Part III: The Soul Returns (Mvt. 58-71) 11:30

veils, golden crowns, and jewelry on several feast days, with their hair unbound. ust why Hildegard composed Ordo virtutum is unknown. Its specialness as a composition suggests a special occasion as impetus, although the piece could serve more than one purpose and was likely performed more than once. Possibilities for premieres include the reconsecration of the church at Rupertsberg (May 1, 1151), as well as the ceremony connected with the consecration of women to holy orders. As a reference to the first possibility, this recording opens with a performance of Terribilis est, the Introit of the Mass for the Dedication of a Church, with its own reference to the Virtues. he performers needed for Ordo virtutum fit very well with those at Hildegard’s disposal. The central characters are seventeen personified virtues: Knowledge of God, Humility, Charity, Fear of God, Obedience, Faith, Hope, Chastity, Innocence, World Rejection, Heavenly Love, Shamefastness (Modesty), Mercy, Victory, Discretion, Patience, and one unnamed Virtue usually dubbed “Discipline” by modern scholars. To this are added Anima (the Soul), several “embodied souls,” Patriarchs and Prophets, and the Devil. Hildegard had enough nuns in her community to handle the parts of Anima, the other souls, and the Virtues; Hildegard herself probably sang Humility, the Queen of the Virtues. The short part of Patriarchs and Prophets could be taken by the visiting dignitaries necessary for major liturgical ceremonies. And the very special part of the Devil was surely performed by the sole man in the Rupertsberg community, a priest and confessor named Volmar who served as Hildegard’s friend and amanuensis for most of her life. The Devil’s part was deeply symbolic, for he is the villain of the work. He is the only character who is not permitted to sing, but can only speak; all other parts are sung throughout. Late in life, in a famous letter to the Prelates of Mainz, Hildegard confirmed what she had demonstrated long before in Ordo virtutum: that music is antithetical to the Devil. rdo virtutum appears in its manuscript sources without any designation of scenes, although modern performers and editors usually divide the work into several sections. After the short opening exchange between the Patriarchs and Prophets (representing the Old Testament) and the Virtues (representing the New Testament), the plot is underway with the lament of embodied souls followed by Anima’s happy invocation of the Virtues. But her contentment soon turns to a desire to enjoy the world, and the Devil whisks her off to do precisely that. While she is away, the individual Virtues introduce themselves, reject the taunting of the Devil, and lament the loss of Anima.