The Hildegard Service

In September of 2023, I was working on preparing a brief presentation on Hildegard of Bingen for a concert with the Detroit Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. It was a great program: Serafina, a group of talented vocalists, sang some of Hildegard's chants, there was improvisation, and we played O Lucidissima Apostolorum turba (2007) by Robert Honstein for cello, voice, organ, and wine glasses. The program was well received! 

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In preparing things, I came across a website published by the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies. There is a lot of scholarship housed on this site, including a great chant resource for Hildegard's music. It was here that I stumbled across the Kyrie that has gone on to inspire me daily.

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I took this chant, and broke each of the phrases apart. These were then set with the text for the Rite I Episcopal service, and harmonized in my own style, for congregational use. I was so honored that Cathedral Church of St. Paul, where I currently serve, used a part of the setting for worship on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 17, 2024. 

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If you have stumbled across this page, I am in the process of finalizing things for publication. Please write to me if this is something that piques your interest. In the mean time, here is the Kyrie  from the Hildegard Service. May we all continue to be inspired by, and in tune with the music of the spheres, and by those who have gone before us.