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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Cantus Database and Cantus Index

  • What is the difference between the Cantus Database and the Cantus Index?
    • The Cantus Database (Cantus DB) contains inventories (tables of contents) of medieval manuscripts and early printed books. Every record is a chant in a source, and every chant in Cantus DB references the Cantus Index (CI) via its "Cantus ID".
    • Cantus Index (CI) is a searchable catalogue of chants and their Cantus IDs.
    • CI is used for:
      • assigning new Cantus IDs to newly-discovered chant texts
      • gathering concordances from chant databases such as Cantus DB and the other networked sites
      • generating automatic synoptic tables from the chant databases
    • No manuscript or source references are included directly in CI at present.
    • CI replaced the former "Master chant table" in the older version of the Cantus Database.

Proofreading form

  • How can I edit the incipit?
    • You will find no editable "Incipit" field in the Cantus Database data-entry form. The incipit is generated automatically from the "Standardized full text" field. Edit the Full text field instead and the incipit will be updated automatically.
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