Parchment · I + 400 + I pp. · 18.8 x 12.5 cm · St. Gall · around 1050-1060
Calendar, Computus, Tropary, Sequentiary
Musical manuscript in small format from the monastery of St. Gall containing a calendar, a computus, a tropary, a sequentiary, an antiphonary, offertory and tractus from the middle of the 11th century as well as an appendix with sequences from the 13th century. (smu)
This codex, with boards covered in green textile, consists of two parts. The first part (pp. 3-53) contains sequences by Notker Balbulus and other authors, the second part (pp. 55-226) contains a gradual. All of the texts have neumes; the script is interspersed with red and blue majuscules. Of note is a series of decorated initials, for example one containing a dragon on p. 3 of the sequentiary and one with scroll ornamentation on p. 55 of the gradual. Other examples can be found on pp. 114, 134, 144, 146. Bound in at the beginning is an 11th/12th century leaf containing excerpts from the Commune Sanctorum, with 14th century supplements on the back. (nie)
Parchment · 390 pp. · 17.8 x 9 cm · St. Gall · around 1050-1060
Calendar, Computus, Tropary, Sequentiary
Small music manuscript from the middle of the 11th century containing an (incomplete) calendar, computus, tropary and sequentiary in an elegant hand, with delicate neumes. (smu)
Parchment · 500 pp. · 14.5 x 11.5 cm · St. Gall · around 930
Versicularium, Hymnary, Tropary, Sequentiary
Versiculary, Hymnal, Tropary and Sequentiary from the monastery of St. Gall, written and provided with neumes around 930, possibly by a monk named Salomon. The small-sized, undecorated manuscript contains the St. Gall repertoire of the chants sung in the monastery and works by the monks Notker Balbulus, Tuotilo, Ratpert, Waltram and Ekkehart I. Counts among the foremost monuments worldwide in the history of early medieval music. (smu)
Parchment · 270 pp. · 18-18.5 x 12.5-13 cm · St. Gall · 11th century (until ca. 1400)
Tropary, Versicularium, Sequentiary
An incompletely preserved musical manuscript from the 11th century, written in the monastery of St. Gall, with added supplementary leaves up to around 1400. Contains a Tropary, a Versiculary and a Sequentiary. (smu)
Parchment · 176 pp. · 16.5-17 x 11.5 cm · Lausanne, probably in the cathedral of Lausanne · before 1250
Sequentiae. Hymni
Tropary and Sequentiary in point-like square notation with exceptionally fine monophonic and polyphonic music from the great repertoire of the school of Notre-Dame at Paris. Written before 1250 in Western Switzerland, probably at the Cathedral of Lausanne. Probably in St. Gall by 1300. (smu)
Parchment · 508 pp. · 21 x 14.5 cm · 13th–15th century
Breviarium
Breviary consisting of several parts: 1) Capitula and orationes for the period from the first of Advent until the octave of Pentecost as well as for Sundays and weekdays (pp. 3–48). 2) Proprium de tempore (with readings, excerpts from sermons, antiphons, responses and hymns) for the period from the first of Advent until the Saturday after Pentecost (pp. 49–280). The antiphons and responses have neumes. 3) Proprium de sanctis (pp. 281–419), these chants do not have neumes. It begins with St. Andrew (30 November) and ends with St. Petronilla (31 May). 4) Proper for Easter until the second Sunday after the octave of Easter (pp. 421–466). 5) Responses and antiphons De sanctis in pascali tempore (pp. 466–468). 6) Lectiones per totam ebdomadam for weekdays of the third and fourth week after the octave of Easter (pp. 469–484). 7) Capitula for Nocturns, Sext and None at Easter (p. 485). 8) Orationes for Nocturns, Sext and None on weekdays usque ad ascensionem Domini (pp. 486–487). 9) Capitula and orationes for Vespers, Lauds and Sext for the first until the fourth Sunday after the octave of Easter (pp. 488–489). 10) Hymns (and sequence Cantemus cuncti melodum, p. 504) (pp. 502–504 and 506). Parts 1-3 were for the most part written in the 13th century (with numerous additions and corrections on erasure up until the 15th century). Parts 4-6 are from the 14th century, parts 7-10 from the 15th century. Property of the Monastery of St. Gall at least since the 15th century (perhaps 1450, cf. p. 1). (sno)
Parchment · 984 pp. · 24.5-25 x 16-16.5 cm · St. Gall · second quarter of the 11th century (additions through the 14th century)
Breviary, summer portion (with neumes)
Summer portion (Holy Saturday through the end of the church year) of a breviary written at the Abbey of St. Gall between 1022 and 1047 (with readings, prayers, extracts from homilies, antiphons, responses and hymns for the monastic liturgy of the hours), includes additions made as late as the 14th century. The sung sections include neumes. Preceding materials include a fragment of a collections of homilies, a calendar, and computistical texts and tables. The corresponding winter portion of this breviary is found in Cod. Sang. 413. It is among the oldest surviving breviaries produced at St. Gall. (sno)
