notker the stammerer life of charlemagne

Among his students was Solomon, who was later Bishop of Constance from 890 until his death in 912. He became established as a well-known teacher and was eventually appointed 'master of the monastic school'. Īlthough first and foremost a scholar, Notker held numerous positions at the Abby including librarian in 890 and master of guests ( hospitarius) in 892 and 894. The later Casus monasterii Sancti Galli of Ekkehard IV 'paints a lively picture of the monastery school', and notes that Notker was taught alongside Tuotilo and Ratpert all three would become teachers and composers at the Abbey. His teachers included the Swiss monk Iso and the Irish monk Moengal, called 'Marcellus' by Notker. He began schooling at Saint Gall early in age and spent the rest of his life in the Abbey. ' babbler') or 'the Stammerer' in English. Since childhood Notker had a stutter, resulting in the Latin epithet balbulus ( lit. Notker's later biographer Ekkehard V claims he was born in Heiligau-now Elgg-in the Canton of Zürich, but this has been rejected by the historian Gerold Meyer von Knonau, who suggests a birthplace near Jonschwil.

His wealthy family was of either Alemannic or Swiss descent and they owned land in Jonschwil of Thurgau. Notker was born around 840, near the Abbey of Saint Gall in modern-day Switzerland. He was given 'the Stammerer' as an epithet, due to his lifelong stutter. Although venerated by the Abbey of Saint Gall and the namesake of later scholars there such as Notker Physicus and Notker Labeo, Notker was never formally canonized. A renowned teacher, he taught Solomon III, the bishop of Constance and on occasion advised Charles the Fat.

Notker quickly became a central figure of the Abbey and among the leading literary scholars of the Early Middle Ages. His other works include a biography of Saint Gall, the Vita Sancti Galli, and a martyrology.īorn near the Abbey of Saint Gall, Notker was educated alongside the monks Tuotilo and Ratpert all three were composers, making the Abbey an important center of early medieval music.

He is usually credited with two major works of the Carolingian period: the Liber Hymnorum, which includes an important collection of early sequences, and an early biography of Charlemagne, the Gesta Karoli Magni. Described as 'a significant figure in the Western Church', Notker made substantial contributions to both the music and literature of his time. 840 – 6 April 912), Notker Balbulus, or simply Notker, was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall active as a composer, poet and scholar.

Notker the stammerer life of charlemagne