We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Electric Ordo Virtutum

by Hildegurls

supported by
laurabrawl
laurabrawl thumbnail
wrayb
wrayb thumbnail
/
1.
Prologue 02:53
buy track
2.
Act 1 13:57
buy track
3.
Act 2 17:51
buy track
4.
Act 3 15:07
buy track
5.
Act 4 19:54
buy track
6.
Processional 03:39
buy track

about

Prologue.

The Patriarchs, Prophets, and Virtues introduce The Order of the Virtues

ACT I (Lisa Bielawa)

The soul encounters the Virtues but finds the path there propose difficult. Responding to her corporeal impulses and the enticements of the Devil, who promises pleasure and success, she casts off her white garments. The Virtues sing of the Soul as a negative example, while the Devil insults them.

ACT II (Kitty Brazelton)

Led by Humility, the queen of the Virtues, the individual Virtues introduce themselves, each with appropriate music. The chorus of assembled Virtues welcomes and praises each in turn.

ACT III (Eve Beglarian)

The Souls suffers terribly in the embrace of the Devil. She returns bedraggled and wounded to implore the Virtues to accept her. They welcome her with the white robes of immortality.

ACT IV (Elaine Kaplinsky)

The Devil makes a last-ditch effort to win the Soul, but she rejects him decisively. In concert with the Soul, the Virtues bind the devil up and cast him into the abyss; from there he taunts Chastity. Led by Victory, all the Virtues celebrate their triumph over confusion.

Processional.

The Soul and the Virtues celebrate God’s generosity towards his creatures

Known as “the Sybil of the Rhine,” Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) was a German abbess, mystic and writer. She was born to noble parents, who promised her, their tenth child, to the church. At the age of eight, she became a novice under the abbess Jutta of Spanheim at the Benedictine Abbey of Disibodenberg. On Jutta’s death in 1136, Hildegard succeeded her as abbess. About fifteen years later, she founded her own independent abbey, against the wishes of the local Church authorities.

Although Hildegard was highly educated, she saw herself primarily as an instrument of God’s will. Throughout her life, she experienced apocalyptic, prophetic, and symbolic visions that she eventually codified in three large books. Hildegard’s writings include theological, medical and botanical essays. She also wrote lyric works, letters, lives of saints and the morality play Ordo Virtutum, or The Order of the Virtues. About eighty of her vocal compositions survive.

Hildegard’s Ordo Vitrutum relates the dramatic struggle between a Soul, the Devil, and a host of allegorical Virtues. The dramatic text and voice setting are fully notated. Since sacred vocal music of the time was accompanied by instruments, it is likely that the Ordo would have been as well. The cast calls for 20 female singing roles (the Soul and the Virtues), a few male singing roles (Prophets and Patriarchs), and the non-singing role of the Devil (which may have been played by Volmar, Hildegard’s secretary). The piece was presumably performed by the nuns in Hildegard’s convent. It appears to be the oldest surviving Western work of what may be called musical theatre or opera.

In each act (except II), the Hildegurl who composed/arranged that section appeasements as the protagonist, the Soul. (The Soul is not present in Act II, since she is off in Hell, away from the Virtues.) As Hildegard specifies, the Devil only speaks (and that largely on tape). For his grievous error, God has denied his the power of song.

credits

released May 5, 2009

Hildegard of Bingen
(1098-1179)

Adapted by:
Lisa Bielawa
Kitty Brazelton
Eve Beglarian
Elaine Kaplinsky
Grethe Barret Holby

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Kitty Brazelton image

Kitty Brazelton New York, New York

For booking/other inquiries:
kitbraz.info/contact

contact / help

Contact Kitty Brazelton

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Electric Ordo Virtutum, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now