Theory into Practice. A Contemporary Artist Approaches a Repertoire from the XII Century

Abstract

When I became a student of the M A in Ritual Chant and Song at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (2015-2016) I did not have any previous formal music education or any academic Gregorian chant background. Therefore, I offer here a description of the experience that reveals the moments when I started to embody and recognize through practice the basic modal elements of western chant. The paper begins with a literature review that informs the reader about Hildegard von Bingen’s life, her theology of music and her cycle of songs, Symphonia armonie celestium revelatorium. Then, I depict the auto ethnographic exploration of understanding theory through practice and, finally, I present my conclusions.