About the Symphonia Series
The Symphonia Series is my offering to anyone who wants to forge a deeper connection with the music of Hildegard von Bingen. It is forged from over 25 years experience of study, teaching, and performance of her extraordinary music.
This free sheet music resource will ultimately incorporate Hildegard’s entire corpus of 77 songs, in addition to a performance edition of the Ordo Virtutum.
My vision is to offer a free and accessible performance edition that adequately captures the expressive nuance of Hildegard’s creative genius in an accessible, conventional, modern format. My editorial process attempts to render the most authentic depiction of the original, 12th-century neumatic notation as possible.
The choices I have made in transcribing these works focus upon making visual, rhetorical, musical, and vocal sense. In most cases, I work primarily from the Riesencodex, consulting the Dendermonde manuscript as a secondary source. See below for my notes on how to read the editions.
Each song is accompanied by a contemporary English translation by my colleague Hugh McElroy, who has graciously partnered with Eya to offer these translations as an open resource. The poetic structure of the texts is informed by the foundational work of Dr. Barbara Newman in Symphonia (2nd ed. published by Cornell University Press) whose shoulders we stand upon in bringing this work to you.
You are welcome to download as many copies as you would like, as well as use the English translations for any printed or digital programs with attribution to Hugh McElroy.
If you have any questions, issues, or requests, do not hesitate to contact me.
Allison Mondel
Director, Eya Medieval Music
Editorial Notes
Each song page contains at-a-glance information about its relative difficulty, length, and vocal range. Below are the basic rubrics that we reference on each song page.
Form
Refers to the type of piece and how it functioned within the religious ceremony (liturgy) for which it was intended. Almost all of the Symphonia are labeled with a rubric indicating its form, but not all are so clear. The most commonly used forms (with a brief definition) are:
Antiphon: Typically shorter in duration and complexity.
Responsory: A longer and more elaborate form with repeated sections.
Sequence: Longer form with coupled phrases.
Hymn: Often very long and grand songs, verse is much more free.
Difficulty
Indicates the relative vocal range, vocal technique, and complexity of both melody structure and lyrical rhetoric.
Easy – Intermediate – Advanced
Length
Indicates the relative duration of each song based on its page length.
Short – Medium – Long
Vocal Range
Indicates the pitches indicated in the originial source mannuscripts. Please note: these pitches are only intended for reference. All pitches can be shifted for the individual performers preference.
Pitch References
Sources
There are two primary manuscripts that contain all of Hildegard’s songs and which are used interchangeably in these editions. Below are the abbreviations commonly referenced.
D Dendermonde Codex (Click here to view original.)
R Riesencodex (Click here to view original.)
f. folio
recto: front side of the manuscript folio
verso: back side of manuscript folio
Transcription Notes
- Each edition is presented in G clef, but maintains Hildegard’s original key. One can freely transpose as needed.
- Every song is unmeasured and non-rhythmicized. However, each musical line is numbered for reference.
- Notehead size refers to the relative length/weight/stress on a particular note. Larger noteheads have relatively greater length/weight/stress/duration than smaller noteheads. (This is all relative, i.e. not every note of the same size will be the same duration.)
- Tenudo markings above a notehaed (-) indicate a stressed, or musically “pressed” note.
- Any repeated notes are typically re-articulated.
- Any letter placed in parenthesis (in the lyrics) indicates a liquescent, and would be articulated fully on that pitch. (This might mean fully closing on a consonant.)
Please download our free Notation Guide for all details on how to read and interpret our scores.