Wonder Woman of the Week: Hildegard von Bingen
- Sep 22, 2021
- 2 min read
The German speaking world is well known for its cornucopia of music composers, but while figures like Bach and Beethoven are well remembered for their contributions to music history; this week's Wonder Woman was one of- if not the- most important music composers of Medieval Europe. Hildegard von Bingen was born in 1098 in the Holy Roman Empire in what is today the Palatinate state of Germany. From a young age, Hildegard believed her deity was sending her visions instructing her to write down everything she experienced- from sights and sounds to tastes and smells; and that's exactly what she did. Hildegard would become one of the most respected musical composers of the 12th Century- so well regarded that even though the Catholic Church never canonized her, people for centuries after her death referred to her as Saint Hildegard for her work in composing hymns for church services.
Hildegard von Bingen did not isolate her work to music however. The composer truly believed her god wanted her to keep a journal of literally everything she experienced in life, so Hildegard often wrote about her experiences in nature and carefully categorized certain plants and especially herbs that she could use for medicinal practices in the infirmary at the convent at which she worked. Not only do many modern historians cite Hildegard as the founder of the study of natural history, but also as a leading figure in both the birth of modern medicine and in music therapy. Hildegard was even a skilled linguist, a skill she used when she invented her own language and writing system. She was also an open critic of patriarchal ideals within the church including once stating that "women may be made from man, but no man can be made without a woman." Even more impressive, men loved her.
Popes, kings, and chroniclers alike frequently corresponded with Hildegard von Bingen through letters asking for advice, for prayers, and simply as pen pals. In fact, after her death, there were several petitions to name Hildegard as a saint. Although no pope officially canonized her, several popes nevertheless referred to her as a saint well into the 21st Century, with Pope Benedict XVI naming her a Doctor of a Church- given only to saints who contribute research in the field of theology. Several writers from more recent years are careful to call Hildegard a feminist though- as she frequently belittled both her own work and that of other women, but to be fair- in her time- men only took women seriously if they claimed to have visions from the Christian god instructing them to do things.
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