Herman of Reichnau: Music of a Quadriplegic Monk
St. Mary's Church
440 Grand St, New York, NY 10002, USA
New York
40.715653
-73.985078
Hermann of Reichenau (“Herman the Disabled”) was an astonishing figure of the central Middle Ages. Most likely suffering from cerebral palsy, the quadriplegic Hermann was confined to a chair for his entire life. Hermann became one of the most accomplished intellectuals of his day, teaching astronomy, history, rhetoric, and mathematics. But Hermann was perhaps best known as a composer of “the sweetest melodies ever heard”.
This project takes as its centerpiece Hermann’s Historia Sancti Magni, or “The Story of Saint Magnus”. This vivid composition is essentially medieval opera, full of dynamic melodies and solemn drama, including natural miracles and supernatural interactions with animals.
This music will be performed for the first time in 10 centuries, reanimated by Sequentia-member leiken and composer Doug Balliett, in a new edition prepared from the medieval manuscript.