Parchment · 498 pp. · 25-25.5 x 15.5-16 cm · St. Gall · 12th century (additions until the late 14th century)
Antiphonary
Antiphonary from St. Gall for the liturgy of the divine office, as sung by St Gall monks, dating from the 12th century, with addenda until the late 14th century. Illustrated with several initials and (at the beginning) with a miniature of the crucified Christ with Mary and John. (smu)
Parchment · 422 pp. · 25-26 x 19-20 cm · St. Gall · last third of the 13th century
Antiphonary
Antiphonary from the XIIIth century containing chants for the liturgy of the Hours. The melodies are noted using neumes without lines. Essentially, this is a copy of Cod. Sang. 390/391 (“Hartker antiphonary”) completed by saint’s days added after the completion of the Hartker antiphonary. (sno)
Parchment · 194 pp. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · around 990-1000
Antiphonarium officii (Antiphonary for liturgy of the hours)
Winter volume of the so-called Hartker Antiphonary: Chants for the liturgy of the hours of the St. Gall monks, written and provided with finest neumes by the St. St. Gall monk Hartker. A masterpiece of script, neumes and illuminated initials. The most important choral manuscript, with four colored pen drawings of outstanding quality. (smu)
Parchment · 264 pp. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · around 990-1000
Antiphonarium officii
Summer volume of the so-called Hartker Antiphonary: Chants for the liturgy of the hours of the St. St. Gall monks, written and provided with finest neumes by the St. St. Gall monk Hartker. A masterpiece of script, neumes and illuminated initials. The most important choral manuscript, with four colored pen drawings of outstanding quality. (smu)
Paper · 153 (150) pp. · 19.2 x 13.6-14 cm · St. Gall (?) · 15th century
Composite manuscript with spiritual and liturgical music
The manuscript contains principally the chants for the liturgy of the Hours (response and antiphones), and also some chants of the Ordinary (in a part with tropes), hymns, and sequences, and spiritual chants in Latin and German. In all, six chants (p. 87-89, 103, 107) are for two or three voices. In this case, the voices are not noted one under another, but one after another. The spiritual chants are written with a mensural notation, and the other liturgical pieces in German plainsong notation, the so-called German “Hufnagelnotation”. (sno)
Parchment · 264 pp. · 20.5-21 x 16-16.5 cm · St. Gall · around 1010-1060
Composite manuscript - poetic works of the St. Gall monk Ekkehard IV. (autograph)
The Liber Benedictionum by Ekkehard IV.: a collection of his personal poetic works that he probably began during his time as a monastery pupil and constantly revised until the end of his life. The manuscript is written completely by Ekkehard IV. and is one of the few known autographs of the early Middle Ages (ca. 1010-1060). It contains, among other items, the Benedictiones super lectores per circulum anni (poetry for the different feast days of the year), the Benedictiones ad mensas (benedictions of different foods and drinks), the Versus ad picturas domus domini Mogontinae (verses on the projected picture series for the Cathedral of Mainz), Versus ad picturas claustri sancti Galli (verses for the [projected] picture series for the cloister [?] in the monastery of St. Gall) and the Latin translation of the Old High German Galluslied by Ratpert. (smu)
Parchment · 346 pp. · 23.5 x 16.4 cm · Cloister of St. Gall · second/third quarter of the 11th century
Calendar, List of the Abbots of the Monastery of St. Gall, Regula S. Benedicti, Rituals
The manuscript contains: p. 1-17 a calendar (probably written before 1047: Wiborada, canonized in 1047, is added by a 13th century hand); p. 17-19 a list of the Abbots of the Monastery of St. Gall (in a first hand until Nortpert, 1034-1072, additions by three further hands until Berchtold von Falkenstein, 1244-1272); p. 22-162: Rule of St. Benedict; p. 162-163 excerpt from the Book of Proverbs (Prv. 20, 18ff.); p. 165-345 rituals: benedictions, exorcisms, Ordo ad monachos faciendos , instructions for penance, visitation of the sick, anointing of the sick, comforting the dying (Obsequium circa morientes), Office of the Dead (the antiphons and responsories therein with neumes). (sno)
Parchment · 156 pp. · 21.7 × 15.5 cm · Monastery of St. Gall · first half of the 11th century
Benedictional from the Monastery of St. Gall
