MS. Lat. liturg. a. 2

Summary Catalogue no.: 30554

Ferial Choir Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use (companion volume to MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3); Italy, Brescia or Padua (?), 15th century, third quarter

Ferial Choir Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use

Companion volume to MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3.

[item 1 occupies quire I]

(fols. ii verso–3v) Probably original parchment fly-leaves, filled with liturgical texts, some with music (square notation on staves of four red lines), in several different hands, added soon after the manuscript was made. The texts include psalm 5 (Uerba mea auribus percipe ...’) (fols. 1v–2v), hymn Hec dies quam fecit dominus ... (Chevalier, no. 7585) with music (fol. 3r), invitatoria with rubrics (fol. 3v), possibly the earliest addition. 17th-century corrections in the margins. Fol. i is a blank paper fly-leaf; fol. ii recto is blank.

[item 2 occupies quires II–XIV]

2. (fols. 4r–119v)

Psalms in the order Sunday Matins, Sunday Lauds, Little Hours, Vespers on Sunday and during the week, and Compline in secular use, laid out with each verse starting on a new line, some with titles ‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus dauid’, without numbers. Punctuated throughout with punctus flexus used to mark minor pauses, colon used to mark metrum, and punctus used to mark the ends of verses. The verses with punctus flexus are identified with a special sign in the margins, sometimes decorated with penwork human profiles (cf. MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3). The psalms are accompanied by antiphons, versicles and invitatoria with rubrics and music (square notation on staves of four red lines). Subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided into eleven 16-verse units. The text contains corrections in contemporary and later hands. Psalm 109 (Vespers) starts on a new quire. The scribe ran out of space on the preceding quire and completed the sequence for None, which comes immediately before Vespers, on an added bifolium. Most of the second leaf (fol. 75) of the bifolium was originally left blank, but in the 16th century the verso was filled with Regina celi (see below). Psalms, canticles and creeds are in the following order:

Sunday Matins (fol. 4v)

1, 2 (imperfect), 3 (imperfect), 6–20; Psalms 2: 8–3: 8 are missing because of the loss of a leaf after fol. 5

Sunday Lauds (fol. 37r)

92, 99, 62, 66
Benedicite omnia opera (fol. 39v)
148–150
Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 44r)

Prime (fol. 45v)

21 (imperfect), 23 (imperfect), 24–25, 53, 117, 118: 1, 118: 17
Psalms 21: 27–32 and 23: 1–8 are missing because of the loss of a bifolium after fol. 47. Presumably the missing leaves also contained Psalm 22 as part of the sequence for Sunday Prime
Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ... ) (fol. 57v)

Terce (fol. 61r)

118: 33, 118: 49, 118: 65

Sext (fol. 66v)

118: 81, 118: 97, 118: 113

None (fol. 71r)

118: 129, 118: 145, 118: 161
Regina celi with music added in a 16th-century Italian hand on fol. 75v, originally left blank

Sunday Vespers (fol. 76r)

109–113

Monday Vespers (fol. 82v)

114–116, 119–120

Tuesday Vespers (fol. 86v)

121–125

Wednesday Vespers (fol. 90v)

126–130

Thursday Vespers (fol. 95r)

131–132, 134–136

Friday Vespers (fol. 102r)

137–141

Saturday Vespers (fol. 109r)

143–147
Magnificat (fol. 115v)

Compline (fol. 116v)

4, 30, 90, 133

Psalms at the beginning of sections for different Canonical Hours start with historiated initials (see ‘Decoration’). Psalm 109 starts with a larger historiated initial and a historiated border. Some liturgical divisions are marked with parchment bookmarks. MS. Lat. liturg. a 2 is a companion volume to MS. Lat. liturg. a 3, which contains the rest of the ferial psalter.

[item 3 occupies quire XV]

3. (fols. 120r–121r)

17th-century additions on paper, comprising versicles, responses and invitatoria with rubrics and music (square notation on staves of four red lines). Fol. 121v is ruled for music but otherwise blank. [item 4 is on an added paper leaf]

4. (fol. 122r–v)

Parchment fly-leaf with a paper leaf pasted to the recto. The paper leaf contains ‘Hec dies quam fecit dominus ...’ with music, added in a 17th-century hand. Fol. 122v is blank; fol. 123 is a paper fly-leaf, blank apart from modern notes.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: diem tentationis (invitatoria, fol. 1r)

Form: codex

Support: Parchment; paper fly-leaves. Many leaves are mutilated (usually the margins are cut off, without the loss of text) and repaired with pieces of paper or parchment, presumably when the manuscript was rebound in the 17th century. The strips of parchment are also used to strengthen quires. Many pieces of parchment have text (not always clearly visible) and come from medieval Italian manuscripts, including the following: (fol. 52) fragment of a 14th-century Italian manuscript with text on both sides; on the verso is Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, Book III, around sections XXIX–XXX (73–74) (cf. MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3); (fols. 62v, 76v, 80r, 83r–v) offsets from a 15th-century document in an Italian cursive script which was pasted with text downwards and is now gone apart from small fragments; (fols. 76r and 85r) 15th-century fragment in Latin; (fols. 117r, 118r) 13th-century fragment in Latin, in a small Gothic book hand.

