Hildegard of Bingen: An analysis of feminine images in the songs to Mary, virgins and widows

Hildegard of Bingen, while outwardly remaining within the boundaries of religious and societal orthodoxy, redefined the nature of woman into a more positive one by creatively reworking conventional viewpoints such as the value of humility, virginity and divine motherhood. Her ideas were most clearly expressed in the Symphonia songs dedicated to Mary, virgins and widows. In this paper, the ten songs to Mary, in which Hildegard most directly restates the feminine, are analyzed in terms of text/music relationships as they relate to this theme. The remaining six pieces for Mary, two of the songs to virgins and the one for widows are examined in a less detailed manner and only for verbal imagery. Introductory material is intended to place the composer and her thinking in context.