Part I: A Prologue in which the Virtues are introduced to the Patriarchs and Prophets who marvel at the Virtues. Part II: We hear the complaints of souls that are imprisoned in bodies. The (for now) happy Soul enters and her voice contrasts with the unhappy souls. The Soul is too eager to skip life and go straight to Heaven. When the Virtues tell her that she has to live first, the Devil seduces her away to worldly things. Part III: The Virtues take turns identifying and describing themselves while the Devil occasionally interrupts and expresses opposing views and insults. This is the longest section by far and, although devoid of drama or plot, the musical elements of this section make it stand out. Part IV: The Soul returns, repentant. Once the Virtues have accepted her back, they turn on the Devil, whom they bind. Together they conquer the Devil and then God is praised. Part V: A procession of all the characters.Roles
The Soul (female voice). The Virtues (sung by 17 solo female voices): Humility (Queen of the Virtues), Hope, Chastity, Innocence, Contempt of the World, Celestial Love, Discipline? (the name is scratched out in the manuscript) Modesty, Mercy, Victory, Discretion, Patience, Knowledge of God, Charity, Fear of God, Obedience, and Faith. These Virtues were seen as role models for the women of the Abbey, who took joy in overcoming their weaknesses and defeating the Devil in their own lives. Chorus of the Prophets and Patriarchs (sung by a male chorus) Chorus of Souls (sung by a women's chorus) The Devil (a male voice -- the Devil does not sing, he only yells or grunts: according to Hildegard, he cannot produce divine harmony).Background
The meaning and emphasis of the ''Ordo Virtutum'' in Hildegard of Bingen's community is affected by role assignments among the nuns. It has been suggested that the soul representsComposition
Hildegard of Bingen received no traditional education in composition, nor was she trained to play instruments. She was "self-taught," although not in a way that many people would expect. Her whole life, Hildegard of Bingen claimed to be both clairvoyant and clairaudient. The music came to her in trances. She also attempted to describe what she was going through in works such as ''Ordo Virtutum''.Life in the Abbey
Music was a part of daily life in the abbey, since the nuns chanted psalms several times a day during the Liturgy of the Hours. The performance of non-liturgical music was more rare, having to do with celebrations and special occasions in the life of the community.The Healing Properties
Hildegard of Bingen believed that music had a powerful, even medical effect on people. Music was a type of biblical meditation. The manner in which this was practiced resembles in some manner the way Buddhists medidtate and other religious traditions use music. The neurologist Oliver Sacks has researched Hildegard's belief that music can bring a connection between the human brain's two hemispheres, to heal and calm the body.Musical elements
The ''Ordo Virtutum'' is written in dramatic verse and contains 82 different melodies, which are set more syllabically than Hildegard's liturgical songs. All parts are sung in plainchant except that of the Devil.Claude V. Palisca. ''Norton Anthology of Western Music''. Vol. 1, 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 1996. Page 35. There is an alternation between solo and chorus parts as well as melismatic versus syllabic lines. The main "acts" in the play are set in allegorical towers and the musical dimensions are driven by the architectural understanding: for example, the development of processional chants that link the action in one tower to that of the other. The final verses of the play move into a mystical mode and describe the crucifixion of Christ, asking the audience to bend their knees so that God may "stretch out his hand to you" (''genua vestra ad patrem vestrum flectite / ut vobis manum suam porrigat,'' pp. 36–37). The final word, ''porrigat'' ("stretch out"), is set to thirty-nine notes, it is the longest melisma in the play. It is meant to illustrate the stretch of a divine hand toward humanity.Editions
* * ** *Translations
* *Performing edition
*Musical edition
* ''(2nd, corrected ed.: 2014-09-04.)''Recordings
*See also
*''Notes
{{Authority control 1150s works 12th-century Latin books 12th-century plays Hildegard of Bingen Medieval drama German plays Benedictine literature The Devil in classical music Medieval compositions