Folia with chants for Epiphany, Nativity, and St. Stephen

Folia with chants for Epiphany, Nativity, and St. Stephen Electronic version according to TEI P5.1 Fragmentarium - Digital Research Laboratory for Medieval Manuscript Fragments

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Evanston, IL Northwestern University, Music Library MS 1600 (NW-S2-4) Folia with chants for Epiphany, Nativity, and St. Stephen 11th–12th century likely Western Europe Parchment

Main text hand: anonymous scribe, writing throughout in Protogothic (Praegothica) script. A possible second hand, also in Praegothica, may have supplied text beneath the neumes in certain sections.

Decoration is modest. Initials appear as litterae notabiliores in black ink highlighted with a red stroke; fol. 2v contains a larger, simple red initial. Rubrics are sparse, often abbreviated, and provide minimal liturgical or biblical references (e.g., “Secundum Matheum”). No penwork or ornament beyond functional marking. Adiastematic neumes, written above the text without staff lines. Two phases are visible: A more deliberate layer of neumes, including compound signs, carefully pre-planned and aligned with the text. A lighter, perhaps later layer of puncta and virgae, possibly added to clarify performance for syllabic chant but less systematically placed.

Description by: Paul Feller-Simmons, DACT, 2025