Hildegard Von Bingen - Canticles of Ecstasy

Excellent Performance 💐💐

There's old school, then there's really old school. The composer of this work, Hidegard Von Bingen, was born in the very late 11th century and lived until the late 12th century. This music was written in the middle period of her life, around the middle 1100's. The use of instruments from that time (obviously duplicates of instruments of that period) lend an air of enchantment and atmosphere to the singing, which of course is most chanting. If you close your eyes or turn off the lights and light some candles when you listen to this, you can imagine being in a castle or monastery. This music speaks to an old part of our soul that seems to have slowly disappeared over time in our modern age. It's seems to connect us to a long ago past. I use this music if I have had a stressful day and need to forget the modern world. Though this is an excellent album, I prefer the other Sequentia Album of Hidegard Von Bingen, listed here as Spiritual Songs (but actually titled Symphoniae, CD released 1989). It has a few more instrumental parts in addition to the vocals, and that lends variety and atmosphere. Hidegard Von Bingen was one of the most interesting women in history. At a time when every aspect of social and religious life was dominated by men, she stood out as a very advanced woman for her time, her music being very advanced. Von Bingen was the friend and confidant of popes, bishops, kings, etc. She was what we would call religious, yet she was also a mystic. She was also a very learned person with many talents. She has a fascinating background if you search her on the Internet.

Chant: Beautiful, and simply done without any extra sythetic, electric sound. I found it wonderful music to listen to under a starry night.