''Ordo Virtutum'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for ''Order of the Virtues'') is an

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

morality play The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...

, or sacred music drama, by

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

, composed c. 1151, during the construction and relocation of her Abbey at

Rupertsberg Saint Bertha of Bingen (German: ''Heilige Berta'', died ca. 757) was the mother of Rupert of Bingen. Her biography was written, and subsequently her cult popularized, by Hildegard of Bingen, who lived in the same region, about four hundred years ...

. It is the earliest morality play by more than a century, and the only

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

musical drama to survive with an attribution for both text and music. A short version of ''Ordo Virtutum'' without music appears at the end of '' Scivias'', Hildegard's most famous account of her visions. It is also included in some manuscripts of the ''Symphonia armoniae celestium revelationum'' ("Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations"), a cycle of more than 70 liturgical songs. It may have been performed by the convent nuns at the dedication of the St.

church in 1152 or possibly before the Mass for the Consecration of Virgins at the convent.

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 represents Richardis von Stade, Hildegard's fellow nun and friend, who had left to become abbess of another convent. Hildegard was upset by this appointment and tried to have it revoked, appealing even to

Pope Eugene III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He ...

. Hildegard was unsuccessful and Richardis departed, only to die shortly thereafter on October 29, 1151. Other scholars propose an allusion to Hildegard's brother Bruno. Before dying, Richardis told her brother that she wanted to return to Hildegard, not unlike the returning, repentant Soul of ''Ordo Virtutum''.

Composition

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 Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

. 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 Oliver Wolf Sacks, (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in Britain, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford, before moving to the Uni ...

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 Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

songs. All parts are sung in

plainchant Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text ...

except that of the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

.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

melisma Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is refer ...

tic 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 The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consider ...

, 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

Sequentia A sequence (Latin: ''sequentia'', plural: ''sequentiae'') is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of ...

. ''Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo virtutum''. LP: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 20.395/96; CD: CDS 7492498; MC: 77051-4-RG (1982). Includes translation by Peter Dronke. * Vox Animae. ''Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo virtutum''. CD: Etcetera Record Company BV KTC1203 (1995). Includes translation by Ansy Boothroyd and Michael Fields. *

. ''Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo virtutum''. CD: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77394 2 (1997). Includes translation by Peter Dronke. * Vox Animae. ''Hildegard von Bingen in Portrait''. Double DVD: BBC / OpusArte OA 0874 D (2003). Includes ''Hildegard'', dramatised BBC documentary starring Patricia Routledge; ''A Real Mystic'', interview and lecture with Professor Michael Fox; ''A Source of Inspiration'', Washington National Cathedral documentary on her life and times; ''Illuminations'', art gallery of her mystic visions with comments by Professor Michael Fox. Translation of Ordo Virtutum by Ansy Boothroyd and Michael Fields.

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