This past Tuesday was the feast day of Hildegard of Bingen and below I share two links to her music on Spotify. The first is her music sung from her abbey in Bingen, and the second is her music as arranged by Richard Souther. They are both unique in how they sound, but convey the depth of Hildegard’s mysticism and faith journey.

Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine Abbess in Germany in the Middle Ages, living from 1098 to 1179. In addition to her role as abbess, she was a polymath, writer, composer, visionary, medical practitioner, and is considered the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. Her writings include theology, botanicals, and medical works as well as letters, hymns, antiphons, and poems.

She has more chants surviving the Middle Ages than any other composer in the Middle Ages. She is also the writer of both the lyrics and the music of her works.