[Gradual]

[Gradual]

Parchment; the lower portion of one leaf, including a very large empty bottom margin. 3 lines of text and 2 lines of superscript red 4-line staves (the topmost set of staves is cut away); written in a formal gothic book hand; music in square notation on 4-line red staves, with a custos at the end of each set of staves. 1-line initials in red with purple flourishing, or in blue with red flourishing. Rubrics in red. The cut-off upper portion may have contained a very nice initial.

Written in Italy during the second half of the 15th 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 Library and the Buffalo Public Library merged in 1953 to form today's Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. This fragment was n. 31 in the Elson collection.

Title from De Ricci.

Bibliography: De Ricci. Census, p. 1211, no. 19

[later 15th century]

2023-12-23

Louis C. Elson Collection. no. 31

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Text

image/jpg

1 leaf (fragment, 3 lines) of music ; 27 x 40.5 cm

parchment (animal material)

RBR Mss. C33A63 1400z

[Italy]

Recto: //[Salva me ex ore leonis et a cornibus] unicorniorum humilitatem meam. Ps., Deus deus meus respice in me, quare me dereliquisti longe a salute mea verba delic[torum meorum]// (From the week of Passion Sunday (the 5th Sunday of Lent): the end of a versicle and the beginning of Ps. 21 (normally recited on Fridays).) -- Verso: //Vers., Quam bonus israhel deus rectis corde mei autem pe[ne moti sunt pedes]// (From the week of Palm Sunday (the 6th Sunday in Lent): the versicle after the gradual.)