AaronMJan 30, 2023
78 new #Manuscripts from the #Vatican added this week
http://www.wiglaf.org/vatican/2023/week4.html
Includes a Turkish Qibla diagram, a Montecassino pontificale and a Missale made for Cardinal Bessarion, and a LOT more turkish poetry
@medievodons #Medievodons @bookstodon #Medieval
Vatican Manuscripts Added Week 4 of 2023

Show threadaaronsinglineFeb 5, 2023
@aaronm is that a kind of musical notation above the words on one of the images? My complete novice guess (if you were to force me to guess) would be that it is to indicate a vocal pattern for singing.
Show threadAaronMFeb 5, 2023
@aaronsingline which image are you referring to? There are lots of musical manuscripts in the digital archives, but there are other possible reasons for things above the line of text.
Show threadaaronsinglineFeb 5, 2023
@aaronm this one. 🙂
Show threadAaronMFeb 6, 2023
@aaronsingline AHH yes, that is an italian style of neume, liturgical musical notation. It is diastematic, that is the height of the notes represents the pitch like modern notation, but there's just no staff line so you gotta kinda know where the pitches are going. This particular MS is a Pontifical, a manual for a Bishop, made at Montecassino. I think this text is for the blessing of the Oils on Maundy Thursday, but I could be mistaken.(please ask if you want more details, I tried to be clear)
Show threadaaronsinglineFeb 6, 2023

@aaronm wow that's amazing. Thank you so much for the info. Now I've got some interesting topics to search.

It was a complete guess on my part based on my musical background.

Show threadAaronMFeb 9, 2023
@aaronsingline if you’re interested, I can recommend some books on the topic.
Show threadaaronsingline
@aaronm oh yes please!
Feb 10, 2023 at 12:42amWeb
Show threadAaronMFeb 10, 2023
@aaronsingline So, admitting my bias, that I learned musical paleography from Tom Kelly, I think his _Capturing Music: The Story of Notation_, is a great intro to the topic. It comes with a CD of performances of many of his examples. If you are specifically interested in liturgical music, and wanna start in the deep end, Solesmes Abbey published _Paleographie Musicale_, with many volumes covering facets of the history, in French.
http://gregoriana.sk/2010/05/paleographie-musicale/
Paléographie musicale – Gregoriana

Show threadAaronMFeb 10, 2023
@aaronsingline If you're more interested in this particular form of notation, Kelly's _Old Beneventan Chant_ is a good introduction, though focusing mostly on the musical repertoire that once existed in southern Italy.
Show threadaaronsinglineFeb 10, 2023

@aaronm Wow so many interesting things to learn. Thank you for taking the time to put together this info.

Seriously cool stuff. :)