Extent: 122 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): c. 535 × 385 mm.

Leaves were trimmed in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of decoration; 17th-century folio numbers were also occasionally lost.

Foliation: 17th-century foliation in ink, some trimmed off; modern foliation on flyleaves, and modern restorations and corrections to the 17th-century foliation in pencil, ink and purple crayon; i–ii + 1–6/7 + 8–48/50 + 51–123.

Collation

(fols. i–ii) fol. i is a paper fly-leaf, conjoint with the upper pastedown (?); a modern paper bifolium (smaller size, unnumbered) is pasted to fol. i recto; fol. ii is a parchment leaf with a laid paper leaf pasted to its recto | (fols. 1–3) I (4−1 (?)) missing 1 (?) | (fols. 4–13) II (10−1) missing 3 | (fols. 14–43) III–V (10) | (fols. 44–53) VI (10−2) missing 5 and 6 | (fols. 54–73) VII–VIII (10) | (fols. 74–75) IX (2) | (fols. 76–115) X–XIII (10) | (fols. 116–119) XIV (4) | (fols. 120–121) XV (2) added paper leaves | (fols. 122–123) fol. 122 is a parchment fly-leaf with a paper leaf pasted to its recto; fol. 123 is a paper fly-leaf, conjoint with the upper pastedown (?). Fols. 6, 48 and 49 were lost after the manuscript was foliated in ink in the 17th century, as indicated by irregularities in foliation. Catchwords survive

Layout

Ruled in ink with single vertical bounding lines extending the full height of page; 17 lines per page; written below the top line; written space: c. 380 × 245 mm.

Hand(s)

Large formal Gothic book hand; black ink (often flaking); antiphons, versicles, invitatoria, etc. without music and some rubrics are in a smaller script.

Musical Notation:

Square notation on staves of four red lines.

Decoration

The illumination is by an artist known as the Maestro del Messale Barbo (Bollati, 2004), named after Padua, Biblioteca del Seminario MS. 355, missal with the arms of Barbo. This artist’s work is found in other Bodleian manuscripts produced in Brescia or Padua in the third quarter of the 15th century, including MS. Canon. Liturg. 328, MS. Douce 272, MS. Canon. Misc. 382 and MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3.

Historiated initials on gold background, decorated with foliage, flowers and scrolls, and borders, some historiated, most formed by sprays of foliage, flowers and gold discs, at liturgical divisions.

fol. 4v, Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)), 12-line initial with King David, kneeling in prayer, his psaltery lying on a rock beside him, looking up at half-figure of God, holding an orb and blessing; landscape with a town in the background.
(full border) Coiled tendrils, flowers, fruit and foliage on gold and white background, Annunciation in the upper margin with a kneeling angel (upper left corner), white dove and the Virgin Mary (upper right corner); bishop (St Ubaldus (?), bishop of Gubbio, Umbria) holding crosier and blessing, surrounded by six kneeling Dominicans in the lower margin; St Catherine of Alexandria with a crown and wheel (lower left corner) and another female saint, crowned with a wreath by an angel (lower right corner); winged putto in the left margin.
fol. 37r, Psalm 92 (initial D(ominus)), 4-line initial with King David, kneeling in prayer, looking up at rays of light; landscape in the background.
fol. 45v, Psalm 21 (initial D(eus)), 4-line initial with a bearded saint in a Dominican habit, seated, holding an open book; landscape in the background.
fol. 61r, Psalm 118: 33 (initial L(egem)), 5-line initial with King David, kneeling in prayer, looking up at rays of light, his crown next to him on the ground; landscape in the background.
fol. 66v, Psalm 118: 81 (initial D(efecit)), 5-line initial with King David, kneeling in prayer, looking up at rays of light; landscape in the background.
fol. 71r, Psalm 118: 129 (initial M(irabilia)), 5-line initial with a seated bishop-saint (St Ubaldus (?)), in prayer, with crosier and an open book; landscape in the background.
fol. 76r, Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)), 6-line initial with the Trinity: God-the-Father with a triangular nimbus, seated, holding an orb and blessing; Christ seated, pointing to a wound in his side; white dove hovering above; landscape in the background.
(border, left margin) Sprays of foliage, flowers and gold discs extending into margins (mutilated). Two panels, one with half-figure of a praying king, another with half-figure of a praying prophet.
fol. 82v, Psalm 114 (initial D(ilexi)), 4-line initial with St Ubaldus, seated, nimbed, holding crosier and blessing; lettering ‘S VBALDUS’ above the shoulders of the figure; landscape in the background.
fol. 86v, Psalm 121 (initial L(etatus)), 4-line initial with St Jerome in penance before crucifix, beating his chest with a stone; landscape in the background.
fol. 90v, Psalm 126 (initial N(isi)), 5-line initial with St Dominic (?), kneeling in prayer, looking up at rays of light; landscape in the background.
fol. 95r, Psalm 131 (initial M(emento)), 6-line initial with a kneeling nimbed prophet looking up at rays of light, holding a blank scroll and raising a finger in a gesture of teaching; landscape in the background.
fol. 102r, Psalm 137 (initial C(onfitebor)), 5-line initial with St Dominic (?), kneeling in prayer; landscape in the background.
fol. 109r, Psalm 143 (initial B(enedictus)), 5-line initial with a standing bearded saint, holding a scroll with lettering ‘CREDO IN DEO’; landscape in the background.
fol. 116v, Psalm 4 (initial C(um)), 3-line initial on gold background decorated with a flower and foliage.

