Publisher's Synopsis
It 1106 when an eight-year-old girl named Hildegard came to live with Lysanor of Rupertsberg. One of the girls would become a twenty-first-century saint and icon-a mystic, physician, teacher, and, most importantly, a musician. The other would make her mark on the world as a grace note-the woman in the shadow. As their lives intertwine, two vastly different girls begin to build a friendship that will eventually lead both into experiences they never could have imagined. As music begins to fill Lysanor's life as never before, her psaltery and her new roommate, Hildegard, become her constant companions. Sent away by her parents in preparation for a life serving God, Hildegard speaks little; her weak body is ravaged by illness. Still, Lysanor perseveres and eventually convinces Hildegard to play music with her-lifting Hildegard's spirits in the process. Little does Lysanor know that with her gentle prompting, she has set Hildegard on the path to her destiny. Grace Note is a tale rich in historical detail that allows others to imagine what really happened as Hildegard of Bingen slowly builds a reputation across churches, continents, and time-a reputation that would one day be called into question.
