__NOTOC__ Berno (c. 978 – 7 June 1048) was the Abbot of Reichenau from his appointment by

Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler ...

, in 1008. He reformed the

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

. He compiled a ''tonarius'', dealing with the organisation of the church chants into ‘tones’ – eight

modes Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...

of the

. Following the reforms initiated under Abbot Immo, who imposed the

Benedictine rule The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

at Reichenau, under Berno's guidance the abbey reached its peak as a centre of learning, with a productive

scriptorium Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes. However, lay scribes and ...

, as a centre of Benedictine monasticism and eleventh-century liturgical and musical reforms in the German churches. At Reichenau he erected the tall western tower and transept that stand today on the island site of Reichenau-Mittelzell. One of his most famous students was

Hermann of Reichenau Blessed Hermann of Reichenau (18 July 1013– 24 September 1054), also known by other names, was an 11th-century Benedictine monk and scholar. He composed works on history, music theory, mathematics, and astronomy, as well as many hymns. ...

, who transmitted

Arabic mathematics Mathematics during the Golden Age of Islam, especially during the 9th and 10th centuries, was built on Greek mathematics (Euclid, Archimedes, Apollonius) and Indian mathematics (Aryabhata, Brahmagupta). Important progress was made, such as full ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

to central Europe. Politically the abbot cleaved to his patrons Henry and to Henry III, duke of Bavaria and eventually Emperor, and wrote many letters and missives to the Hungarian kings Saint

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the f ...

and

Peter Orseolo of Hungary Peter Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian ( hu, Velencei Péter; 1010 or 1011 – 1046, or late 1050s), was the King of Hungary twice. He first succeeded his uncle, King Stephen I of Hungary, Stephen I, in 1038. His favoritism towards his foreign ...

, containing various historical information about the Hungarian kingdom of that time useful for the historian. His activity in regard to Hungary was specially important during the reign of Stephen, as his wife was Gisela, the emperor Henry II's sister.''Az államalapítás korának írott forrásai'', Szegedi Középkorász Műhely, Szeged, (1999)

Notes

References

* *Roland Rappmann, Alfons Zettler. 1998. ''Die Reichenauer Mönchsgemeinschaft und ihr Totengedenken im frühen Mittelalter'' (Sigmaringen : Thorbecke)

External links

List of Berno's works with online texts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berno of Reichenau 970s births 1048 deaths German abbots German music theorists Tonaries Medieval music theorists