She was a courageous trailblazer in her own right and broke cloister protocol by openly preaching to the public and to the clergy. This was something that simply wasn’t done in the Middle Ages, certainly not by women and certainly not by a cloistered nun.

Hildegard was also a talented and prolific poet. She set her writings to devotional music in monophonic form and became a composer of sacred and worshipful chants. Monophony was a key devotional musical form in the Middle Ages where a single line of musical notes or a single vocal melody is featured. The music is also called plainchant or plainsong due to the simplicity of the compositions. In my view it is the

simplicity that adds a haunting beauty to this form of musical expression. Hildegard’s beautiful music continues to be appreciated, performed and recorded in these modern times; it is readily available on YouTube. 

Beyond her capacities for leadership, poetry and music, Hildegard also possessed a depth of sensitivity that rendered her capable of extraordinary levels of insight. She experienced many prophetic visions that began in her childhood and continued throughout her life. Her visions were not taken seriously initially, however they were later authenticated by a panel of theologians and written in a finished work called ‘Scivias’ (‘Know the Ways’) (1141-52). This was an unusual and notable accomplishment in an age where women were rarely acknowledged or published in the Patriarchal theological paradigm of the time.