Description
Mountain of the Cloistered Mind (2023) for solo tuba with optional electronics
Joanna Ross Hersey
Mountain of the Cloistered Mind was composed for tuba and electronic track for Dr. Gretchen Renshaw James, as part of her Diverse Voices in Music Project, which was supported by the Odyssey Professorship she held at Hendrix College between 2020-2023. Dr. Renshaw’s work supports the creation of music of modest difficulty, approachable for a variety of players. The work received its premiere at the International Women’s Brass Conference in Mito City, Japan in August 2024.
The title is taken from lyrics which Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) wrote to honor one of her favorite saints, and the founder of the order at Disibodenberg, where she spent much of her life. Her hymn “O presul vere civitatis” or “Bishop of the True City,” a sequence for St. Disibod which served as inspiration for this composition, is found in her Symphonia Armonie Celestium Revelationum (Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations). This collection of Hildegard’s compositions forms part of the Riesencodex (c. 1175-1190), a large volume which contains sets of musical works, together with her musical play Ordo virtutum, her life story, and various writings and letters. Surviving today, the Riesencodex is part of the collection at the Hochschul-und Landesbibliothek RheinMain in Wiesbaden, Germany. The book itself has a fascinating history, being removed for safekeeping during the second world war and briefly lost. Hildegard’s lyrics honor the heights to which humanity can reach, with their rightful focus on God.
St. Disibod (c. 619-700) provided the inspiration for the electronic accompaniment, which centers a feeling of calm such as he might have experienced as he arrived to settle atop a hill in rural Germany, after leaving his native Ireland. Set in a patch of forest in the quiet and peaceful Glan and Nahe River valley, a church and community were built in harmony with the surrounding farmland. When, as a child, Hildegard arrived there more than 400 years later, she flourished under the creative atmosphere which welcomed her. She stayed on in service to the church, wrote books, composed music, and led her thriving community of nuns. The work of St. Disibod provided the foundation for all that was to come. Through her music, Hildegard honored his adventurous spirit, and his value of community in harmony with nature.
Length: 6 minutes (length is flexible, shorter performances are welcomed).
Difficulty Level: III/IV (moderate register, flexible length and tempo, suitable for high school and beyond).
Digital Copy ($10)
Includes: Solo Part (PDF) and Accompanying Sound File (MP3).
Once payment is processed, you will be emailed a download link allowing 4 maximum downloads within 30 days.
Bound Paper Copy ($15) with free shipping
Includes: Printed sheet music with the electronic accompaniment on a CD.
