Leaf from a gradual, circa 1540

1540
15th century
16th century

Two chants for Advent Sunday, the first day of the liturgical year. 1) The offeratory - Ad Te Levavi. This folio has these parts: "... animam meam: Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam; neque irrideant me inimici mei, etenim universi qui te exspectant non confundentur." In the second staff of the verso, there is an illuminated "D" which introduces the following text, the communion antiphon: "... Dominus dabit benignitatem: et terra nostra dabit fructum..."

Latin

Medieval Manuscripts

MSC0542

xfMMs.Gr2

http://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/repositories/2/resources/514

Foliation: On the right outside margin of the recto, about 2/3 the way down the page, there is a red mark. This may be the beginning of the folio number but has been cut off. If so the rubric indicates an "i" and could signify either folios i, ii, iii, or iv. This is not folio i, so it must be one of the others. This makes very good sense since these chants were for the first day of the liturgical calendar year, and would thus fall at the beginning of any gradual.

Ruling: Regular ruling: three lines left open between each staff for text.

Hand: Humanist script but with some Gothic angles.

Musical Notation: Neumes appear very close together. They are very square, with very straight edges. They are all black and have solid fills. Neumes are connected in certain sequences and there appear to be ligatures. Two neumes have been added at some point on the verso, 4th staff, 1st measure. The "Ad te levavi" chant is in mode 2. No accidentals. Certain measures appear to be marked. There are three single lines (thin) on the recto to mark measures. On the verso, there is one double line in what seems to be the middle of a chant, and 1 single line. Staff lines are red, and there are four lines per staff.

Initials and Capitals: Verso: There is a capital "D," that is a square block that takes up the space of the entire staff and the text space below it. Gold leaf as a border line inside the D and as the outside border of D that forms the square block. The D itself is painted green. Yellow, black lines painted on the green create an effect of a leaf, so the D appears to be a leaf. On the left downstroke of the D, in the middle, there is what appears to be a column of three rounds. On the top and bottom of this pink and red leaves separate it from the downstroke. This same motif appears at the top and bottom center of the letter D as well only with one round, not three. On the center right of the D there is simply a red/pink round swirl leaf. These same swirls also appear at the head and tail of the downstroke, extending into the top and bottom left of the square block. Inside the D, well inside the gold border that is inside the green D, there is painted flower in greed blue red and white, which might be a thistle. It sits on a dark red background that has white curlicues or flourishes painted on it.

Rubrication: Verso: Above the "D", on the top line of the staff, there is "Cō." signaling a communion antiphon.

Provenance: On the bottom margin of the verso, there is modern writing in pencil. It says: "1540 Italy (Rome) Antifonal." This is followed by "wrong - Gradual, ATL."

University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Department

Conservation Note: University of Iowa Libraries, Conservation Lab, conservator unidentified. A cardboard folder has been made to enclose it, and a mylar cover with frame holds the leaf.

Scanned with Zeutschel OS12000 overhead scanner at 300 ppi, full color. Archival tiff available. Final image the result of two scans combined using Photoshop Elements 6 Photomerge.

References: Graduale Triplex (Rita Benson Music Library) The Liber Usualis, found online at https://archive.org/details/TheLiberUsualis1961

2008-11-06

Material in the public domain. No restrictions on use.

Contact the Special Collections Department at The University of Iowa Libraries: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/contact

xfMMs.Gr2

Text

Graduals

Musical notation
Initials

Gradual

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