Incompletely preserved benedictional, written on strong parchment in the Monastery of St. Gall in the first half of the 11th century. This volume contains prayers and benedictions for various liturgical ceremonies, for example for the blessing of the chalice, for the blessing of salt and water for driving out demons, for the consecration of monks and secular priests, for the blessing of plants on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, etc. In three places (p. 23-26, p. 65-66, p. 90-94) the manuscript contains litanies in which the names of saints of St. Gall appear. Before the pagination around 1780, pages were cut out of the manuscript in five different places; the manuscript shows signs of use into the 15th century. (smu)
Parchment · 148 pp. · 21 x 16 cm · St. Gall · middle of the 9th century
Personal reference handbook (vade mecum) of Grimald of St. Gall (Abbot 841-872)
Personal reference handbook (vade mecum) of Grimald of St. Gall (Abbot 841-872). This manuscript collection contains items of poetic, liturgical, computational, natural scientific, and historical content, including a calendar, an horology table (orologium), word explanations and definitions from various fields of knowledge, the names of the nymphs and muses, and a provincial directory for the area of St. Gall. About 40 different scribes added texts to this manuscript. (smu)
Parchment · 220 pp. · 21.5-22 x 16 cm · Mainz · about the year 1000
Benedictiones episcopales
A Benedictional from the diocese of Mainz, written and decorated with about 200 gold initials and a full-page miniature of Christ as Savior of the World; from about the year 1000, during the tenure of Archbishop Willigis (975-1011). Obtained by the Cloister of St. Gall at an unknown point in time (oldest evidence: in St. Gall by about 1600). It contains the prayers of benediction to be sung by the bishop, ordered according to the church year. (smu)
Parchment · 176 pp. · 26 x 17 cm · Bavaria (?) · 12th century
Pontificale Romanum
The Pontificale contains the rites for liturgical celebrations by the bishop, among them rites for performing the tonsure, for the consecration of the lower orders (Cantor, Lector etc.), of the higher orders (deacon, priest, bishop), for the consecration of abbots, abbesses and nuns, for the consecration of a church, of a cemetery and of liturgical objects. Several incipits of liturgical songs are annotated with adiastematic neumes. In the margins on pp. 110/111 there are two Greek alphabets and a Latin alphabet in capital letters; they are part of a rite for the consecration of a church. The saints named in the litany on pp. 98–100 (among them Corbinian, Ulrich, Walpurga) suggest that the manuscript originated in a Bavarian diocese. (sno)
This manuscript was written in a flowing fourteenth-century textualis and decorated with rubrics and red lombards. The same hand has numbered the quires in red ink, in the bottom-right corner at the beginning of each quire: II (p. 23) to XXXIX (p. 731). The pagination contains a significant error: 1–501, 511–742; pp. 614–615 are empty. The manuscript transmits the winter part of a breviary, namely (pp. 1-559) the Proprium de tempore from the first Sunday of Advent to Pentecost and Trinity, as well as (pp. 559–742) the Proprium de sanctis from the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (30 November) to the feast of Saint Pancras (12 May), including the feast of Saint Wiborada (pp. 716-725). The manuscript shows no traces of its users nor of any additions. On the final page (p. 742) appears the library stamp of Abbot Diethelm Blarer from 1553–1564. The binding, featuring wooden boards with a red leather cover, dates to the fourteenth or fifteenth century. (len)
Parchment · 420 pp. · 20 x 15 cm · diocese Basel · 1220-1230
Roman Breviary for Sundays and feast days
Book of hours, composed for an unknown female convent in the diocese of Basel: excellent example of early Gothic book art. With a Calendar, 14 miniatures of the life of Christ and Mary, the Psalter, Canticles and an All Saints' Litany. (smu)
Parchment · 638 pp. · 24 x 13.8 cm · Disentis Monastery · 1150/1200
12th Century Breviary from the monastery of Disentis
This is a collection of liturgical works from the monastery of Disentis, written in the second half of the 12th century, most likely around 1200. In sequence, the volume contains a calendar (pp. 2-13), a psalter (pp. 15-90) and a hymnary (pp. 91-110), a (mixed) capitulary and collectarium (pp. 116-186), as well as an antiphonary, a lectionary, and a homiliary (pp. 203-638). Highlights from the point of view of manuscript decoration include the initial “B” at the beginning of the psalter (p. 15) and a picture of the crucifixion (p. 89). This breviary is one of the very few surviving medieval manuscripts from the monastery of Disentis. The manuscript came to Kempten around 1300; as early as the 15th century, the Disentis Breviary was held in the Abbey Library of St. Gall. (smu)
