Tuotilo
Encyclopedia
Saint Tuotilo (ca. 850 – ca. 915) was a medieval monk
and composer
. Born in Ireland
, he is said to have been a large and powerfully built man. He was educated at the Abbey of St. Gall
and remained to become a monk there. He was the friend of Notker of St. Gall, with whom he studied music under Moengal. Around 900 he visited St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz
, a sister Benedictine abbey. From there he transferred two ivory plates for the Evangelium Longum to his home abbey and carved them.
Tuotilo could, anachronistically, be called a renaissance man
: he was a speaker, poet
, hymnist, architect
, painter
, sculptor, metal worker, and mechanic
.
Tuotilo was buried at a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine
in St. Gall, which was later renamed for him. His feast day is celebrated on March 28.
begins with the trope sung as Introit of the Mass
on Easter Sunday. It has come down to us in a St. Gallen manuscript
dating from the time of Tuotilo.
Most of his compositions have been lost.
, Metz
, Saint-Gall, and Mainz
.
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, he is said to have been a large and powerfully built man. He was educated at the Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
and remained to become a monk there. He was the friend of Notker of St. Gall, with whom he studied music under Moengal. Around 900 he visited St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz
St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz
St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz originated as a Benedictine abbey, founded in 787 or 796 by Archbishop Richulf in honour of Saint Alban of Mainz, located to the south of Mainz on the hill later called the Albansberg. It was turned into a collegiate foundation in 1442...
, a sister Benedictine abbey. From there he transferred two ivory plates for the Evangelium Longum to his home abbey and carved them.
Tuotilo could, anachronistically, be called a renaissance man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
: he was a speaker, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, hymnist, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptor, metal worker, and mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
.
Tuotilo was buried at a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
in St. Gall, which was later renamed for him. His feast day is celebrated on March 28.
Tuotilo's Music
Tuotilo played several instruments, including the harp. The history of the ecclesiastical dramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
begins with the trope sung as Introit of the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
on Easter Sunday. It has come down to us in a St. Gallen manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
dating from the time of Tuotilo.
Most of his compositions have been lost.
Tuotilo's Art
Tuotilo's paintings can be found at KonstanzKonstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
, Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, Saint-Gall, and Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
.