London (ON), Western University Canada - Archives and Special Collections, MS106 Toswell

Cantus Siglum

CDN-Laspc MS106 Toswell

Holding Institution

London (ON), Western University Canada - Archives and Special Collections (CDN-Laspc)

Manuscript/Print

Manuscript

Summary

Single detached parchment or vellum leaf from a gradual. Black-brown square notation on red four-line staves with F- and C-clefs. Illuminated initial E with gold leaf, and other larger decorated initials alternating in red and blue ink. Rotunda text script. 15th century, likely from Italy.

Liturgical Occasions

partial chant for the end of the Friday Mass after Easter (Fer. 6 p. Pascha), and the first chants for the Mass for Easter Saturday (Sabbato in albis)

Description

Single folio from a gradual with music and texts on both sides. Excellent condition. The fine parchment or vellum has a thin to medium quality, and there are just two small worm-holes in the upper inside margin of the recto.

Size of leaves: approx. 500 mm tall x 366 mm wide, with a principal writing-space of approx. 355 mm tall x 234 mm wide. The bottom margin has been trimmed on one side (the right side of the recto) and, therefore, the vertical dimensions are not even. The recto is the flesh side. The left edge of the recto is the binding edge and shows signs of sewing.

The illuminated "E" for "Eduxit" on the recto side is striking. It is framed in gold leaf, with floral decoration and pen flourishes in blue, green, pink and white with gradations of colour. The text for the chants is in black ink. The 3 large initials are alternating blue with red pen-detail and red with blue pen-detail.

The square notation is in black-brown ink on a four-line staff in red ink. There are both F and C clefs. The staff height is a uniform 27 mm throughout. The text height ranges between 10 and 13 mm. Some of the black ink is peeling. Rubrics are in red.

There are 7 text lines per side with musical notation in the intervening spaces. The chants are for the Mass for Friday and Saturday in the week after Easter.

The folio number "25" in Arabic numerals has been added with a thin pen at the top right-hand corner of the recto and also at the bottom in pencil with a circle around it. There are no other foliation or page markings.

This leaf was donated to Western Libraries by Prof. Jane Toswell.

Selected Bibliography

Library record: Western Libraries, MS106

Notes on the Inventory

The inventory for CDN-Laspc MS106 Toswell was created by Debra Lacoste (Dalhousie University), with proofreading by Anna de Bakker (McGill University).

Full/Partial Inventory

Full Inventory

Complete Source/Fragment

Fragment