Antiphonal and prayer book. Written in Germany for a chapel under the patronage of St. Cassius, St. Florentius, and St. Mallusius.

Antiphonal and prayer book. Written in Germany for a chapel under the patronage of St. Cassius, St. Florentius, and St. Mallusius.

Manuscript, on paper; initials and captions in red.

Identification from Ricci, Seymour de. Census of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the U.S. and Canada.

Bound in elaborately gold-tooled Morocco over wooden boards: very large centerpiece formed of 4 large quasi-circles, touching each other at their center back point; the quasi-circles enclose flowers, leaves and scrolls; at the bottom of each quasi-circle, another set of stamps that include a crown over an elaborately formed letter M (for Maria?); in each of the 4 corners of the cover, complex scrollwork of 4 swirling branches, each terminating in a profile of a flower; all parts of the gold-tooled design with single-stem offshoots pointing away from the design itself and into the otherwise blank areas; scattered gold dots; edges gilt; pastedowns of the so-designated 'Dutch gilt paper' (made in Germany during the 18th century); two fore edge clasps closing from the back to the front cover.

1) f. 1r-v. Asperges me Domine hysopo et mundabor . . . (antiphon at mass in all seasons except Easter), followed by vers., resp, and prayer, Praesta quaesumus omnipotens Deus per huius aspersionem aquae sanitatem mentis, integritatem corporis 2) ff. 2-3, Three benedictions: Benedictio in ambitu ad portam, Domine Iesu Christe qui introitum Portarum Ierusalem salvans sanctificasti dum spendore gemmarum duodecim totidem Apostolorum nomina persignasti ? [including saints Cassius, Florentius, Mallusius and companions]; Benedictio super scriptorium, Benedicere digneris Domine hoc famulorum Scriptorium et omnes habitantes in eo, ut quidquid hic divinarum Scripturarum ab eis Lectum vel scriptum fuit, sense capiant, ore perficiant per Christum Dominum nostrum; Benedictio ad cellam, Omnipotens et misericors Deus qui ubique praesens es, majestatem tuam suppliciter exoramus ut huius promptuario gratia tua adesse dignetur atque cunta ab eo adversa repellat et abudantiam benedicitionis tuae largiter infundat per Christum Dominum nostrum, Amen. 3) ff. 3-4v; f. 5, torn out Dominicis diebus quando servatur nocturn<um?> ad processionem sequens Antiphona, Sanctifica nos Domine signaculo sanctae crucis ut fiat nobis obstaculum contra saeva jacula inimicorum, defende nos Domine per lignum sanctum 5) ff. 7-37v, Antiphons and responses for the liturgical year from Advent through Palm Sunday; note in particular those designated on ff. 28v-30, "Apud portam coloniensem," on f. 30r-v, "In porta stellae," and on ff. 31-32, "In curia dominorum."

6) ff. 38-39v, In Coena Domini absolutis vesperis dans benedictionem cum calice incipit Antiphona sequentem [sic], Hoc Corpus, Hoc corpus quod pro vobis tradetur, hic calix novi testament est in meo sanguine, dicit Dominus, hoc facite quotiescunque sumitis in meam commemorationem. Antiphona finita, portatur venerabile sacramentum ad cryptam cantando Pange Lingua fol. [space left blank] submissa voce et redeundo ex crypta itur ad lavandum altaria cantando per ordinem sequentes Antiphonas cum versu et collecta; functionem autem Presbiter iunior habet; incipitur autem ab Altari summo De Sanctis Patronis nostris Cassio, Florentio Antiphona sequens: Milites Christi hanc Domino dicaverunt concordiam. . . , vers., resp. and prayer, Propitiare quaesumus Domine nobis famulis tuis per Sanctorum Martyrum Cassii, Florentii, Mallusii Sociorumque eorum . . .services for Ash Wednesday, including washing of the altar, citing the high altar as that of 'our patrons' Cassius and Florentius, and with a prayer invoking Cassius, Florentius, Mallusius and their companions. 7) ff. 39v-53v, Prayers to twenty-six saints in what seems an ad hoc order, but which presumably reflects the order of the altars or reliquaries that belonged to this church: Holy Cross; Servatius; John of Nepomuk; Joseph; 'De Domina nostra in crypta'; Nicholas; Lambert of Maastricht; Helen of Constantinople; James the Greater; John the Evangelist; Andrew apostle; Cyriacus and companions; Agatha; "Domina in pasculo"; Urban pope; the Three Kings; Michael archangel; Peter apostle; 11,000 Virgins; Catherine of Alexandria; the Holy Trinity; Mary Magdalene; Stephen protomartyr; Barbara; Clement pope; All Saints. 8) ff. 54-72v, Services for the Triduum at Easter from Good Friday through Easter Sunday. 9) ff. 73-81v, Antiphons to sing at the altar to saints, with feasts from December through February: Barbara (4 December), Nicholas of Bari (5 or 6 Dec.), Stephen protomartyr (26 Dec.), John the Evangelist (27 Dec.), Holy Name of Jesus (1 or 15 Jan.), Sebastian (20 Jan.), Agnes (21 and 28 Jan.), Agatha (5 Feb.), Paul apostle (10 February), with this last possibly ending incomplete: . . . Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto Inter<cede pro nobis ad Deum qui te elegit ut digni efficiamur gratia Dei> (although the full text is cited on the preceding recto). 10) ff. 82; f. 82v blank, Ownership notes for Engelthal and for Andreas Velten. 11) ff. 83-85; f. 85v blank Index huius Libelli, A, Alma Redemptoris, 42; Ambulans Iesus, 46; Ante sex dies, 29 . . . Videte miraculum, 13, [crossed out and without page number: Vir iste in populo], Vox Tonitrui, 76. Alphabetical index of the 70 hymns in this book, with notes in the appropriate place that there are no hymns beginning with the letters F, K and R; the saints mentioned by name in the index are Barbara (f. 52), Joseph (f. 22), Michael archangel (f. 49), Paul (f. 81). Stephen (f.75)

