MEDIEVAL SINGING | Level 2 – Intermediate
Singing II: Hildegard von Bingen-The Voice of Divine Inspiration
6 sessions
Online
Course Description
Almost one thousand years have passed since the birth of the ‘Sybil of the Rhine’, the woman who, by fiercely following her vocation, lived and died to become one of the most beloved and transformative forces of divine inspiration for anyone who would listen to her messages. Especially in the last few decades the interest for the teachings and music of Hildegard von Bingen (1098 —1179) grew exponentially. The books about natural remedies and nutrition occupy the bookshelves of almost every household, and her music belongs to one of the most desired and sought after repertoire choices of almost any medieval vocal ensemble and concert presenter.
In this course you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in Hildegard’s rich world by learning about her life, the cultural climate in which she lived and created, as well as perform a number of pieces from her musical opus, which she herself named Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum — the ‘Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations’. You will learn and experience what makes her musical language so distinct and also how to make your own decisions about performing her compositions.
Some of the topics to be discussed include:
The study of medieval modality based on the musical language of Hildegard’s compositions
The study of her poetic language and how it practically informs our performance
The approach to a text-based study of unknown repertoire — ‘singing the poetry’
The study of western liturgical and paraliturgical genres such as responsories, antiphons, sequences and drama
The creation of individual performance scores which are based on the use of text and which utilise medieval notational techniques in the form of adiastematic neumes
Instructor:
Jasmina Črnčič
COURSE INFO
DATES & DURATION
February 17 to June 9, 2025
6 sessions
Location
Online
Price
1 credit ECTS: 380€
Languages
English - Serbo-Croatian
Level
Level 2 / Intermediate
Prerequisites
Musicians with intermediate or advanced technique on the selected instrument (or has taken beginner course) and basic knowledge of Medieval music notation.
Syllabus
Session 1 | Hildegard von Bingen: The Woman Behind the Voice
Session 2 | ‘Ora et labora’: The Life and Music in a Medieval Benedictine Monastery
Session 3 | Modus vivendi — modus cantandi: The Medieval Modal System and the Art of Medieval Monophonic Composition
Session 4 | O Felix Anima: Hildegard’s Musical Opus
Session 5 | The Voice of Blood: An Insight into a Unique Poetic Language
Session 6 | Know the Way: Making the First Step on the Road to Orality
Teaching Methodology
This course will be comprised of:
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- 6 virtual one-on-one lessons (1 hour each)
- Recorded introductory lecture or one group live Q&A session (30 min)
- 6 tutorial videos (10-15 minutes each)
- Downloadable materials and links to additional resources
Schedules and assignments:
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- The class dates and times will be scheduled with the instructor.
- There will be some suggested deadlines to submit assignments.
- The student workload to take the lessons, review the materials and practice is approximately 4.25 hours per session.
- Students taking the course for credit must complete all assignments and class requirements.
Technical Requirements
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- Broadband Internet connection / WIFI
- External or internal webcam
- External or internal microphone
- Speakers or headphones
- Possibility of printing downloaded materials
- Possibility of scanning your assignments
- Possibility of auto-recording (audio and video)
Enroll Now
Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.
The International Course of Medieval Music Besalú offers singers and instrumentalists the possibility of studying the repertoires of monodic and polyphonic music composed between the 11th and 13th centuries.
With the support of:
