Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Cantus Database and Cantus Index

• What is the difference between the Cantus Database and the Cantus Index?

• The Cantus Database (CantusDB) contains inventories (tables of contents) of medieval manuscripts and early printed books. Every record is a chant in a source, and every chant in CantusDB references the Cantus Index (CI) via its Cantus ID number.
• Cantus Index (CI) is a searchable catalogue of chants and their Cantus ID numbers.
• CI is used for:
  • assigning new Cantus ID numbers to newly-discovered chant texts
  • gathering concordances from chant databases such as CantusDB 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.