Antiphonarium

F-owjc

Montreal, McGill Library Rare Books and Special Collections, MS Medieval 89

General Information

Title Leaf from an antiphoner
Material Parchment
Script, Hands

Spanish Southern Textualis Praescissa.

Current Condition

Dimensions 700 x 500 mm

Book Decoration and Musical Notation

Description

The entire recto is taken up with the rubric for his feast and an accompanying illustration, in which a crowned woman sits at a keyboard with three children, apparently singing from partbooks. Decorative motifs fill in the page, including a dog/dragon and a trumpet-blowing sun surrounded by colourful foliage.
On the verso, the M (for "Magno") has a more rustic quality, in blue and red with daisy-like flowers in the middle. The initial I which follows has typical Spanish penwork in black, but enhanced with touches of blue, red, and light blue.

  • Musical Notation

    Five-line red staff with square notation, narrow custodes (rectangular with a slight upward curve) and clefs formed of three lozenges.
    Chants for St Jerome.

  • History

    Origin

    Likely Spanish or Spanish Americas; possibly from the Hieronymite order, given the prominence apparently given to Jerome, or a church dedicated to him.