hildegard

Schola Cantorum concert with Hildegard songs

Posted by sara-garrard

This weekend we had the first, I think, UK performance of the Four Hildegard texts, and the definitely first performance of O virga ac diadema (another setting of words by Hildegard), by my ogs, Bristol University Schola Cantorum. A big thank you to Emma Hornby, Gillian Hurst, and all the staff of St. Nicholas’ Brockley for a lovely afternoon. I wondered at first why this venue, out in the middle of nowhere it seemed to me (— a non-driving urbanite, bear in mind though)… once I got there all became clear. I walked down a track through a field in the low afternoon sun towards and old stone tower in the distance, then through some kind of magical tree-shaded lane…

To here. I definitely recommend visiting if you are ever nearby!

Schola sang my Hildegard settings between two sets of plainchant, the first while processing into the church and up to the front.

Excerpt O virga diadema:

Hildegard Texts performed by Orange County Women’s Chorus

Posted by sara-garrard

The Orange County Women’s Chorus got in touch about a performance of two of my Four Hildegard Texts, one of which you can now watch / listen to below:

This was performed as part of their concert program, The Sisterhood of Cecilia, which began with music by Hildegard herself.

Thank you! A beautiful performance.

December Updates

Posted by sara-garrard

A quick blog entry to recap what I can remember that I forgotten to recap…
Various things that should be coming up soon-ish include:

  1. This year’s PIANOWRIMO album finalised for Bandcamp and streaming etc
  2. Ditto the sheet music (Related to that, I was very excited by all the new look niceness of Musescore 4 … only to realise my operating system is just too far behind to run it 😭)
  3. More FFVII Demakes redone with not strictly soundfont sounds for Spotify etc … and possibly some more new Crisis Core related ones, it being the season.
  4. I’ve done a “year in review” type video the past couple years, and it’d be nice to get one of those done before or around new year — time permitting!

Things that have been happening recently:

  1. This year’s Sing Clifton Christmas concert! Including a first performance of my Christmas piece O Night Restful and Deep
  2. I have been working on another game music & sound design job that I can’t share any of currently but will be keeping me nicely busy for a while now. I’ve also been doing more teaching, with more school age piano students at a school and a gratifying influx of adults realising their dream to play the oboe outside of that!
  3. This wonderful performance of Four Hildegard Texts by Peter Anthony Smith and the Sydney Sydney Conservatorium Clarinet Ensemble:

4 texts by Hildegard of Bingen

Posted by sara-garrard

Update to this post — I’ve now written two more of these pieces using texts by Hildegard. Also rejigged one of those to another key so now all four of them are more comfortably singable by a standard SSAA configuration, rather than me really straining to get a low D! (Means the top line goes up higher than I am comfortable on now, but that’s kind of the point: I’m not really a soprano!)

Anyway, proposed final order to the set is now:

  1. O mirum admirandum
  2. Vos flores rosarum
  3. O virga mediatrix
  4. O choruscans lux stellaris
O virga mediatrix
O virga mediatrix,
sancta viscera tua
mortem superaverunt
et venter tuus omnes creaturas
illuminavit in pulchro flore
de suavissima integritate
clausi pudoris tui orto.

O branch and mediatrix,
your sacred flesh
has conquered death,
your womb all creatures
illumined
in beauty’s bloom from that exquisite purity
of your enclosed modesty
sprung forth.

translation by Nathaniel Campbell.

O choruscans lux stellaris / O glittering starlight!
O choruscans lux stellarum,
o fulgens gemma:
tu es ornata in alta persona
Tu es socia angelorum
et civis sanctorum.
Fuge, fuge speluncam 
antiqui perditoris,
et veniens veni in palatium regis.


O glittering starlight
O shining gem:
you are adorned like a noble 
you are a companion of angels
and a citizen among the saints.
Flee, O flee the cave
of the old betrayer
and come, O come into the king’s palace.

Translation (adapted from) Peter Dronke

And uh:

Virtual choir performance!

I should post the sheet music of this soon.