author
Balbulus Notker
d. 912
A monk, poet, and composer at the Abbey of Saint Gall, he helped shape medieval church music through the sequences collected in his Liber hymnorum. Remembered as “the Stammerer,” he also wrote about Charlemagne and stood out as one of the great literary voices of the Carolingian world.
1 Audiobook
Early Lives of Charlemagne by Eginhard and the Monk of St Gall edited by Prof. A. J. Grant
by Einhard, Balbulus Notker
About the author
Born around 840 and active at the Abbey of Saint Gall in what is now Switzerland, Notker Balbulus was a Benedictine monk known for his learning, writing, and music. He is often called Notker the Stammerer, a nickname that distinguishes him from other monks of the same name.
He is best known for his work on liturgical sequences, especially the collection Liber hymnorum, which became highly influential in medieval worship. Alongside his musical and poetic work, he also wrote on religious learning and is associated with an important Life of Charlemagne, making him a rare figure whose legacy spans both music and literature.
Notker died on April 6, 912. More than a thousand years later, he is still remembered as one of Saint Gall’s most notable scholars: a careful teacher, a creative writer, and a key voice in the development of early medieval chant.