Notker Physicus ( – 12 November 975) was a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monk at the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had er ...

, active as a physician, painter, composer and poet. He is best known for his medical prowess, and may have been physician to the Holy Roman Emperors

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

and

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

. His paintings, now lost, were well regarded in his time, and two of his compositions survive, a

office An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...

and

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

. Aside from ''physicus'' (), or the equivalent ''medicus'', he was also nicknamed ''piperis granum'' () on account of his monastic dedication. He is sometimes called Notker II, living after St. Gall's

Notker the Stammerer Notker the Stammerer ( – 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. Described as "a significant figure in the Western Church", Notker made subst ...

and before

Notker Labeo Notker Labeo ( – 28 June 1022), also known as Notker the German () or Notker III, was a Benedictine monk active as a scholar and teacher. He was the first commentator on Aristotle active in the Middle Ages and translated the works of earlier L ...

Life and career

Notker's birth year is unknown; the philologist estimated it around 900, which is also given by the ''

Great Norwegian Encyclopedia The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...

''. His life was spent at the

, although only two specific dates can be connected with Notker. By 956 or 957, he had obtained the ''cellarius'' () position as an administrator, and by 965 the ''hospitarius'' () position as a physician. Notker is probably identifiable with a ''Notker notarius'', indicating that he was a

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...

. His medical expertise probably led him to be physician of the Holy Roman Emperors

and

at some point. Among his students was , who dedicated his ''Vita sancti Fridolin'' to Notker. He died on 12 November 975. Notker Physicus was given the nickname ''piperis granum'' () on account of his monastic dedication. Later sources also call him ''physicus'' (), or the equivalent ''medicus'', signifying his medical prowess. He is sometimes referred to as "Notker II", as the second in a line of Notkers at St. Gall, proceeded by

and followed by

. Notker Physicus and Notker Labeo were likely named after Notker the Stammerer. Another Notker, who died on 15 December 975, was abbot of Saint Gall from 971 to 975 and nephew of Notker Physicus. He made several paintings, which were lauded by

Ekkehard IV Ekkehard IV ( 980 – c. 1056) was a monk of the Abbey of Saint Gall and the author of the ''Casus sancti Galli'' and ''Liber Benedictionum''. Life According to the testimony in his "Chronicle" (especially in view of his statement that he had hear ...

, particularly during a restoration effort for the Abbey's fire in 937. The ''

'' remarks that Notker's painterly abilities "achieved great recognition" in both church artworks and that of

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s. Ekkehard also indicates that Notker authored now lost-poems for royal receptions and at least two extant musical compositions: an

for Saint Othmar, the "Rector aeterni metuende saecli", and a

, the "Hymnum beatae virgini".

List of works

* " Rector aeterni metuende saecli" ("Fearsome Ruler of the Eternal World"), a musical

for Saint Othmar * " Hymnum beatae virgini" ("Hymn to the Blessed Virgin"), a

* Lost poems (for royal receptions) and lost paintings

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * *

Life and career

List of works

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading