Stretching the Bounds of Mediaeval Chant: Richard Souther and Sr. Germaine Fritz with "Praise for the Virgin (O Virga Ac Diadema)"

Today's random song is by Richard Souther, who reinterprets the work of Hildegard von Bingen. Richard Souther is a composer, producer, arranger, sound designer and multi-keyboardist working in the areas of New Age, smooth jazz and contemporary Christian music. A child prodigy who studied piano from the age of three, he eventually became an in-demand session musician until his career was almost derailed by a near-fatal bout of botulism. During his four year recovery, he began to delve into electronic music. In 1994, he recorded his groundbreaking album Vision: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen with vocalists Emily van Evera and Sr. Germaine Fritz, OSB. Von Bingen was a German 12th century writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath who created one of the largest repertoires of any mediaeval composer and who stretched the boundaries of traditional monastic chant. Her music frequently had themes centering around the Virgin Mary, the heavenly in earthly life, and a desire to know the divine. Today's tune, called Praise for the Virgin (O Virga Ac Diadema) can be found on Souther's 1994 album Vision: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen.

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