Hildegard of Bingen

18th - 25th August 2024

Hildegard of Bingen – 12th century abbess, poet, composer, scientist, visionary – provides the focus for this year’s Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy. Seven of her sequences, for which she composed both text and music, give each day a particular theme, and provide a starting-point for the selection of a wide variety of choral music, ranging from Hildegard’s own chant to works written this year. There will be performances of music by Dufay, Tallis, Schütz, anniversary composers Bruckner and Stanford, and more recent pieces by Moses Hogan, Roxanna Panufnik, Joanna Marsh and – in a new anthem commissioned for the festival – Helen Roe. The three choirs will sing at four daily services, including Choral Evensong broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Wednesday afternoon, a liturgical performance of Fauré’s Requiem on Friday evening, and Choral Matins on Friday and Saturday mornings.

This year’s leaflet giving times of services and a summary of the music being sung can be found by clicking here.

In the first of two podcasts in advance of this year’s festival, our Director, Robert Quinney, and Consort Director, Jeremy Summerly, discuss Hildegard of Bingen and her importance both in the 12th century and today. You can access
Episode 1 by clicking here.
Episode 2 by clicking here.

Musical extracts used in the podcast are from

8.557983 HILDEGARD VON BINGEN: Celestial Harmonies – Responsories and Antiphons (Oxford Camerata – Jeremy Summerly) and are used with the kind permission of Naxos Records.