[Initial C from a medieval choirbook]

[Initial C from a medieval choirbook]

The letter D illuminated with colors and gilt, within a frame; excised from large format choirbook.

1 fragment; written in a formal gothic book hand; square black notation on 5-line red staves. The initial (here taken as a letter C), set within a narrow frame in dark brown with 2 gold rules around all sides, formed of an elaborate lavender scroll, shaded with dark blue, and decorated on the cusp of its far left scroll with green and yellow acanthus leaves attached by a knob of the same color; these colors also used for the scroll that closes the 2 front lines of the C; the whole against a dark blue-gray ground that is embellished in the center with a scrolled design of painted gold leaves and flowers; more of the same leaves and flowers are attached to outside parts of the letter.

Written in Spain, possibly during the 16th century. Belonged to Louis Charles Elson (1848-1920) who was a professor of music theory and history at the New England Conservatory of Music from age 34 onwards; he had begun studying music with his mother, then went on to study in Leipzig; he composed songs, operetta and works for the piano, but mainly he studied and wrote on the history of music; he published in a number of Boston newspapers, and was the editor-in-chief of Modern Music and Musicians (1912; 20 vols.) and of the University Musical Encyclopedia (1912-14; 10 vols.), among the ca. 50 items that he published over the course of his life. The collection of medieval fragments of music that had belonged to Louis Charles Elson was acquired in 1924 by the Grosvenor Library in Buffalo NY; this library, together with the Erie County Public Library and the Buffalo Public Library merged in 1953 to form today's Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. In the lower margin of side of the fragment treated as the recto, "BECPL." On a small oval label now affixed upside down on the fragment, "No. 25, Elson Collection."

Title from De Ricci.

Bibliography: De Ricci. Census, p. 1211, no. 18

[16th century]

2023-12-21

Louis C. Elson Collection. no. 25

Digital image copyright 2023 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.

Text

image/jpg

fragment of 1 leaf ; 21.5 x 17 cm

parchment (animal material)

RBR MSS. I55 1500

[Spain]