A large Gradual choirbook. The plainsong Recordare, virgo mater and Ave, regina celorum mater and the polyphonic Kyrie from Vatican Mass V are copied in clear ink, but the other two polyphonic works are copied in much paler ink and likely to be later additions. Both these pieces are in fact complete, though partly tucked away into the binding at the end. In spite of similarities in writing, the scribe of no. 1 uses rhomboids and a 'y' in leison, while the scribe of nos. 2 and 3 does not employ rhomboids but only square breves and longs in ligatures, together with an 'i' in leison. He also writes the text under both voices, while the first scribe only writes it under the bottom part, in spite of bis ornamental initials.

Brown leather over wooden boards, with blind tooling at front and back.

large black square

Usually eight red four-line staves per page, except for the polyphony added on f. CCCXIX (old foliation), in which the staves are in the same brown ink as the words and music.

Old foliation runs from I to CCCXIX at t.m.v., starting with what now should be f. 3.

276v

Gothic minuscule script; red and blue initials

2 paper + 329 parchment + 8 paper

RISM B/IV 2: A 14th century parchment Gradual meas. 415 x 300 mm. This large choirbook is written in Gothic minuscule script with red and blue initials, and employs a large black square notation. It consists of 329 folios altogether, including 2 unnumbered ones at the front and 8 at the back (these are later additions). In addition, there are 2 unnumbered paper flyleaves at the front and 2 at the back. The old foliation runs from I to CCCXIX at t.m.v., starting with what now should be f. 3. The binding is of brown leather over wooden boards, with blind tooling at front and back. There are usually eight red four-line staves per page, but for the polyphony added on f. CCCXIX (old foliation) the staves are in the same brown ink as the words and music. For the plainsong Recordare, virgo mater and Ave, regina celorum mater and the polyphonic Kyrie from Vatican Mass V, this ink is clear, but very pale for the other two polyphonic works. They must have been still later additions. Both these pieces are in fact complete, though partly tucked away into the binding at the end. Moreover, in spite of similarities in writing, the scribe of no. 1 uses rhomboids and a 'y' in leison, while the scribe of nos. 2 and 3 does not employ rhomboids but only square breves and longs in ligatures, together with an 'i' in leison. He also writes the text under both voices, while the first scribe only writes it under the bottom part, in spite of bis ornamental initials.

This information is reproduced here by kind permission of the publishers. It is COPYRIGHT and copying/reproduction of any of this content without permission may result in legal action.