This extensive parchment manuscript was written in the fourteenth century in textualis. Red and blue lombards, rubrics, and red abbreviations adorn the two-column text; occassional red and blue pen-flourished initials emphasize particularly important parts of the breviary and its feasts. The breviary begins (p. 1a) with Easter-eve vespers (that is, on Good Saturday) and ends (pp. 807a–817b) with the feast of Saint Conrad (26 November). There then follows (pp. 817b–819b), as additions, a lection In nocte sancte Anne and four lections In divisione apostolorum, written in the same hand as before (cf. p. 433b, p. 457b). Finally the added rubric Passio sancti Placidi martyris, sociorum eius 35 martyrum prima [?] lectio [?] is written in another, later-fifteenth-century hand. Among the saints feasts occur those of Gallus (p. 662a) and its octave (p. 708a) as well as of Otmar (p. 759b) and its octave (p. 789b). On p. 666 appears the library stamp of Abbot Diethelm Blarer from the period 1553–1564. The wooden-board binding dates to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Its leather binding is adorned with scroll stamps. The original clasps and fittings are missing. On the inside of the front and back boards can be seen offsets from detached flyleaves, as well as from fragments with writing that were pasted in. Two paper leaves (pp. A-D) and one paper leaf (pp. Y-Z) have been inserted and bound in before and after the parchment book block, respectively. The pagination is faulty: A–D, 1–155, 155a, 156–433, 435–621, 623–819, Y–Z. (len)
Breviary from the Convent of Dominican Nuns of St. Catherine
This breviary contains the Psalter (pp. 1a–111b) followed by cantica, Pater noster, Credo, Quicumque vult and litanies (pp. 111b–129b), as well as the Proprium de tempore (pp. 130a-533a) from the first Sunday of Advent to the 25th Sunday after Trinity, including the Dedicatio ecclesiae (p. 524a) and finally the Proprium de sanctis (pp. 534a-839b) and the Commune sanctorum (pp. 840a-841b), which breaks off at the end of the last page and is incomplete. The manuscript was written in a fourteenth-century textualis and decorated with numerous red and blue pen-flourished initials. The only highlighted name in the Litany is that of Catherine (p. 125a); this fact, along with the feasts of St. Peter of Verona (p. 632a), the Translatio sancti Dominici (p. 647b, 648a), St. Dominic (death day) (p. 709a) and Saint Catherine (p. 828b, 830b) indicate that the breviary was intended for the Dominican convent of St. Catherine, probably the one in St. Gall (and later in Wil). The seventeenth-century ownership mark Monasteriae [!] s. Catharinae, written in the same hand as, for example, Wil, Dominikanerinnenkloster St. Katharina, M 3, front flyleaf, proves that the breviary actually comes from the convent. The leather cover on the wooden-board binding is decorated with a stamp with the head of Christ as well as with a scroll stamp, and has the blind-stamped date 1591 on the front. (len)
Paper · 617 pp. · 24.5 x 17 cm · second half of the 15th century
Breviary
This breviary dating from the second half of the 15th century contains assorted offices of the Proprium de sanctis in two parts as well as the text In dedicatione ecclesiae, a short collection of sermons for the celebration of church dedications (Richard of Saint Victor, Augustine, Eusebius ‹Gallicanus›, Bernard of Clairvaux) and the Creed. This manuscript displays the hand of Cordula von Schönau, the Dominican nun from the cloister of St. Katharina in St. Gall, whose hand is also found in codex Wil, Dominikanerinnenkloster St. Katharina, M 3. (fas)
This paper manuscript contains short readings (capitula), collects (collectae), prayers, hymns, antiphons, and responsories for the office throughout the year, including the common of Saints. Probably in the fourteenth century, this “extended collectar” was written in a flowing textualis and then rubricated. In many places, the manuscript shows heavy traces of use in the form of worn, browned margins. On p. 25 can be found the library stamp of Abbot Diethelm Blarer from 1553–1564. The wooden-board binding dates to the fourteenth or fifteenth century. On the inner boards can be seen offsets of Hebrew fragments. (len)
Parchment · 782 pp. · 20.5 x 15.5 cm · St. Gall · 13th century
Book of Matins from the 13th century, Abbey of St. Gall
Breviary with nightly recitations for Matins (lectiones matutinales) for the hourly prayers of the monks of St. Gall. Includes De tempore recitations (for the major holiday seasons of Christmas, Easter, and Pentacost, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent), and De sanctis recitations (for saints’ feast days). (smu)
Parchment · 702 pp. · 25.8 x 17.5 cm · St. Gall · second quarter of the 11th century
Breviary (winter part)