Borders: see above.

2- to 3-line pink, green and blue initials on gold background, decorated with foliage, flowers, scrolls, arabesque and geometric designs at the beginnings of psalms; similar initials with yellow instead of gold background at the beginnings of antiphons, versicles, invitatoria, etc.

The opening words of texts starting with illuminated initials are written in capitals in black ink, decorated with penwork designs, including human heads and profiles.

1-line alternating red and blue initials with contrasting purple or red penwork at the beginnings of verses and periods.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Brown leather over pasteboard, 19th century (perhaps made for the Bodleian). Borders on both covers made of crossing single and triple blind fillet lines. Originally there were five false raised bands on spine, framed by triple blind fillet lines, but three are now missing. Gilt lettering on spine ‘PSALTERUM’ and ‘MS’. Paper pastedowns and fly-leaves, no watermarks. Floral blind roll decorations on turn-ins and edges of covers. Fols. ii and 122 (parchment with paper pasted to the side facing the cover) were the pastedowns of an earlier 17th-century binding. They show considerable worm damage and traces left by seven broad sewing support slips. Similar to MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3 and MS. Lat. liturg. b. 1.

History

Origin: 15th century, third quarter ; Italian, Brescia or Padua (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in Brescia or Padua (?) for a Dominican house, perhaps in Gubbio, Umbria (historiated initial with St Ubaldus, fol. 82v; miniature, fol. 4v) (cf. MS. Lat. liturg. a. 3). Historiated border with St Catherine. Decorated by an artist whose work is found in manuscripts from Brescia, Padua and elsewhere, dating from the third quarter of the 15th century.

The manuscript was foliated, rebound, repaired with strips of parchment and paper, and supplemented with additions on paper, while still in use in the 17th century. Bookmarks may have been added at the same time.

'Found at the end of MSS. Liturg. in 1885' (Summary catalogue, vol. 5).

Record Sources

Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 566–72. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.

Summary Catalogue, vol. 5, p. 834

Bibliography

Frere, no. 153.

van Dijk (1958), fols. 130–1.

Pächt and Alexander (1966–73), vol. 2, no. 682, pl. LXV.

Canova, G. M., ‘Il recupero di un complesso librario dimenticato: i corali quattrocenteschi di S. Giorgio Maggiore a Venezia’, Arte Veneta 27 (1973), pp. 38–64, at p. 50 and fig. 60 (fol. 4v).

——, ‘I manoscritti liturgici miniati del Quattrocento nella Biblioteca Antoniana’, Il Santo, s. II, 14 (1974), pp. 5–61, at p. 58 n. 23 and pl. 18 (fol. 4v).

Bollati (2004), p. 622.

Baroffio, G., ‘Liturgia e musica nella tradizione domenicana’ in C. Parmeggiani, Canto e colore: i corali di San Domenico di Perugia nella Biblioteca comunale Augusta, XIII–XIV sec., 11 marzo–17 aprile 2006, Perugia, Sala Lippi, Unicredit banca, Corso Vannucci, 39 [exhibition catalogue] (Perugia: Volumnia, 2006), pp. 33–68, at p. 62.

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-08: Convert full description from Solopova catalogue.

A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges