Illuminations

Just finished 'Illuminations' by Mary Sharratt, a novel about Hildegarde of Bingen. I enjoyed it, but, as with all historical novels, so much has to be invented by the author, particularly when the subject is an eleventh-century visionary saint. Her official life, the Vita Sanctae Hildegardis, is full of things that the modern mind can hardly credit; miracles, prophesies and visions, taking us into the realm of folklore and legend rather than historical biography.
   Her music speaks for itself, though. Many years ago now, I bought a copy of  "Feather on the breath of God", a compilation of Hildegarde's songs. Beautiful music, very different to the very orthodox and programmatic Gregorian chant sung by monks as part of the Divine Office, full of wonderful imagery and glorious harmonies that were all Hildegarde's own.
   The best thing about her music is that most of it was composed specifically for the female voice, so a woman (or women) can sing along with it without having to lower or transpose her own voice. Hildegarde has become something of a feminist/New Age heroine, because of her visions of the feminine aspect of God.  She was tried for heresy, her visions considered so unorthodox that they might have come from Ole Scrat himself, particularly after she castigated her male colleagues for their corruption in a blistering sermon delivered in Cologne in 1170. The German Lutheran church considers her to be a prophet of the Reformation, and she continues to inspire people from all parts of the religious spectrum.