These antiphonary fragments, which were copied around 1136/1140 and
were scraped and corrected around 1140/1143, constitute a blank
cover. Doubtlessly the parchment pieces of various sizes were glued
together by the nuns of Fille-Dieu in order to cover a now lost
liturgical formulary. Together, FiD 1 and FiD 2 constitute relics
of antiphonaries that contained the primitive Cistercian liturgy.
This was defined by Fr. Kovacs (“Fragments du chant cistercien
primitif“, ASOC 6 [1950], pp. 140–150) and Chr. Waddell (The
Primitive Cistercian Breviary, Fribourg, 2007 [Spicilegium
Friburgense 44]) as the liturgy reformed by Stephen Harding shortly
after 1108. During this reform, the abbot of Cîteaux forced the
order to adopt the antiphonary of Metz, which was in use by the
order until the time of the second reform under Bernard of
Clairvaux. This second reform was completed in the early 1140s. The
existence of Bernardine drafts had until now been known through
antiphonary 12A-B from Westmalle Abbey (Belgium) and through the
one from Tamié Abbey 6 (Savoy). Codicological analysis of the
flyleaves of FiD 1 and of the fragments of FiD 2 reveals that all
pieces come from the Swiss Abbey of Fille-Dieu; they share
identical status and common characteristics, irrespective of
current holding sites. The same hands and correcting hands can be
recognized, the same types of ornamentation and the same later
touch-ups, which were done at the earliest in the 16th century,
probably by the nuns or by the monks of Hautcrêt Abbey (Oron, VD),
which was the mother house of Fille-Dieu until 1536.
Rights
e-codices - Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
