A bifolium from a noted Breviary, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [Italy, 2nd half 13th century]

Central Italian neumes
A bifolium from a noted Breviary, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [Italy, 2nd half 13th century]
A bifolium from a noted Italian Breviary.

c.290 x 210mm (the leaf), 2 columns of 35 visible lines written in brown ink in an Italian rotunda Gothic bookhand, Central Italian notation on a 3-line staff with C-clef, initials and rubrics in red, 13 flourished initials alternately in red or blue with contrasting penwork (recovered from a binding and with several later medieval and Renaissance doodles, pentrials and inscriptions, edges frayed, some cockling and staining).

Provenance:
(1) Sotheby’s 20 June 1989, part of lot 30.

(2) Schøyen Collection, MS 260/73.

Text:
The text of the bifolium is not consecutive, the first leaf contains hymns, readings and antiphons for the Feast of St Andrew, beginning '[...] Eterne vite secutus' and ends 'et redde me magistro meo ut per te me [recipiat qui per te redemit me alleluia]'; the second leaf contains a long instructive rubric in red dealing with feasts in the year, here beginning '[festum] sanctorum Ioannis et Pauli festum decollationis sancti Johannis Baptiste' (on this rubric see S. J. P. Van Dijk and J. H. Walker, The Origins of the Modern Roman Liturgy, 1960, p.480, no 24) followed by hymns, prayers and readings for the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle, including a Reading from Pope Gregorius Magnus’ Homily on the Feast of St Thomas, ending 'Numquid casu gestum creditis ut electus ille discipulus tunc [deesset]'.

Music:
The notation is Central Italian, although it was in the past described as Beneventan. There is some academic disagreement on the matter, but whereas older scholarship tended to group together this type of notation, which was certainly more widely used than the script hand, as Beneventan, more accurate current scholarship distinguishes between notation appearing on manuscripts written in southern Italy in Beneventan script, and similar notation used elsewhere.

Christie's would like to thank Dr Giulio Minniti for bringing to our attention the latest scholarship on Beneventan notation.