Identifier

etd-0408103-120732

Degree

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

Music

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The music of Hildegard of Bingen has received much attention from Frank Ferko in the past decade, but his interest in the medieval mystic has not stopped there. At the heart of his intense affection for her music are the wonderful visions she expressed through this particular medium, but also through her vivid, and at times, abstruse, poetry. His Hildegard Organ Cycle (1996), a set of ten symphonic meditations on the visions from De operatione Det, and his Missa O Ecclesia: Communion (1999), are both examples of instrumental works that bear direct reference to the twelfth-century abbess' writings. The Hildegard Motets (1996), choral works of varying voicings, are set to the original Latin texts from Hildegards opus of over seventy sacred poems entitled Symphonia celestium revelationum. They comprise a cycle of nine choral motets for various seasons in the Christian liturgical calendar. The monograph is divided into three chapters, the first being an examination of the life and works of Hildegard of Bingen; the second a biographical presentation on the composer, Frank Ferko, and; the third a study of the nine Hildegard motets. The latter chapter has been presented as a conductor's preparatory study, and will examine each motet in detail, including the following aspects: relevant background information, discussion of the original poems upon which the works are based, and an analysis and discussion of the most prominent stylistic elements found in the scores. The Hildegard Motets have been recorded by the American Repertory Singers, directed by Leo Nester, and released on ARSIS CD 102.

Date

2003

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Kenneth Fulton

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.3438

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