O felix apparicio

Psalm antiphon for St. Rupert [May 15] (D 164v, R 471ra) by Hildegard of Bingen Back to Table of Contents

O felix apparicio, cum in amico Dei Ruperto flamma vite choruscavit, ita quod caritas Dei in corde eius fluxit, timorem Domini amplectens. Unde etiam agnitio eius in supernis civibus floruit.

O happy gleam appearing— in Rupert, friend of God, the flame of life has flashed so that God’s love has flowed within his heart, the Fear of the Lord embracing. So now his true identity, revealed among the citizens above, has bloomed.

Latin collated from the transcription of Beverly Lomer and the edition of Barbara Newman; translation by Nathaniel M. Campbell.

Transcription and Music Notes
by Beverly Lomer

Mode: E
Range: B below the final to G an octave and a third above
Setting: Primarily syllabic with a lengthy melisma to conclude

In this antiphon to St. Rupert the Confessor, Hildegard employs a fairly standard method of demarcating phrases: primarily the final and the fifth (E and B). The opening (salutation) is outlined by the final. The next phrase begins with it and ends on B, as does the next. This gives a feeling of suspension rather than a conclusion.

In the second and third lines of the transcription, Ruperto is placed with flamma vite. It could, however, go with the previous line if one prefers. The next three phrases are short, the first two of which are punctuated by E, while the third creates a sense of incompleteness, ending on B. On page two of the transcription, I elected to begin lines 1 and 4 with the leap from B to E in the first case, and from E to B in the second. The conclusion is divided into phrases similarly to the previous material.

There are quite a few differences between Dendermonde and Riesenkodex. The ending on D in R should be disregarded and Dendermonde followed, as Hildegard always concludes on the modal final. Although the translation does not include a psalm cadence, we have marked this antiphon as a psalm antiphon because D includes the rubric for the cadence (EUOUAE) in the margin, but it is not neumed there and is completely missing in R.

Further Resources for O felix apparicio

• Hildegard of Bingen, Symphonia, ed. Barbara Newman (Cornell Univ. Press, 1988 / 1998), pp. 190-91 and 293-94.
• For a discography of this piece, see the comprehensive list by Pierre-F. Roberge: Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) - A discography