Music

The music on the two pages is written in "square notation". The absolute pitch is not important but the tone differences are indicated. In the translation to modern notation the 'Do' is translated to the 'c' and the 'Fa' to the 'F'. The rithm is not indicated in this 'square notation'. Earlier notations like the ones shown on this page where able to denote the rithm too.

In the translation all notes are therefore assumed to be of same length. During actual singing the duration of the notes will have to be adopted to the words. In the Alleluia verse of the Gradual shorter notes have been used for 'connected' notes as an experiment.

To facilitate listening, the music is split in several files, each is hyper linked to the fragment it belongs to. Clicking on the word before the text fragment will deliver the MP3 version (temporarily not available). Clicking on the word (midi) after the text will deliver the midi file. Only the notes present on the pages are in the file. The absent text is put between angular brackets [].

To facilitate the comparison between the music on these manuscript pages and other sources, images of the other sources have been made available. Clicking on the word (compare) after the text will pop-up an additional window showing both these manuscripts and the comparison source.

All music is transcribed in D-minor using one flat, the b-flat. This transcription is known to be incorrect for the Antiphone's 1 and 3. The transcription of the Responsory is also probably wrong.

The Gradual page.

The music on this page is very elaborate. The many notes on one syllable is called a Melisma. The Melisma on the last syllable of the word Alleluia has 30 notes. Gregorian music knows melismas of up to 70 notes. Earlier music has melismas of up to 240 notes.

When this music was kept in an oral tradition, that is, before it was written down,before the 9th century, the extensive training to learn this type of complex music could take upto 7 years.

The music used for reference is the music, kindly provided by Denis Cook, as it is being used in St. Dominic's Priory in North London where you can still hear non Roman chant performed every Sunday. It is from an edition of 1936.

Introitus :[Letatus sum in his que dicta sunt mihi, in domum do] mini ibimus(midi)

Gloria :Gloria(midi)(compare)

Alleluia : Alleluia. (midi) (compare)

Verse : Timebunt gentes nomen tuum, Domine: et omnes reges terrae gloriam tuam. (midi)(compare) (compare)

Offertory :Sanctificavit Moyses altare Domino, offerens su[per illud holocaustum, et immolans victimas: fecit sacrificium vespertinum in odorem suavitatis Domino Deo, in conspectu filiorum Israel.] (midi)(compare)

The Antiphonal page.

The music is almost identical to 14th century sources. Some notes are different compared to these sources, which could be due to 'local dialects', but the strong simplification started in the 16th century is not visible. This may be a clue to date the document to before the 16th century.

The music used for comparison is part of the Possey Antiphonal as it can be fount in the Medieval Music Database of the La Trobe University

Antiphon 1 : [Beatus vir qui in lege do] mini meditatur voluntas eius permanet die ac nocte et omnia que cumque faciet semper pro sperabuntur. (midi) (compare)

Psalm 1 : Beatus vir. (midi)

Antiphon 2 : Beatus iste sanctus qui confisus est in Domino, prædicavit præceptum Domini, constitutus est in monte sancto eius (midi)(compare)

Psalm 2: Quare fre(midi)

Antiphon 3 : Tu es gloria mea tu es susceptor meus domine tu exaltans caput meum et exaudisti me de monte sancto tuo(midi) (compare)

Psalm 3 : Dne qd(midi)

Responsory 1 : Euge serve bone et fidelis quia in pauca fuisti fidelis su [pra multa te constituam. Intra in gaudium domini tui.](midi)(compare)

Last updated :30 Jan 2001