Winter part (from the first Sunday in Advent to Holy Saturday) of a Breviary written in the monastery of St. Gall between 1034 and 1047 (with readings and chants for the liturgy of the divine office), with addenda until the 14th century. Prefaced by a Calendar and computational tables. The corresponding summer part of the Breviary can be found in Cod. Sang. 387. One of the oldest extant Breviaries from St. Gallen. (smu)
Parchment · 666 pp. · 27 x 20 cm · St. Gall · around 1030 (additions until the 14th century)
Breviary (winter part)
Winter part (from the first Sunday in Advent to Holy Saturday) of a Breviary for the divine office, written around 1030 with addenda until the 14th century. Contains, in addition to a large Lectionary and Antiphonary, a Calendar and computational tables. One of the oldest extant Breviaries from St. Gall. (smu)
Parchment · 397 pp. · 29.5–30.5 x 22.5–23 cm · 12th century
Breviary
This breviary, which is missing its end, contains the proprium de tempore from the first Sunday of Advent through Saturday after the third Sunday after Easter (pp. 1–384). Then follows the commune sanctorum (pp. 384–386), the proprium de sanctis from Tiburtius and Valentianus (April 14) to Primus and Felicianus (June 9), and then the proprium de tempore continues from the fourth Sunday after Easter. The breviary cuts off in the middle of the fifth Sunday after Easter. Since there are only three, and not, as was common in the Benedictine Order, four readings per nocturn on Sundays, the breviary cannot have come originally from the Abbey of St. Gall. The codex, which shows signs of heavy use, is written by several hands on thick parchment with many holes, sometimes with stitches. Several pages are cut below the text-block. The antiphons and responsories appear with staffless neumes, which themselves were written by many hands. The decoration consists of red lombards and initials, including a few zoomorphic ones (p. 172: dragon; p. 217: bird with two heads; p. 231: dragon). Numerous fragments of a late-medieval liturgical manuscript are used as quire-guards. (sno)
Parchment · 248 pp. · 26.8 x 18 cm · St. Gall · first half of the 9th century
St. Gall Lectionary and Homilary
Lectionary and homilary for the period from Pentecost to the last Sunday after Pentecost, meticulously written by a variety of hands at the monastery ofSt. Gall in the first half of the 9th century. (smu)
Parchment · 440 pp. · 27 x 20.5 cm · St. Gall · 10th century
Lectionarium homiliarum
The summer portion of a Lectionarium officii containing scripture lessons to be sung by a choir, produced during the 10th century at the Abbey of St. Gall. (smu)
Parchment · 636 pp. · 29-29.5 x 21 cm · St. Gall · middle of the 9th century
Expositio libri comitis
An incomplete copy of the Expositio libri comitis, a selection of Epistle and Gospel readings organized according to the Church year composed by the Benedictine monk Smaragdus of St. Mihiel (near Verdun; † ca. 840), produced near the middle of the 9th century at the Abbey of St. Gall. (smu)
Parchment · 181 pp. · 29.8 x 20.8 cm · St. Gall (?) · 10th-11th century
Lectionarium homiliarum
Lectionary for the period from Christmas through the second Sunday of Lent, with 32 homilies (Predigten) for Sundays and feastdays, written mostly by the church fathers (Ambrosius, Augustine, the Venerable Bede, Fulgentius and Leo the Great, among others), most likely produced at the Abbey of St. Gall in the 10th or early 11th century. The name of one scribe, Egilolfus, added later, can be found on page 85 of the manuscript. The front pages of the manuscript are in exceedingly poor condition, having suffered water damage. The text breaks off on page 177, in the course of a tract by Leo the Great. (smu)
Parchment · 290 pp. · 28-28.5 x 18 cm · 9th century
Liber scintillarum
A copy of the Liber scintillarum, a text originally written in about 730 by the monk Defensor of Ligugé (near Poitiers), produced during the 9th century, not at the Abbey of St. Gall. The 81 chapter Liber scintillarum is a florilegium (anthology) of maxims and sayings attributed to God and the saints, derived from the Bible and the writings of the church fathers. The last part of the volume contains fragments of lessons from the monastic liturgy of the hours (lectiones), as well as aphorisms. (smu)
Parchment · 306 pp. · 31.5 x 22 cm · St. Gall · 12th century
Homiliae dominicales per aestatem
This manuscript, written by several hands, contains a total of 66 sermons, most of them by Bede and Gregory the Great, a few by Augustine and Jerome, and occasionally ones by Ambrose, Fulgentius, John Chrysostom, Maximus, Origen and by unknown authors. Some homilies are reproduced in their entirety, others in excerpts. Four strips of the Edictum Rothari were removed from the binding; today they are held in the Abbey Library of Saint Gall with the shelfmark Cod. Sang. 730. Imprints of these fragments are visible on the inside cover. (nie)
