Longer Genres

The concluding chapter examines Hildegard’s longer genres. It begins with her single alleluia and then moves to the seven works called sequences. Special attention is paid to their formal structures and their often idiosyncratic treatment of generic norms, while the sequence for St. Disibod, O presul vere civitatis, is examined closely. Hildegard’s four hymns come next, with a demonstration of the ways in which the problematic Mathias sanctus shares characteristics with the other works called hymns. The unusual genre of “symphonia” is discussed, with an enumeration of the differences between Hildegard’s symphonia for virgins and her one for widows. After treatment of the unassigned song O viridissima virga, the chapter concludes with a synopsis of the song’s function.