A fascinating in depth look at a central mediaeval figure, Hildegard of Bingen, and the influence she had in a variety of areas. Well researched and well written, an essential read for those interested in the period.

At long last…a book about the indomitable Hildegard con Bingen. I do wish it had been a bit longer due to the fact that the actual woman herself lived such a long and storied life. Still very much recommended.

An interesting book about an interesting woman. My only quibble is that it could have been longer. Read this book

This thoroughly researched and detailed exploration of the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen is academic scholarship at its best but for the general reader, someone like me, perhaps a little inaccessible. It examines the music in such depth that much of it went over my head, and, more to the point perhaps, was of little relevance. This was not a fault of the book, which is an excellent one, I feel, but I was not the target audience, although I appreciated leaning more about the life. A book for serious music lovers, musicologists, teachers and students, and a valuable contribution to Hildegard scholarship.

Hildegard of Bingen is one of my favorite historical figures. She was an accomplished writer, musician, and physician. This biography was short but detailed and comprehensive. I recommend this for those who do not know much about her.

This short biography is part of a series of biographies of women composers. As such, it puts great emphasis on her music.

In the biographical part of the book, almost half the book, we get a good factual biography. While this part does not ignore her considerable accomplishments, it summarizes, often with just a sentence or two, her writing while going into technical depth about her music.

The remainder of the book can be divided into two parts. The first part has two very long chapters. They describe the fortunes of the saint's music and writings after her death, once again putting lots of emphasis on music with plenty of technical detail. The second of these chapters is a classification of her music into categories with a consideration of the class and more technical detail. The second part is a resource section with notes, a bibliography, and a list of recordings.

While this emphasis of the book is fantastic for musicologists and scholars, it mars the book for both the general reader and for those looking for information on her thought.

The author uses the word “interestingly” thirteen times in this book, eleven of which start a sentence. Frustratingly, she never shares her insight as to why this fact may be interesting. Professor Meconi is obviously fascinated by Hildegard of Bingen (1098? – 1179) – with good reason. This astonishing woman was a brilliant composer; managed an abbey of nuns; wrote to popes and other dignitaries; and was famous for her visions.

I can see how brilliant Hildegard was, but Professor Meconi just doesn’t bring her to life. The book starts with a chronological biography, but then seems to dart backwards and forwards, exploring relationships between her compositions and books. The professor is probably unsurpassed in her knowledge of the music and Chapters Eight and Nine, treating of various aspects of the music, are fascinating. I just found the middle chapters, flitting from history to deep analysis of the music, then back to history again, rather bewildering. I am still uncertain when her first book, Scivias, was started, although we are told it was finished in 1151.

I would have preferred for Professor Meconi to have continued to deal with the whole of Hildegard’s life as she does at the start and end of the book: in chronological order, explaining the politics of the mediaeval church and how women like Hildegard were treated. If she had postponed the commentary upon Hildegard’s music until she had finished dealing with the life, the book would be easier to read.

If you want to read a high quality treatise upon Hildegard’s music, this is the book. If you’re simply interested in knowing about a highly impressive woman, start at the beginning; and when you reach the section on the rededication of the church at Rupertsberg, skip through the explanation of Ordo virtutum to Chapter 3 – New Challenges. Do make sure you read Chapter 7 – Aftermath – which deals with Hildegard’s growing reputation since her death.

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Genuinely fascinating. Had no idea Hildegard was so accomplished and so brilliantly resilient despite being plagued by poor health throughout her life. Incredibly accessible and well written.

A lovely journey. Exhaustively researched and easy to read. I had never heard of her before and it was wonderful to learn about her. What an interesting woman!

Well researched I love Hildegard of Bingen. I've always had a soft spot for medieval mystics, but Hildegard especially. This dive into her life by Honey Meconi might not have the drama of Hildegard's visions, but it's the perfect primer for getting to know Hildegard.

If you want to start from the beginning, I would recommend this quick read on the mystic's life. If you're looking for more in-depth dives into Hildegard's visions, there are other books that will serve you better.

One thing I found interesting though with Meconi's version was that there was a focus on Hildegard's music. That's something you rarely see elsewhere and that alone made the read worthwhile.

Honey Meconi's book is a nice introduction to the life and work of 12th century nun Hildegard of Bingen. In the book's first half, Meconi provides an accessible and well-written biography of Hildegard, drawing on the latest scholarship. In the second, she offers a more in-depth account of HIldegard's musical works. This second section assumes some musical literacy, but not specialist specialist knowledge. Hildegard of Bingen is suitable and will appeal to general audiences and serve as a solid foundation on Hildegard for undergraduate students.

A must for anyone seriously interested in the mystic, theological thinker, preacher, and--of course--musician. This biography, and analysis of Hildegard's musical output, gives the modern reader a great introduction of the era, forms, and mores in which she worked and affected the world around her. A scholarly must-read.

This is a brief biography to introduce this famous German nun to a wider audience. In 9 chapters the author introduces Hildegards astonishing life followed by an introduction of all her written works. At the end of the book is a more detailed description of her musical works. It is a short easy read for everyone who would like to know more about this fabulous, visionary nun.

The more that is written about Hildegard von Bingen, the better! She was an amazing person, a composer, a poet, a performer, a dramatist, a visionary, a theologian, cosmologist, spiritual leader, preacher, philosopher, political advisor, naturalist, linguist, teacher, healer, writer and more.