Parchment · 338 pp. · 33.5 x 24.2 cm · Cloister of St. Gall · 10th/11th centuries
Lectiones nocturnales
Lectionary. The first part, written in the 11th century, contains readings for the nocturns of the matins (for the entire church year, beginning with the first of Advent; first de tempore, then de sanctis). Readings from the gospels are indicated only by short text incipits and are augmented with homilies primarily by church fathers (among others Origen, the Venerable Bede, Gregory the Great). The second part, written in the 12th century, begins on p. 184 and contains readings from the Old and New Testaments for weekdays and holidays in ordinary time throughout the liturgical year. The manuscript contains several multi-line initials, among them a representational initial of a composite animal on p. 12. (sno)
Parchment · 168 pp. · 34 x 26 cm · St. Gall · 12th century
Lectiones homiliarum nocturnales
This entire codex was written by a single scribe. It contains a collection of readings for the nocturns. The sections are introduced by red majuscules. Several marginal notes were added in the 13th century. On the inside covers, imprints of fragments from the Gospel of Luke in the oldest version of the Vulgate still remain visible. The imprints are from two leaves that were detached in 1932 and that since then have been held, together with other fragments from this Vulgate manuscript, under the shelfmark Cod. Sang. 1395. (nie)
Parchment · 706 pp. · 41 x 30 cm · St. Gall · third quarter of the 9th century
Homiliary (Proprium de sanctis)
Deluxe manuscript with numerous outstanding, perfectly executed initials and an excellent image of dedication (Saint Augustine), containing mostly sermons for the principal saints' days. (smu)
Parchment · 588 pp. · 36.5-37 x 27.5 cm · Chelles (Paris) · around 810
Expositio libri comitis
An incomplete copy of the Expositio libri comitis, a selection of Epistle and Gospel readings organized according to the Church year, composed by the Benedictine monk Smaragdus of St. Mihiel (near Verdun; † ca. 840). This copy produced at the women's cloister of Chelles Abbey near Paris was produced in about 810 and is the oldest known surviving copy. (smu)
Parchment · 412 pp. · 37.5 x 25.5–26 cm · 13th century
Matutinale
The manuscript contains the readings for the nocturns of matins, the nightly office, on Sundays, feast days and weekdays. It includes the proprium de tempore from the first of Advent to the end of the ecclesiastical year (including the saints’ feasts between Christmas and Epiphany). As the Matutinale does not have four readings per nocturn on Sundays, as was the practice in the Order of Saint Benedict, but only three, it cannot have been originally written for the Abbey of St. Gall. On the margins of p. 233/234 appear numerous additions from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries on the feast of the Trinity. Decoration consists of red lombards and simple initials, partially with incipient pen-flourishes (e.g., p. 75). The parchment has numerous holes, some of which have stitches. Numerous pages are trimmed below the text block. Strips from an eleventh-century liturgical manuscript are bound around the first and last quire of the codex as reinforcement (the back half of the strip around the last quire is paginated as p. 414/415). On the front board appears the offset of a page of a thirteenth-century psalter; on the back board, the offset of an eleventh-century sacramentary (?). (sno)
Parchment · 295 (296) pp. · 37 x 25.5 cm · Ittingen · first half of the 13th century
Lectionary for the Matins and antiphonary
This codex, written in the 13th century, contains a lectionary for Matins for the saints’ days and an antiphonary for the entire liturgical year. The antiphonary bears the title In nomine domini incipiunt antiphone secundum morem Marbacensis ecclesie. Nevertheless, this is probably not a manuscript from the reformed monastery of Marbach in Alsace. Based on the offices, which indicate a connection with St. Gall, it must rather be assumed that the manuscript originated in the monastery of the Canons Regular of St. Lawrence in Ittingen, which belonged to the monastery of St. Gall, but which followed the Consuetudines of Marbach. The fly leaf (p. 2/1) contains a large part of the Office of St. Gallus, probably from a manuscript from the 10th/11th century. Readings as well as chants (the latter ones with neumes) are recorded. The order of the responses and antiphons does not match that of the Hartker antiphonary, Cod. Sang. 391. (sno)
Parchment · 193 ff. · 34.3-34.7 x 25.2-25.5 cm · second half of the 15th century (1463–1491?)
