Concerts and Events

 

 

 

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St. Hildegard and St. Gertrude: Inspiration for Our January 2011 Concerts

The inspiration for our January appearances came from a visit that Schola Magdalena members Stephanie Martin and Janet Reid Nahabedian made in mid-November to the Abbey of St Hildegard in Rudesheim-Bingen, Germany.

Abbess, mystic, theologian, scientist, artist, prophet and spiritual advisor – Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is thought to be one of the greatest female religious figures of the last 1,000 years. When Schola Magdalena sang Hildegard’s chant at our first rehearsal over three years ago, we were captivated. The texts, we learned, had often flowed from Hildegard's visions, and her chant – characterized as a “late flowering” of Gregorian chant – was haunting and beautiful. In her autobiography she tells of beginning to experience visions when she was three years old, but she kept them hidden. A turning point in her life came at the age of 43, when she had an experience of God instructing her to reveal her visions publicly. Hildegard's description of this divine encounter led to depictions of her with flames emanating from the top of her head! (See program cover.) Since women were forbidden to write or preach, she was reluctant, but encouraged by her friend and teacher, Hildegard began to record her visions in words and paintings. Quite surprisingly the church authorities reacted positively, and she received papal authority to speak and write about what she had experienced. Her writings on theology and medicine are considered remarkably modern, and her expertise as a natural scientist and therapist are highly regarded today. Emperors, kings, princes, popes and clergy sought her counsel on spiritual and worldly matters. A poet and a musician, Hildegard composed 77 pieces of liturgical music and a musical play. 

When Stephanie Martin and I discovered that the main historical sites of Hildegard were about an hour outside of Frankfurt, we knew we must make a pilgrimage when Stephanie came to visit me in Strasbourg, where I am living much of the time for the next couple of years. We took the train to Rudesheim, a picturesque town on the shores of the Rhine, nestled against vineyard-covered hills. Most important to us was to visit the community of nuns who sing daily at the Abbey of St Hildegard. So we set out toward the abbey, a modern but splendid medieval-style building visible high above in the northern part of the town known as Eibingen. The walk was long and uphill, but the view was worth it, and the effort seemed appropriate.

Vespers was not a disappointment. The chapel is lovely, and the nuns sang Gregorian chant beautifully. Our time in Rudesheim also included a visit to the parish church where Hildegard's relics are displayed at the high altar. The following day we took the ferry to Bingen and the site of her original convent, known as The Rupertsberg. (Today's abbey is situated where Hildegard built a second convent as the community grew in numbers.) No ruins of the original abbey remain but Stephanie and I spent an enjoyable afternoon in the Hildegard museum. We managed to catch a ferry back in time to attend Vespers at the Abbey; our second visit turned out to be even more memorable. We had been sitting for some time in the chapel when the stillness was broken by clear, lovely voices  singing “Quam pulchra es Gertrudis.” It was the Vespers of St Gertrude, with beautiful antiphons, office hymn and responsory in her honour. Who was this woman the sisters were commemorating?  

Gertrude (1256-1301), like Hildegard of Bingen, was offered to God in a Benedictine monastery at a very young age, and also became an abbess, a mystic and a theologian. She too wrote and composed. In her 20s Gertrude experienced a deep conversion and dedicated herself to intense prayer. Among her writings, Gertrude’s “Spiritual Exercises” are said to be rivalled only by those of St Theresa. She introduced devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which later spread widely throughout the Church, and a legend associates her prayer for souls in purgatory with a promise from our Lord for them.

Gertrude had many mystical experiences. She mentions that once hearing the words ”I have seen the Lord face to face” sung in church, she saw a divine face, most beautiful and charming, whose eyes pierced her heart and filled both her soul and body with inexpressible delight which no tongue could express (from a book of her life in 1664).

Stephanie and I felt that it was a fitting end to our pilgrimage to the Abbey of St Hildegard that we should encounter another significant Benedictine woman of the Middle Ages, St Gertrude – “the only woman of Germanic descent to be called ‘Great’ due to her exceptional natural and supernatural gifts.”

 

The program featured music for the Feast of St. Gertrude, as well as Gregorian chant anthems of Our Lady and chant by Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard, who lived from circa 1098 to 1179, was a powerful German abbess, mystic, biologist, writer, composer and healer who impressed European monarchs and popes with her visions and mystic writings. Her music, though related to Gregorian chant, takes the genre to a virtuosic height. Also included on the program is a selection of three-part medieval music dating from the late 14^th and early 15^th centuries.

We repeated the concert, along with a chant workshop, the following day in Stratford, Ontario (see below).

 

 

 

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Schola Magdalena joined other local choirs for a benefit concert at St. Thomas's Church, Toronto

 

 

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The launch of our new BRAVO! classical music video.

The video, produced by Paulus Productions Inc. and BravoFACT, features Stephanie Martin's "Alleluia," which is also the name of her new CD. The CD was launched at the same event; Stephanie's compositions are sung by The Gallery Choir and Schola Magdalena. The event was emceed by Larry Beckwith and included a brief concert by the choirs of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, as well as Schola Magdalena singing the "title track." Proceeds from the event benefitted the Healey Willan music fund.  

 

 

 

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We repeated this concert the following week in Chicoutimi, as guests artists at the Gregorian Institute of Canada's Annual Colloquium.

SPLENDEURS DU MOYEN ÂGE

Friday, August 13, 2010 at 8:00 PM 
Saint-François-Xavier Cathedral, Chicoutimi 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Concerts

• Schola Magdalena Sings Hildegard
• Gala Concert "Splendeurs du moyen âge"
• Concerts & Events
• Past Concerts & Events
  • CD release party
  • Schola Magdalena in Concert January 23
  • Birthday Celebration for Adrienne Clarkson
  • Nuit Blanche 2009