A review by Tyran Grillo, Doctoral Candidate in Asian Studies at Cornell University.
In her lucid biography of Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), author Fiona Maddocks calls the 12th-century German abbess not a, but the woman of her age. That assertion of the definite article mirrors a transformation undergone by so many of Hildegard’s followers — those who, in becoming aware of the sheer breadth of her insights, have found themselves crawling out of indefinite shadows and into affirmative light.
Such was the case with filmmaker Michael Conti, whose own existential crisis brought him into communion with Saint Hildegard’s calling, visions, and prescriptions. One of those prescriptions was music — the art by which so many first came to speak her name when recordings flooded the early music market in the mid-1990s. Yet her ear for sonic devotion was but one of many gifts. She immersed herself in divine liturgies and holy works, and learned to read and paint, skills passed on to her by an anchoress at her abbey.
What Led a 21st-Century American to a 12th-Century Prophetess
Conti explains the connection in his own words:
“My initial transformation occurred in 1983, when I first caught a whiff of the creative potential found in Barcelona at that time. Being there gave me confidence to pursue a life of creativity when I went to Hollywood after graduation. Little did I know that Hollywood would be kryptonite to my desire to be truly creative in my own way. When I encountered Saint Hildegard’s spirit during a retreat to Germany in 2013, I rediscovered that deep, sweet connection again — and had an awakening to her as my Patron Saint of Creativity.”
Conti’s equation of mysticism and creativity is a leitmotif throughout his documentary The Unruly Mystic. Fueled by his overseas revival and addressing the near-absence of Hildegard depictions in film, the documentary puts forward the notion that mysticism is one true path to the awakening of religion and culture — an idea familiar to any Jungian, and one echoed by the film’s many passionate contributors.
The Voices in the Film
Actor and singer Linn Maxwell, who created a one-woman show of Hildegard’s musical life, calls her the “saint of creativity” and stresses the demanding nature of her compositions. Also featured is Dietburg Spohr, whose bold interpretation of Hildegard’s morality play Ordo Virtutum was released in 2013 on ECM Records. Spohr reminds us that Hildegard’s music was largely ignored for centuries, and that we simply don’t know how or where it was originally performed. What we can surmise is that music, heard and transcribed through the spirit, was her worship — and that it is this quality, beyond any commercial image, that accounts for its innovation and longevity.
That Hildegard’s music survives at all is something of a miracle. She was better known in her own time for her many books, written by dictation to a monk — itself a form of musical transmission. Among their ranging subjects, and most famously, she left a record of her divine visions. If the music expressed what she heard, the writing expressed what was shown to her. Whether from fear of not being believed, or simply the intimacy of these revelations, Hildegard kept them to herself for years, sharing them openly only in her prime.
A Superstar in the Middle Ages
“To be a superstar in the Middle Ages meant to excel in holiness,” says Dr. Beverly Kienzle of Harvard Divinity School — and a superstar Hildegard certainly was. In addition to her creative pursuits, she founded two monasteries and maintained a healing ministry. Her interest in medicine was erudite, connecting the energies of elements, animals, and nature to human health. Although current medical science would dismiss many of her claims, their innovation and timeliness are undeniable.
Dr. Wighard Strehlow, interviewed at length in the film, speaks highly of the health benefits anticipated in her work — benefits which, through his efforts eight centuries later, have entered a phase of rediscovery. Hildegard was one of the first western practitioners of holistic healing on record, and an advocate for “greening” the world long before it was ecologically fashionable to be one.
What “Mystic” Really Means
It is important to note that, contrary to popular use, the word “mystic” is not used here to connote the esoteric supernaturalia of an impenetrable soul. In Conti’s own words:
“I use the word to emphasize that we are all open to the possibility of awakening. It is not something owned by a few but should be democratic in nature. We tend to pedestalize our heroes in movies, sports, and the arts — which limits us through comparison. If we accept that being a mystic is available to everyone, I think we have a greater potential for good.”
The film makes a point of stressing that mystics are the keepers of humanity at its best and most authentic, and that Hildegard’s vision can empower us by dissociating us from our egos. Conti would like audiences to come away with whatever moves them about her legacy. Whether through creative potential or potential creation, Hildegard has gifted us with more than enough tools to build virtues from scratch. In the end, it is about understanding our beginnings.
Review by Tyran Grillo, Doctoral Candidate at Cornell University in Asian Studies, New York, USA. Visit his ECM Reviews blog for the original review and more. Dietburg Spohr’s Ordo Virtutum on ECM Records was previously reviewed by Tyran.