The Cambridge Companion to Hildegard of Bingen (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

This specially commissioned collection of thirteen essays explores the life and works of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), monastic founder, leader of a community of nuns, composer, active correspondent, and writer of religious visions, theological treatises, sermons, and scientific and medical texts. Aimed at advanced university students and new Hildegard researchers, the essays provide a broad context for Hildegard's life and monastic setting, and offer comprehensive discussions on each of the main areas of her output. Engagingly written by experts in medieval history, theology, German literature, musicology, and the history of medicine, the essays are grounded in Hildegard's twelfth-century context, and investigate her output within its monastic and liturgical environments, her reputation during and after her life, and the materiality of the transmission of her works, considering aspects of manuscript layout, illumination, and scribal practices at her Rupertsberg monastery. Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 13 List of Music Examples 14 Notes on Contributors 15 Acknowledgments 18 Introduction 19 Part I Life and Monastic Context 27 Chapter 1 The Life of Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) 29 Chapter 2 Living and Working in a Twelfth-Century Women’s Monastic Community 55 Chapter 3 Literacy and Learning in the Lives of Women Religious in Medieval Germany 70 Part II Writings and Reputation 101 Chapter 4 Hildegard of Bingen’s Theology 103 Chapter 5 Reading Hildegard of Bingen’s Letters 123 Chapter 6 From the Roots to the Branches: Greenness in the Preaching of Hildegard of Bingen and the Patriarchs 143 Chapter 7 Hildegard of Bingen: Illness and Healing 162 Chapter 8 The Pentachronon and Hildegard of Bingen’s Reputation As a Prophet 188 Chapter 9 The Context and Reception of Hildegard of Bingen’s Visions 207 Part III Music, Manuscripts, Illuminations, and Scribes 225 Chapter 10 Music, Liturgy, and Intertextuality in Hildegard of Bingen’s Chant Repertory 227 Chapter 11 The Ordo virtutum and Benedictine Monasticism 253 Chapter 12 Picturing Hildegard of Bingen’s Sight: Illuminating Her Visions 275 Chapter 13 Hildegard of Bingen and Her Scribes 298 Select Bibliography 324 Index 331 This Companion explores the multi-faceted life and works of Hildegard of Bingen, monastic founder, visionary, composer, and writer of religious and scientific texts. Designed for advanced students and new Hildegard researchers, it includes essays by experts in medieval history, theology, German literature, musicology, and history of medicine.