Notker Balbulus
Notker Balbulus, also referred to as Notker I or Notker the Stammerer, was a German monk and scholar born around 840 in Jonschwil, Switzerland. Raised by Adalbert, a warrior who fought alongside Charlemagne, Notker received a comprehensive liberal arts education at the monastery of Saint Gall, where he also began his writing career. His most notable work, the "Liber hymnorum," initiated around 860, is a significant collection of liturgical meditations that outlines the church year and showcases the development of the medieval sequence genre. This genre, which emphasizes simple yet elevated compositions centered on major Christian festivals, became widely popular in the medieval period.
In addition to his hymns, Notker authored "Gesta Caroli," which preserved aspects of the Charlemagne legend and served to maintain the political lineage of Charlemagne's descendants. He also penned "Vita Sancti Galli," though only fragments of this dialogue with his pupil, Hartmann, survive today. Notker became the abbot of Saint Gall in 890, during which he expanded the monastery's library and promoted patristic studies. He passed away in 912 and was beatified in 1512, marking his lasting influence on medieval scholarship and Christian liturgy.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Notker Balbulus
- Born: c. 840
- Birthplace: Jonschwil, Saint Gall, Switzerland
- Died: 912
Biography
German monk and scholar Notker Balbulus, also known as Notker I or Notker the Stammerer, was born around 840 in Jonschwil in the canton of Saint Gall, Switzerland. His father died when he was young and Notker was raised by Adalbert, who fought with Charlemagne’s army against the Saxons and the Slavs. His early schooling was monitored by the monks at Saint Gall’s monastery, and he received a broad liberal arts education. Notker probably started writing while he was a student. He worked in the library at Saint Gall, where his tasks included copying and updating historical texts, collating biblical materials, writing chronicles, and composing original works of prose and poetry for use in the monastery.
Notker’s Liber hymnorum, which he began writing around 860, is a collection of liturgical meditations that spans the entirety of the church year and is dedicated to Liutward, bishop of Vercelli and chancellor of Charles the Fat. The long scripturally themed sequences incorporated segments of myriad religious texts; these sequences served as mnemonics to help readers recall the various pitches sung during plainsong.
Liber hymnorum best exemplifies Notker’s development of the medieval sequentia or sequence genre. The genre probably originated in Lorraine and Nokter may have been able to obtain examples from monasteries in that area. The sequentia emphasizes simple works, elevated style, and topics focused on major Christian festivals. It was very popular well into the twelfth century. Notker is also the author of Gesta Caroli (after 883; Two Lives of Charlemagne, 1969), a work that preserved many of the elements of the Charlemagne legend while helping Charlemagne’s descendants maintain their separate inheritances. Only fragments remain of Notker’s Vita Sancti Galli (c. 883-884), which is written as a dialogue between Notker and his pupil, Hartmann.
Notker became the abbot of the monastery of Saint Gall in 890. During his tenure as abbot, the monastery library was expanded and patristic studies were promoted. Notker died in 912 and he was beatified in 1512.