From the Rudesheim Abbey to the Cherokee Nation, Pentecost Voices Found: VF 55, 56, and 52
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was the first woman to compose liturgical song for the Western Church. Her chants are preserved in two codices or manuscripts. Above you see a facsimile edition of the Dendermonde Codex that Hildegard produced in her Rudesheim Abbey. She sent it to an Abbey in Belgium where it survived several transfers and wars. It is now preserved in the Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul in Dendermonde, Belgium.
Above you can see the original notation for Hildegard's antiphon 15, De Spiritu Sancto.
Antiphon 15
De Spiritu Sancto
Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vita
Movens omnia, et radix est in omni creatura
Ac omnia de immunditia abluit
Tergens crimina, ac laudabilis vita,
Suscitans et resuscitans omnia.
The Holy Spirit is life-giving life,
mover of the universe and root of all created being.
She purges the universe of impurity,
She blots out guilt and anoints wounds,
Thus She is shining life, worthy of praise,
Awakening and reawakening the universe.
In the early twentieth century, nuns of the Hildegard Abbey in Rudesheim translated Hildegard's songs into German, the Abbess's vernacular. My English translation above is informed by that rendering of the Latin text into German.
O Holy Spirit, root of life
Voices Found # 55,
Echoes of St. Hildegard track 4
O Holy Spirit, root of life,
Creator, cleanser of all things,
anoint our wounds, awaken us,
with lustrous movement of your wings.
Eternal Vigor, saving one,
You free us by your living word
becoming flesh to wear our pain,
and all creation is restored.
O Holy Wisdom, soaring power,
encompass us with wings unfurled,
and carry us encircling all
above, below, and through the world.
Jean Wiebe Janzen wrote this poetic interpretation of Hildegard's antiphon. Her poetry serves as the text for Voices Found 55, "O Holy Spirit." Janzen and Hildegard offer rich images of the Divine as they praise Creation, Incarnation, and Restoration. With Sharon Hershey’s lyrical melody supported with lush harmonies, the song can be sung for Pentecost or any Eucharist. With the soaring descant, it can serve as a simple Communion anthem.
Mechtild of Magdeburg
Voices Found # 56
God of flowing light, gleaming golden ray,
wheeling host at night, dazzling sun by day
Refrain:
guide us to the joy of your heart's romance.
Lead us as we join your lilting dance.
God of flowing streams, moist distilling dew
source of greening dreams, life made fresh and new
Refrain
God of flowing flame, fierce refiners fire,
burning to reclaim passion's pure desire.
Refrain
God of flowing breath, living wind that frees
soaring over death, pulsing spirit's breeze:
Refrain
God of Flowing grace, holy love imparts
to your arms' embrace, raptured yielding hearts:
Refrain
Words: Mary Louise Bringle (after Mechtild von Magdeburg, ca. 1210 -ca. 1282)
Music: CCW Sparks; arr. Robert A. M/ Ross
About a century after Hildegard of Bingen was singing and preaching in the Rhineland, Mechtilde von Magdeburg began writing her revelations of God in Magdeburg, a city in central Germany on the Elbe River. She proclaimed her visions of Divine Light in in a book titled Das Fliessende Licht Der Gottheit or The Flowing Light of Divinity. Unlike Hildegard, whose treatises were were written in Latin, Mechtilde wrote in Low German. She is the first mystic to write in the vernacular instead of Latin, then the proper language of the Church. Perhaps her use of the familiar language is why she was self-described as an "unruly woman." She demonstrated that her native tongue was best for prayer, just as Jesus used the common language in teaching disciples how to pray. Mechtilde's pioneering use of the German vernacular helped prepare the way for other reformers: Julian of Norwich (b. 1342) who wrote in early English, Martin Luther (1483-1546) who translated Scripture and liturgy into German, and Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) who translated the Book of Common Prayer into English.
Mechtilde is celebrated as a mystic in the Episcopal Church on, May 28. She is honored as a mystic in other communions on different dates. While there is no surviving musical notation for her poetic texts it is thought that her words were sung with improvised melodies. Whether they were sung in her time or not, they have inspired many later composers to create musical settings. "God of flowing light, "by Mary Louise Bringle is a powerful example which highlights Mechtilde's understanding of God as the Source of Light.
Bishop Carol of the Cherokee Nation
Chant to the Four Winds
Voices Found #52
Refrain
Come Great Creator! Come Life Giver!
Come to this sacred place!
Come and be with us.
Verse 1
Welcome cousins from the East! And bring your gifts,
Rising sun and gentle waters,
Soaring Eagle, new vision.
Refrain
Verse 2
Welcome cousins from the South! And bring your gifts
Our rich mother earth, innocence and love!
Refrain
Verse 3
Welcome cousins from the West! And bring your gifts
Thunder drum and wind, oceans and strong hearts.
Refrain
Verse 4
Welcome cousins from the North! And bring your gifts
Mighty buffalo and wisdom, rivers of harmony
Refrain
Verse 5
Welcome dear Christ! Our circle is complete!
We thank you for this circle, and for the home you made for all!
Refrain
Words and Music: Carol Gallagher and Michael Plunkett
Bishop Carol Gallagher writes, “As a member of the Cherokee nation, I have inherited a rich tradition of chant and song. Traditional songs in Cherokee were used to welcome people or a time of year, to tell stories, or to share sorrows. The drum is considered the heartbeat of the people and singing or chanting….many Native American tribes consider all elements of nature (animals, plants, wind, and earth) to be imbued with life and related to all other living creatures including humans….We have attempted, through a merging and blending of influences and traditions from both church and tribe, to create music that echoes the rhythm and heartbeat of our traditional ways while interweaving voices and harmonies familiar to modern church music. Included in this piece is the Cherokee word O-si-yo which is an all-encompaassing greeting that encourages the singer and the hearer to remember and welcome all our relations.” It is included in the musical score as a choral accompaniment to the refrain and some verses. (The Leader’s Guide to Voices Found)
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