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The "Ordo Virtutum", or Play of the Virtues, forms the Thirteenth Vision of the Third part of Hildegard of Bingen's Sci Vias Dei. It was probably performed at the dedication of Hildegard's convent.
Haven't a clue what's going on, but still here with me? Okay. The play is an allegory, with the soul, Anima, as the 'heroine'. Initially she's happy and looking forward to the life promised by the virtues. However, jaded, fatigued by the "cloak" of the life she must lead and tempted by the devil, she decides to enjoy the pleasures the world has to offer. At this point, the virtues introduce themselves. There are lots of virtues, led by their queen, 'Humility' and each of them provides some weapon to help subdue "the ancient snake" (the devil). As the title suggests, eventually the virtues triumph and Anima is rescued. This is all good death-and-resurrection stuff with plenty of recitatives and the music closely follows Hildegard's perception that different tones and melodic treatments represent the different virtues and vices.
The music is sung monophonic lines for female voices, plus a spoken, or perhaps more accurately shouted part for a man playing the devil. The various female parts are accompanied by music played on instruments which Hildegard considers help the subconscious to absorb the meaning directly.
Certainly important, this is one of the earliest extant peces of music other than chant. It has been variously described as 'extraordinary' or 'a bit wierd, not for the faint of heart'. Check it out on a CD by Sequentia, DHM77051 and make up your own mind. It's a double CD which lists in the UK at GBP20, and it's so obscure that you'll probably only find it on the shelves by accident or as the result of a cancelled order, so unless you know this is your cup of tea, probably worth checking it out at the local music library first, if you can.
Since one of my morris-related interests is mystery plays and suchlike, I've been looking at "Ordo Virtutum". If you hack around on the web, one reference book - "critical studies" - is cited again and again. But, if you live in the UK and do a book-search, it's hard, because the publisher doesn't appear on most of the lists, and I was unable to track down an ISBN for ages. So, to save anyone else the misery, here's the full citation:
"The Ordo Virtutum of Hildegard of Bingen: Critical Studies, 11/1992 Medieval Institute Publications."
Edited by Audrey E. Davidson.
(Early Drama, Art & Music Monograph) No. 18
Boxed, Slipcased and/or casebound, ISBN 1879288-17-6
Trade Paper ISBN 1-879288-18-4
However, unless you live in the US, this information may not do you a great deal of good: prices are in US Dollars only (USD25.00 and USD13.00 respectively as at June 1997) and there doesn't appear to be a UK agent for Medieval Institute Publications. Bookshops are, in the main, reluctant to order one-offs under these circumstances. If you are, or know, of a UK agent who will handle such an order, mail me and I'll post the information here. Meanwhile, try locating a friend in the US.
...and thanks to the long-suffering staff at Blackwells for their perseverence on such an abstruse topic, even after it had become clear that they wouldn't be able to handle the order.
text copyright© Andy Anderson, 1995-2002