This 12th-century Gradual and Antiphonal is thought to contain one
of the earliest surviving redactions of music for the winter part
of the Ambrosian liturgy. Contents: ff. 1r-135v: A Gradual with
Antiphonal according to the Ambrosian use, imperfect: extending
from the middle of the 1st Sunday in Advent to Easter Eve. Besides
the usual Offices from the Temporale, the Feast of the Translation
of St James is introduced after that of the Holy Innocents, and the
Feasts of saints Sebastian and Solutor, Agnes, Vincent, Babylas,
Julius of Novara, Severus, and the Purification of the Virgin,
between the 5th Sunday after Epiphany and Septuagesima Sunday. At
the end (ff. 131r-135r) are added some prayers or Litanies for the
first two Sundays in Lent, Antiphons for the Monday and Tuesday
before Christmas, the hymn Magno salutis gaudio for Palm Sunday,
Gloria in excelsis , Venite, exultemus and Desiderabiliora sunt
followed by several Alleluias with very long and elaborate prayers,
and psalm verses Lux orta est , and Lucerna pedibus . Decoration:21
large initials outlined in brown ink with a foliate and interlace
decoration on a red, brown, green and yellow ground (ff. 2r, 9r
[features an anthropomorphic figure], 12r, 17v, 23v [features 2
birds’ heads], 32v, 36r, 44v, 47r, 49v, 51r, 63r, 65v, 68v, 73r,
89v, 96r, 111r, 118v, 121v [features a bird], 126v); 6 large
initials in the same style with zoomorphic letters (ff. 5v, 9r,
25v, 76r, 102v, 130v). Small plain initials in brown or red ink.
Neumes and clefs in brown ink (except for two neumes added in green
ink on f. 62v), staff lines in red ink, ‘B-flat’ lines in green
ink. Rubrics in red.
Place
Preferred form
France, Southern
Original form
Southern France
Other form
France méridionale (?)
France (Sud)
France (Midi)
France (sud).
France (Sud) (?)
France (Sud).
France (Midi ? d'après le fichier Avril : voir infra).
