Writing Assignment - Ordo Virtutum - Hildegard von Bingen

I was absent on Thurday, unfortunately, but I 'YouTubed' this assignment.

Ordo Virtutum - Hildegard von Bingen
1. Qui sunt hi, qui ut nubes?
2. Processional of embodied souls
3. O nos peregrine sumus
4. Anima processional
from : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbO8NXbgdbE

1. This starts out with parallel organum sung in two male voices. It is followed by a unison soprano line. This soprano line is quite melismatic. The male parallel organum makes another brief statement to conclude this movement.

2. Strangely, strange to me at least, this movement is instrumental. I don't hear any instruments that I recognize specifically, but I hear a bowed instrument, and what sounds like a tenor double-reed instrument, however I can't pick out specifically what it might be. This movement has a lot of call and response; often, it is a direct repeat of what happened before it.

3. Soprano unison line. This movement seems initially neumatic, but as it develops, it shows its true colors as a melismatic segment. As we proceed down the timeline, I'm noticing that high soprano features brilliantly sung by women and countertenore are evolving into more of a mezzo-sporano voice sung primarily by women.

4. This is also instrumental. There is a lot of drone strings. I hear a flute this time. I wonder if this youtube version is a modern interpretation of Hildegard von Bingen's work, because it has not been typical, yet, to hear instrumental works, especially solely instrumental works, in any music thus far. This is probably a secular move away from the norms of sacred music

Overall, this piece was calm and soothing. I liked it.