Thursday, 8 July 2021, 09.00-10.30, Room 217 | Chair: D. Andrés-Fernández (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
The troper-proser Paris, BnF, lat. 1084: Its origin and date | Lila Collamore (Independent Scholar)
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Latin 1084 is a troper-proser notated in Aquitanian noation. This is one of the manuscripts preserved at the monastery of St. Martial de Limoges, but it was not copied there. The place of origin is still unknown— Saint-Gérard d’Aurillac is most frequently suggested, with Auch a close second. The date is also a matter of dispute: proposed dates range from the tenth century to the twelfth century. A tenth-century date, as is most commonly thought, would make this one of the earliest notated music manuscripts.
Scholars who have studied Paris 1084 all note the close relationship with Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Latin 1118, with some even believing these two manuscripts were copied at the same place. With the origin of Paris 1118 now known—copied at Sant Sadurní de Tavèrnoles ca. 990—we have a place to start our search. Was Paris 1084 also copied at Tavèrnoles? And if so, for what location, because it certainly was not intended for use at Tavèrnoles. And can the date be narrowed down as well? And this leads to the true “problem” with Paris 1084: it has many layers. A place and date that apply to one layer do not necessarily apply to another. This has complicated the efforts to identify a place and date for this manuscript. In this presentation, I will separate the layers and suggest a date and place of origin for each.
Music and liturgy in medieval Portugal: Plainchant fragments in Braga and Guimarães | Elsa De Luca (CESEM, NOVA FCSH)
In this presentation I propose to outline the characteristics of the 104 surviving liturgical fragments with Aquitanian notation kept in the archives of Braga and Guimarães, in northern Portugal. This research has a twofold objective. On one hand, I explain the characteristics of the musical notation found in these fragments and discuss it against the scholarly debate about the existence of a so-called ‘Portuguese-Aquitanian Notation’. On the other hand, I highlight the intricate web of similarities and liturgical variance found in the fragments. The ultimate goal of this research is to shed some light on the complex and multilayered process of implantation and transmission of plainchant in Portugal from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. All the sources here discussed are now available for consultation in the Portuguese Early Music Database.
The chants of the Pontifical de Coimbra (P-Pm Ms. 353): A preliminary survey | Alberto Medina de Seiça (CESEM, NOVA FCSH)
Pontificals are liturgical books with the texts – prayers, lectures, rubrics, and chants – for specific services performed exclusively by a bishop: e.g., at the dedication of a church, confirmations, sacred orders, consecrations, sacring of monarchs. This diversity of ritual purposes is reflected in the structure and contents of medieval pontificals – albeit some main traditions exist, discrepancies among the sources are common. From a musicological standpoint, pontificals provide an important field of research, since they contain a significant set of chants: antiphons, responsories, and even some Mass propers. Although most of these items have concordances in antiphoners and graduals, the autonomous relevance of the pontifical versions is not diminished. On the contrary, the notated pontificals allow a broader consideration of the transmission process. Until now, only five pontificals have been identified among Portuguese medieval sources. The earliest two (late 12th century) belonged to the Augustinian Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, although uncertainty remains about their precise provenance and use. Developed as part of the Portuguese Early Music Database project to index liturgical manuscripts with musical notation, this paper will focus on the so-called Pontifical de Coimbra, manuscript 353 of the Public Library of Porto. Apart from a brief survey of Ms. 353’s structure and main features, the paper will consider the notated chants sung in the ordo ad dedicationem ecclesiae in the broader context of the transmission and dissemination of the repertoire.
