| Born: | February 18, 1013 in Althausen, Swabia |  |
| Died: | September 21, 1054 in Reichenau, Austria | |
| Nationality: | German | |
| Era: | Medieval Music - Late Middle Ages | |
| Main genre: | Choral Music - Plainchant | |
| Main works: | Salve regina | |
| Brief biography: | Also known as Herman of Reichenau and Blessed Herman the Cripple Hermannus was born in poor health to a poor farming family in Alhausen, Swabia, which is part of southern Germany today. He had a cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida. Unable to provide proper care for him, his parents gave him to the Abbey of Reichenau when he was seven. By twenty, he became a Benedictine monk. He was considered a genius by many and studied astronomy, theology, math, history, poetry, music, and several languages (Arabic, Greek, and Latin). He wrote on many of these subjects and was an instrument maker and the inventor of the Shepherd Dial (type of sundial). His musical compositions have been studied by music scholars and many of the compositions that have been atributed to him are possibly not his. Also, many accounts of his life have been exaggerated according to many scholars. Even so, Hermannus was beatified as a saint in 1863. Although he was never canonized, his feast day is recognized as September 25. Near the end of his short life, he went blind and gave up his writing. | |