A Hymn to the Virgin

For this final project, I transposed Ave Generosa, a medieval piece of music written for the Catholic church by Hildegard Von Bingen. I took a soundtrack of one version of the song I found on youtube and I listened to it several times. By ear, I figured out the time signature, key signature, notes, values, and articulations. Medieval music did not have a lot of the elements I listed, the music really only had notes in which singers improvised values which is why there are so many variations out there. After this tedious process, I learned and practiced the piece and recorded it on saxophone. Most medieval music is sung and played on piano or other instruments like flute or recorder, but as the saxophone is the instrument I play best, I felt that this was the best choice. The second half of my project was a painting of a lily along with some lyrics from the song Ave Generosa. The painting of the piece itself was not the most important aspect of my project. I really wanted to use this painting to emphasize the way these lyrics portray women and the ideals women were held to during this time. The lily symbolized purity and chastity, something that The Virgin Mary was known for and idolized as well. The lyrics I wrote on the painting discuss the woman as a lily who God set His eyes on before the earth itself, which highlights not only the importance of religion during this time but also purity in women.

Olivia Pink