Au prisme du manuscrit: regards sur la littérature française du Moyen Âge (1300-1550)
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Book Series
Palaeography, Manuscript Studies & Book History (Outside a Series)
Bohemian and Moravian Graduals (1420-1620)
Barry Graham
- Pages: 641 p.
- Size:220 x 280 mm
- Illustrations:20 b/w, 50 col.
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2007
- € 115,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-51718-6
- Hardback
- Available
Review(s)
"This is a fascinating and valuable book, and a very substantial
one." (D. Hiley, in: The Journal of Ecclesiastical
History, Volume 60/3, July 2009, p. 591-592)
Summary
This book is primarily a catalogue of
those nearly-intact extant books containing the full music of the Mass
made between the date of the Bohemian Revolution (July 1419) and the
Battle of the White Mountain (November 1620). Two principal religious
factions were active in Bohemia and Moravia during the period. The
larger, the Utraquists, took communion in both bread and wine. The
Roman Catholics, fewer but still numerous, followed the then relatively
recent practice of using bread only. While graduals are important sources for the
liturgy practised by Utraquists and Roman Catholics, many of them are
also of great interest artistically and historically. Some of the more
beautiful books were produced for use by the literary societies, later
incorporated as guilds, which were responsible for the music in their
churches. The information the books contain about the membership of the
guilds, containing as it did most of the social strata of the towns,
gives important information about the contemporary social structure and
about the strength of Utraquism. Individual guild members often
sponsored a page at the beginning of a mass set which was profusely
decorated. The quality of the art and the evolution in the iconography
can be appreciated in the book's 50 colour plates.