Psalter with antiphons and hymns, hymnal
This manuscript probably was written at the behest of St. Gall Abbot Ulrich Rösch (1463-1491). The manuscript’s principal part consists of a Psalter with the Psalms in biblical order, as well as several liturgical rubrics, antiphons (partly only with the Initium), and hymns, followed by the Pater noster, the Credo, biblical Cantica, the Te Deum, a litany und more Cantica. The final part, from fol. 135v, consists of a hymnal, which also contains a Sequence (Cantemus cuncti melodum). Antiphons and hymns have melodies in German plainsong notation("Hufnagelnotation") on 4 or 5 lines. Numerous erasures and additions, as well as other signs of usage, attest to intensive use of the manuscript. Several pages have book decorations in the form of initials with vine scrolls; a figure initial can be found on fol. 1v (a man fighting a dragon and a bird of prey). (sno)
Parchment · 104 pp. · 37.2 x 26.3–26.8 cm · St. Gall · around 1555
Vesperale
The pontifical vesperal of St. Gall Abbott Diethelm Blarer (1530–1564) contains the prayers, psalms with antiphones and responsories, as well as hymns for the high holidays of the church year. Except for the incipits of the antiphones of the Magnificat, which are written in German plainsong notation (“Hufnagelnotation”) on five lines, the manuscript contains no melodies. The scribe of this volume was Father Heinrich Keller (1518–1567), subprior of the Monastery of St. Gall. The book’s decoration - 20 historiated initials and several richly decorated borders with pictures - is the work of an unknown artist from the region of Lake Constance, who also illuminated Cod. Sang. 357 and 442. (sno)
Parchment · 235 ff. pp. · 42.3 x 32.5-33.5 cm · 1467
Psalter with antiphons and hymns, hymnal
This manuscript was written at the behest of St. Gall Abbot Ulrich Rösch (1463-1491) (dating on f. 227r: 1467). Its content corresponds substantially to that of Cod. Sang. 438: a Psalter with the Psalms in biblical order, as well as several liturgical rubrics, antiphons (partly only with the Initium) and hymns are followed from f. 148v by Cantica, and from f. 172v by a hymnal. Antiphons and hymns have melodies in German plainsong notation ("Hufnagelnotation") on 4 or 5 lines. Numerous erasures (sometimes extending over several pages) and additions, as well as other signs of usage, attest to intensive use of the manuscript. Several pages have book decorations in the form of initials with vine scrolls; a figure initial can be found on f. 104v (David with a harp). (sno)
Parchment · 159 pp. · 18.2 x 13.2 cm · Monastery of St. Gall (Fr. Heinrich Keller) · around 1555
Ritual from the post-Reformation Monastery of St. Gall
Ritual for the personal use of Prince-Abbot of St. Gall Diethelm Blarer (1530−1564; cf. his coat of arms on p. 8 and the stamp for his personal library on p. 7); written by the St. Gall monk Heinrich Keller (1518−1567) and illustrated around 1555 by an unknown illuminator from the area of Lake Constance. The St. Gall manuscripts Cod. Sang. 357 and Cod. Sang. 439 were illuminated by this same artist at the same time. The small-format volume contains liturgical texts on the administration of the sacrament of baptism (pp. 9-107), on the readmission of a woman into the circle of believers after giving birth (pp. 107-114), on marriage (pp. 114-141), as well as on the distribution of wine on October 16th, the feast day of Saint Gall, the founder of St. Gall (pp. 144a-154). (smu)
Parchment · 86 pp. · 21-22 x 16.5 cm · Monastery of St. Gall · 15th century / 1563
Ritual; preface to Manfred Barbarini Lupus’ compositions for several voices in Cod. Sang. 542 and 543
