Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Hildegard von Bingen is often considered the first known composer. However, her talents also included being an author, linguist, scientist, herbalist, polymath, mystic, and so on. At the very young age of 8, she began her work in the monastery of Disibodenberg. Eventually, she went on to become an abbess, and opened up her own nunnery in Bingen. She was an incredibly talented woman, who saw many visions, wrote many poems and letters, and, perhaps most importantly, wrote many works of music.

Only 70-80 works of hers have survived, including the only surviving morality play. This play, the Ordo Virtutum - also known as Play of Virtues -, was written in describing the many virtues needed for battling against the Devil. Another one of her major works, Symphonia armoniae celestium revelationum, is a collection of her own writings, mostly comprised of antiphons, hymns, sequences, and responsories. Many of these works, if not all of them, were very religious in nature and often used strictly in cathedral of monastery settings.

The most distinguishing factor of Hildegard's music from any other composer is its intricate use of one line of melody that, while constant, is also ever changing. As well, many music of this time was drawn from the earlier plainsong found in most monasteries. Hildegard's music breaks from the normal mold, and is completely original. Its often said that chant is boring and slow, but that's where the beauty is drawn from it. Being able to listen to something solitary that is simple allows you to relax and realize the greater meaning of the music. It's her original music that inspired many of her contemporaries and other composers to become more original in their writings of chant, and various other forms of music.