Many books discuss the theology and doctrine of the medieval
liturgy: there is no dearth of information on the history of the
liturgy, the structure and development of individual services, and
there is much discussion of specific texts, chants, and services.
No book, at least in English, has struggled with the difficulties
of finding texts, chants, or other material in the liturgical
manuscripts themselves, until the publication of Medieval
Manuscripts for Mass and Office in 1982.
Encompassing a period of several centuries, ca 1200-1500, this
book provides solutions for such endeavours. Although by this
period the basic order and content of liturgical books were more or
less standardized, there existed hundreds of different methods of
dealing with the internal organisation and the actual writing of
the texts and chants on the page. Generalization becomes
problematic; the use of any single source as a typical example for
more than local detail is impossible.
Taking for granted the user's ability to read medieval scripts,
and some codicological knowledge, Hughes begins with the elementary
material without which the user could not proceed. He describes the
liturgical year, season, day, service, and the form of individual
items such as responsory or lesson, and mentions the many variants
in terminology that are to be found in the sources. The
presentation of individual text and chant is discussed, with an
emphasis on the organisation of the individual column, line, and
letter. Hughes examines the hitherto unexplored means by which a
hierarchy of initial and capital letters and their colours are used
by the scribes and how this hierarchy can provide a means by which
the modern researcher can navigate through the manuscripts. Also
described in great detail are the structure and contents of
Breviaries, Missals, and the corresponding books with music. This
new edition updates the bibliography and the new preface by Hughes
presents his recent thoughts about terminology and methods of
liturgical abbreviation.
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