The unknown language and letters of Hildegard von Bingen (2015)

In addition to her writings, von Bingen was also an interesting musical composer. There's a learning curve when you listen to her music because it's so incredibly stripped down. But once you get past that, it can be mind-altering. Performances are available on YouTube and elsewhere.

Hildegard is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, composers we can specifically associate with music she wrote.

Also, I recently read The Greenest Branch: A Novel of Germany's First Female Physician - historical fiction about Hildegard, and written by someone who's researched into her quite extensively.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Greenest-Branch-Germanys-Physician-Hi...

There was a fascinating article about her in the New Yorker about a week ago. [0]

Among many interesting references, I learned about Lingua Ignota -- "an experimental-pop project launched by the multidisciplinary artist Kristin Hayter, takes its name from Hildegard’s “unknown tongue” and channels her spirit through darkly vengeful chants that unfurl before walls of noise" (from the article)

Give it a listen, it's striking. [1]

[0] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/06/hildegard-of-b...

[1] https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/track/the-order-of-spiritu...

As mentioned in Esoterica channel's video on her language[1] the only surviving text written in it is one of her songs, 'O orzchis Ecclesia'[2].

If you're interested, the video has some extra detail and scholarly rumination on her Lingua Ignota, and covers the song at around 9:28[3].

1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8tpCOEWX6U

2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCAOf9gjBM

3: https://youtu.be/l8tpCOEWX6U?t=568

One of my favorite composers! She wrote one of the, if not the earliest-known musical dramas, Ordo Virtutum[0], in which the Virtues are confronted by (and overcome) Satan. It's interesting for a number of reasons, but I especially like the touch that Satan himself can only speak, and cannot sing, being incapable of the divine.

She was truly ahead of her time!

[0]: the conclusion can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLpgj0s8o8s

Not explicitly mentioned in the article, but alluded by the sexually-suggestive title, is the fact that St. Hildegard is not solely recognised by the Catholic Church for her extraordinary sanctity and heroic virtues, she is also lionized and sexualized by the LGBT community as a historical Queer Icon, including favorable modern comparisons to the likes of Janelle Monáe.

https://queersaints.wordpress.com/3-saints-and-sinners-in-th...

https://going-medieval.com/2018/06/05/considering-bad-mother...

https://nihilobstat.info/2020/06/19/the-headache-of-st-hilde...

I should invent my own language, too.

There is a contemporary album of her music by Jocelyn Montgomery and produced by David Lynch.

Lux Vivens: the Music of Hildegard von Bingen

http://www.lynchnet.com/luxvivens/

I remember, in the days without Internet, only 5 TV channels which weren't always fun, and sub-freezing temperatures in winter (leading to less desire to go outside with friends then), pass-times like "invent your own language" by making up words were much more common.