The Antiphonal is possibly the best known of the State Library's treasures. The manuscript contains music and text used for sung responses celebrating the birth and life of Christ at church services from Christmas Eve to the end of the feast of Epiphany (13 January).
The beginning of each service in the Antiphonal features initial letters which are richly illuminated with gold and with pinks, blues, greens and other colours. Written on vellum (specially treated animal skin), the illuminated letters enhance the rounded Italian Gothic script of the text. The volume is bound in calf over oak boards, with modern leather straps for closing it.
The Antiphonal was intended for use from a lectern by several singers. The music is Gregorian chant or plainsong, written for unaccompanied voices. The tick symbol at the end of staves is a 'custos'. It indicates where the first note of the next staff will be.
There are 13 initial letters. The most striking is the letter H on page 10, which contains a scene of the Nativity. Unusually the Virgin Mary is shown reclining. Below this is a figure whose facial features and part of the robe are blurred from repeated kissing or fingering, an indication of the veneration shown to this figure who may have been the patron saint for the region. More information including a translation and transcription are available at Treasures of the State Library: The Antiphonal.
History/biographyThe supposition that the Antiphonal was created in central Italy, near Bologna, in the late 13th century, is based on the style of the manuscript, particularly the illumination.
Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.
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