Paper (no watermark found); ff. iii + 85 + ii; 115 x 113 mm in an almost square shape; on the leaves with text alone: 17 long lines with a 'catchword' to the next page at the bottom of every page; when music is present, 6 lines of text and music per page with the music on 4-line staves. Written in a script imitative of Roman font, e.g. "ae" diphthong present; straight letter d; tall s at the beginning of and internal to words (but with a round s at the end or words); very few abbreviations. Music in Hufnagelschrift on 4-line staves. Rubrics and initials (the height of one line of text and its accompanying music) in red. Written in Germany, almost certainly in Bonn at Engelthal, for if not at the house of the Augustinian nuns who were there from at least 1324 (existing documentation); in 1460, they joined the Windesheim Reformation; the house was secularized in 1802. This ownership information derives directly from the modern note in pencil on f. 82: "Aus dem Kloster Engelthal im Bonn." The book was copied in or after 1729, since it includes on f. 40v a prayer to St. John Nepomucene (c. 1345 - 20 March 1393), who was canonized on 19 March 1729. The saints who are repeatedly cited in this book are the three members of the Theban Legion: Cassius and Florentius , who were martyred at Bonn on the Rhine; they were declared Principal Patrons of Bonn in 1643; the third and other members of this group are Mallusius and their Companions; the feast of these saints is on 10 October, with translation of their relics on 2 May (it occurred in 1166). Designations of the persons performing the various services are for men, not women: f. 32, "Decanus et duo seniores"; f. 33, "Duo Vicarii Refectoriales"; f. 38, "presbyter iunior"; f. 54, "Diaconi"; f. 63, "duo Chorales" (this last direction could technically have been for women). Another note in pencil, also in German and quite possibly by the same person who identified the book as coming from Engelthal, at the bottom of the same leaf, f. 82: "Hern Andr. Velten geschenkt." Andreas Velten (1794-1870) was a carpenter and music collector in Bonn; see Kalliope-Verbund under Velten's name for a list of some 100 pieces relating to music; see also his book, authored by "a citizen of Bonn," (standing for Andreas Velten), Beitr̃ge zur Geschichte der s̃mmtlichen fr eren und jetzigen Kirchen und Kl̲ster der Stadt Bonn und ñchsten Umgebung (Bonn: Carthaus, 1861) pp. 100-103 for a history of the convent of Engelthal (this manuscript not mentioned). *

On f. i recto (facing the front pastedown): bookplate of the Grosvenor Library; the handwritten modern call number, "B. C. 2. 1. 17"; and the oval book number inscribed "No. 34, Elson collection." 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.). The collection of medieval fragments of music that had belonged to Louis Charles Elson was acquired in 1924 by the Grovesnor 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 leaf was n. 34 in the Elson collection. Present call number: RBR MUSIC 1600.C3.

* We are grateful to Dr. Christine Glassner of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften who read the inscription at the bottom of the page and who then identified Andreas Velten as well as the book that he authored and the musical texts that he wrote and owned.

[approximately 1700]

2024-06-20

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Text

image/jpg

86 leaves ; 12 cm

Paper

RBR Music 1700 .C3

[Bonn, Germany]