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SUMMARY:Speech\, Melody\, and Theology in Hildegard's Music Drama - Margot
  Fassler (Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Music History and Liturgy\, Univers
 ity of Notre Dame)
DTSTART:20260128T170000Z
DTEND:20260128T180000Z
UID:TALK243460@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lindsay Friday
DESCRIPTION:The framework for Hildegard's music drama the Ordo Virtutum de
 pends upon the contrast between speech and song. Satan's five speeches are
  carefully positioned to unfold within a battle for control of the fallen 
 soul\, Anima\, who is tutored by a group of virtues to regain the musical 
 prowess she had at the opening of the play. Compositional strategies that 
 Hildegard employed within her lyrical chants are used in even more sophist
 icated ways in the play\, which is a work of significant scope\, taking so
 me forty-five minutes to perform. Melodic motives have opportunities to gr
 ow and develop over time within the characters\, giving the music a dramat
 ic power\, with some use of irony and even of humor. It is a serious work 
 which confronts the serious challenges to monastic life that Hildegard sur
 ely knew very well as the leader of a community. She has crafted an epic s
 tatement about the difficult journeys faced by individual members\, the im
 portance of the choices made each makes\, and the role of community in pro
 viding support.The play does not end in a triumphant bang\, but rather in 
 a pleading wimper\, as seen in the final chant "In Principio." The theolog
 ical themes of chant were very important to Hildegard\, who gives the wome
 n a finale to sing in the person of Christ on the cross. The play is delib
 erately left open\, making room for the ongoing choices of those who sing 
 their parts against a cosmic backdrop.
LOCATION:Recital room at the Music Faculty on West Road (11 W Rd\, Cambrid
 ge\, CB3 9DP)
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