O Sweet and Beloved Mother, a study for my upcoming opera on Hildegard von Bingen, is inspired by a pair of melodic lines from two antiphons by the 12th c. saint/composer/visionary/polymath: ‘O Vis Aeternitatis’ and ‘O Virtus Sapientiae.’ The title of the piece refers to a line in the former; themes of motherhood—whether referring to the Virgin Mary, Mother Zion, or Biblical virtues such as Caritas and Sapientie—were abundant in her prayers to the divine. The music imagines a moment where prayer expands into a vision, encompassing aspects of both.
San Diego Story
"I was impressed with the ensemble’s opening salvo, Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “O Sweet and Beloved Mother,” an engaging instrumental tribute to the music of Hildegard von Bingen...Snider is writing an opera about Hildegard von Bingen, and [this piece] is a study for this highly anticipated project. Her octet for strings, winds, and piano references themes from two Hildegard antiphons...Snider’s chant-like themes are given to solo winds and strings and float through this delicately scored meditation. A filigree of roulades from the piano’s highest range surrounds them like an aureole in a sacred icon, evoking mystical visions appropriate to the music’s sources."
