Choirbook, Agnus Dei — 15th century, c. 1420–1430; English

Title

Choirbook, Agnus Dei — 15th century, c. 1420–1430; English

Shelfmark

MS. Don. b. 31

Place of origin

English

Date

15th century, c. 1420–1430

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

Single fragment.

Hands

Written in a fine formal angular gothic script.

Decoration

A single rubric in red ink, preceded by a blue paragraph sign.

(verso) One large initial 'Q': in the centre the words 'Agnus Dei' inscribed by the main scribe (the 'A' in blue) under a 4-line red stave with red plainchant notation and supported by a fabulous beast with long horns and tusks, probably a yale. Minor initials in the text in plain red or blue; spaces between words filled out with red line-fillers.

Musical notation

Staves in red.

Acquisition

Sold at Sotheby's, 22 June 1982, lot 5; bought by the Bodleian through Bodley's American Friends.

Provenance

Written in England c.1420–30; a number of related leaves have been identified, many in the same script: Oxford, Magdalen College, MS. Lat. 267, fols. 89–91, and the associated fragment fol. 92; Oxford, University College, MS. 192, fol. 27a, and the associated fragment fol. 28; Cambridge, University Library, Add. MSS. 5963(8) and 4435(16) a-d; Canberra, Australian National Library, MS. 4052/2, Nan-Kivell collection of medieval fragments, fragment 1 (see G. A. Anderson and G. A. Dittmer, Canberra National Library of Australia MS. 4052/2 1–16 [Publications of Medieval Musical Manuscripts, 13](Henryville etc.: 1981), 2 and col. pls.). Another leaf was acquired by the Bodleian, and is now MS. Don. b. 32.

These leaves are similar in appearance and contents to the Old Hall manuscript (London, B. L., MS. Add. 57950), with which it shares many pieces, but no the two setting here, which have not been identified elsewhere. A. B. Wathey notes that the yale was an emblem of the Duke of Bedford.

Used as a pastedown (the recto was the glued side) in an unidentified binding of tanned leather (c. 315 × 225 mm.) with two clasps and four bands, perhaps of the first half of the 16th century. The Magdalen leaves come from the binding of a partial set of incunables: J. Bertachinus, Repertorium iuris utriusque, vols. I and III (Lyons: 1499), now Magdalen College, F.13, 1, 3, decorated with tools associated with the Cambridge binder Nicholas Spierink (d. 1545/6).

16th-cent scribbles, including the word 'pater' added on the verso.