898 Hildegard (2021)

orchestra

2 Flute –  Oboe – English Horn – 2 Clarinets in Bb – 2 Horn – 2 Trumpets in Bb – 1 Trombone – Timpani, 1 Percussion (tubular bells, large gong, tam-tam, bass drum, sus. cymbal) – *Harp – Piano – Full strings

*There is also a version with no harp. 

Click HERE to view the score.  

Duration: 10′

Available for purchase: JW Pepper

898 Hildegard was commissioned by the Genesee Valley Community Orchestra and premiered June 2016 to honor their founder, Sister Virginia Hogan, through the verse and melody of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179). The title is borrowed from the name of an asteroid in our solar system, 898 Hildegard, thus connecting civilization’s ancient cosmos with the one that it continues to discover. I used fragments of her chants “O Vis Eternitatis” and “O Gloriosissimi Lux Vivens Angeli,” in which the text is about eternity and angels. Then, I listened to the recordings of these chants on the Hildegard Society website (www.hildegard-society.org), and transcribed the performances in order to learn how these chants are presented rhythmically. After studying the intricate details of both chants, I then intertwined fragments of the original chant material with my own variations throughout, melding it together into a composition that not only displays my compositional style, but also highlights these beautiful chants by Hildegard von Bingen. It was later revised and premiered by the Las Vegas Philharmonic April 1, 2017 at the Smith Center.

The orchestra version of 898 Hildegard was written for the University of Rochester Orchestra under the direction of Rachel L. Waddell and premiered April 21, 2022.

(Click HERE to view the PDF of the original version for SATB chorus and Orchestra .)