Four musical treatises. The first three belong together (dated 12 January 1375). These three works are copied in the late 15th century MS Catania, Biblioteche Riunite Civica e A. Ursino Recupero, D 39, f. 12-30, apparently written by Goscalcus. The fourth treatise has diagrams of 14th century instruments that give tunings. The codex is written in 2 cols. At the end is a circle canon with a big red dot in the centre:. a Ballade, added to fill in a blank page. There is also a Rondeau refrain on f. 18v, which may belong with the second treatise, or perhaps again fills an empty space. There are many musical examples throughout the manuscript.

yellowish-brown compressed card with a darker brown spine; 19th century. On the spine is the title 'De musica' in ink, and a label at the bottom of the spine bears the number '4450' which the codex had in the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps. One blank unnumbered ribbed paper flyleaf at each end of the manuscript belongs with the binding. A 19th century hand has written on the inside of the front cover in ink 'Tractatus de Musica Guidonis d'Arezzo'. Under this reference are the numbers '4450', 'B9.1469' and '47258', one beneath the other. The second number is crossed out except for the letter B

Ars Nova; black notation

red four or five-line staves throughout

Paginated in small 19th century arabic numerals at t.r.r. The pagination starts at '3' on f. 2 and ends at '61'. There is no old foliation

French Gothic script with red capitals for new paragraph

i paper + 31 parchment + i paper

RISM B/IV 2: A late 14th century parchment manuscript meas. 200 x 150 mm. and containing 31 folios paginated in small 19th century arabic numerals at t.r.r. The pagination starts at "3" on f. 2 and ends at "61". There is no old foliation. The binding is a 19th century one of yellowish-brown compressed card with a darker brown spine. On the spine is the title "De musica" in ink, and a label at the bottom of the spine bears the number "4450" which the codex had in the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps. It was only on November 30th, 1965 that the ms was auctioned by Sotheby's in London and bought by the University of California at Berkeley. One blank unnumbered ribbed paper flyleaf at each end of the manuscript belongs with the binding. A 19th century hand has written on the inside of the front cover in ink "Tractatus de Musica Guidonis d'Arezzo". Under this reference are the numbers "4450", "B9.1469" and "47258", one beneath the other. The second number is crossed out except for the letter B. The principal contents of the manuscript are four musical treatises, of which the first three belong together and are dated January 12th, 1375. These three works are copied in the late 15th century ms Catania, Biblioteche Riunite Civica e A. Ursino Recupero, D 39, f. 12-30, from which it appears that the author was Goscalcus. The fourth treatise is particularly interesting for the diagrams of 14th century instruments which accompany it and even give tunings. The codex is written in 2 cols, in a French Gothic script with red capitals for new paragraphs. The two musical compositions are quite independent of one another. At the end is a circle canon in Ars Nova notation on two red five-line staves with a big red dot in the centre. It's a Ballade and apparently served to fill in a blank page. The other composition, a Rondeau refrain on f. 18v, may belong with the second treatise, or perhaps again fills an empty space. There are many musical examples in black notes on red four or five-line staves throughout the manuscript.

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.