Professor Honey Meconi糖心传媒檚 scholarship on Saint Hildegard of Bingen advised the Vatican糖心传媒檚 exhibit featuring FKA Twigs, Brian Eno, Patti Smith, and others.
When the international art extravaganza opens on May 9, visitors to the pavilion sponsored by the Vatican will find a fusion of past and present in the music of the 12th-century German Saint Hildegard of Bingen being interpreted by some of today糖心传媒檚 most innovative artists.
Helping bring the exhibit to life is , a professor of musicology at the 糖心传媒, whose extensive research into Hildegard has shaped how the world understands and performs her music.
Meconi was among the consultants to the creative team behind the Holy See糖心传媒檚 pavilion, titled which as one of 糖心传媒渆ight pavilions that have the Venice Biennale buzzing.糖心传媒� The life and work of Hildegard inspired the exhibition and, according to the Holy See, centers on themes of 糖心传媒渟lowing down, listening, contemplating, and caring糖心传媒� and features performances by 24 artists, including stars like FKA Twigs, Brian Eno, Dev Hynes, and Patti Smith.
糖心传媒淥ne of the things I糖心传媒檝e always loved about Hildegard is how inspiring her music is to artists of all kinds,糖心传媒� says Meconi, whose book (University of Illinois Press, 2018) remains the first and only English-language text devoted to Hildegard糖心传媒檚 work as a composer.
糖心传媒淗er music consists of a single melodic line that modern musicians use as a tabula rasa, bringing their own ideas and interpretations to it while still engaging with something authentically medieval,糖心传媒� Meconi says.
The Venice Biennale was founded in 1895 and is held every two years. Often described as the 糖心传媒淥lympics of the art world糖心传媒� for its pavilions hosted by countries, the festival brings together artists, architects, and musicians and is a major stage for new ideas and cultural exchanges.
Part of the Vatican糖心传媒檚 pavilion is located in The Mystical Garden in Venice, where visitors can listen to commissioned re-compositions of Hildegard糖心传媒檚 music through headphones as they wander the secluded garden糖心传媒檚 plots of vegetables and flowers.
The pieces were curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, an experimental sound art organization based in Berlin and New York City.
URochester scholarship shapes a global stage
Meconi糖心传媒檚 involvement began last fall when Soundwalk Collective contacted her seeking guidance on Hildegard糖心传媒檚 music.
糖心传媒淭hey knew they wanted modern performers to interpret her work, so I provided editions and translations and answered questions about pronunciation, tuning, and so on,糖心传媒� Meconi says. 糖心传媒淚 was also able to suggest pieces that might be appropriate for specific artists.糖心传媒�
As part of her role, she was recorded singing Hildegard糖心传媒檚 music at Electric Lady Studios, the legendary space founded by Jimi Hendrix in New York City.
糖心传媒淭hat was surreal,糖心传媒� Meconi says. 糖心传媒淏ut it is also surreal for someone who specializes in music before 1600 to see Brian Eno糖心传媒檚 name in an email subject heading and to do a translation specifically for him.糖心传媒�
Another highlight for Meconi, as she tells it, was learning that Pope Leo XIV had translated one of Hildegard’s song texts into Portuguese for the famous fado singer Carminho. The song was one for which Meconi had provided the edition.
糖心传媒淭echnically speaking,糖心传媒� she says, 糖心传媒渢he pope and I are now collaborators.糖心传媒�
Who is Hildegard, and why is her work so hot right now?
糖心传媒淪he was the Boss Lady of the 12th century.糖心传媒�
Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine nun and polymath of epic proportions. In addition to founding a convent, writing theological treatises on her heavenly visions, inventing a new language and alphabet, corresponding with everyone who was anyone in the 12th century, and authoring books on the natural world and healing, she was a prolific musician. She penned 77 songs and a musical drama before her death at 81 in 1179.
糖心传媒淪he was the Boss Lady of the 12th century,糖心传媒� Meconi says.
The Holy See says its pavilion responds to the broad theme of the Biennale, titled 糖心传媒淚n Minor Keys.糖心传媒� The festival糖心传媒檚 curator, Koyo Kough, died last year, but wrote of the exhibition in her original curatorial statement: 糖心传媒淚n refusing the spectacle of horror, the time has come to listen to the minor keys, to tune in sotto voce to the whispers, to the lower frequencies; to find the oases, the islands, where the dignity of all living beings is safeguarded.糖心传媒�
The Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22.