This manuscript consists of two-parts bound together; the first part (pp. 3-26) contains a 15th century ritual with instructions for visits to the sick, for spiritual care for the dying, and for burial (this is cut off in the prayer at the coffin on p. 26). The second part (pp. 27-86) consists of two discourses in defense of polyphonic music, composed by St. Gall monk Mauritius Enck († 1575) at the behest of Abbot Diethelm Blarer (1530-1564). These discourses are meant as prefaces to Manfred Barbarini Lupus’ compositions for several voices in Cod. Sang. 542 and 543. Enck defends polyphonic music against widespread criticism, for example for its presumed lascivia (wantonness), and postulates an ideal for church music consisting of a combination with a chorale as the foundation and figural music as embellishment. Thus he describes precisely the compositions of Barbarini Lupus. At the end of the first discourse (pp. 47-48), Enck names the artists who contributed to Cod. Sang. 542 and 543 as well as the time period of their work on the manuscripts (from 1561 to 1563). (sno)
Parchment · 40 ff. · 25.8 x 20 cm · St. Gall (Fridolin Sicher) · 1541
The so-called "Läuterbuch" – Instructions for the office of the sacristan in the post-Reformation St. Gallen Monastery
The book was written in 1541 by the St. Gall calligrapher and cathedral organist Fridolin Sicher (1490–1546). Organized according to the ecclesiastical calendar, this volume contains German-language instructions for the preparation of the altars and ceremonies of the St. Gallen Monastery on the individual Sundays and holidays. In addition, it offers an alphabetical listing of all the altars in the post-Reformation monastery district of St. Gall. At that time, the duties of a sacristan were in the hands of a lay brother, who cleaned the church, lit the candles and monitored them while they burned, and rang the church bells (hence the name "Läuterbuch"). (smu)
Parchment · 344 pp. · 24.5-25 x 18-18.5 cm · St. Gall · between 845 and 870
Manuscript compilation consisting mainly of works of liturgical and pastoral character
Manuscript compilation consisting mainly of works of liturgical and pastoral character, produced between 845 and 870 in the monastery of St. Gall. It contains, among other items, a liturgical study by Abbot Walahfrid Strabo of Reichenau (808/09-849) Liber de exordiis et incrementis quarundam in observationibus ecclesiasticis rerum, the first western European reference work on liturgical history, the so called Ordines Romani, a liturgical study by Amalar of Trier, the first Capitular of Bishop Theodulf of Orléans, two treatises about baptism and the mass attributed to Alcuin as well as the Capitular documents (diocesan legislative documents) of Haito, Bishop of Basel and Abbot of Reichenau. (smu)
Paper · 316 pp. · 22.4 x 16 cm · St. Gall · around 1440
Breviarium (Kastl/St. Gallen)
This order of service was probably prepared around 1440 for St. Gall Abbey. It documents the liturgical rite of the reformed Benedictine Monastery of Kastl in the Upper Palatinate (cf. the title on p. 3: Breviarium de divinis officiis et consuetudinibus ecclesiasticis per circulum anni monasterii sancti Petri in Castello ordinis sancti Benedicti), whose monastic impulse of renewal must have been taken up in St. Gall in the late 1430s under Abbot Eglolf Blarer. The determination of the text for St. Gall is the result of adaptation to the veneration of the saints of St. Gall Abbey (e.g., p. 222 annotation regarding the patron saint Wiborada, p. 240 consideration of St. Constantius, venerated in St. Gall on July 3rd). (zue)
Parchment · 232 pp. · 31 x 21 cm · St. Gall · around 1432 / after 1446
Liber Ordinarius of Hersfeld / Ordinarium Sangallense
Liber Ordinarius from the second quarter of the 15th century with liturgical instructions for the mass of the monks of St. Gall during the presence of reformist monks from the monastery ofHersfeld between 1430 and 1439. The Liber Ordinarius, dated 1432 (p. 36), seems to have been made for the monastery ofSt. Gall following a model from Hersfeld (in the northeast of Hesse); however, some parts are not yet adapted for the monastery ofSt. Gall. The calendar at the beginning of the manuscript can be unambiguously located in St. Gall. Between the various parts of the manuscript, repeatedly there are empty pages. (smu)
Parchment · A, B + 46 + Y, Z pp. · 25/25.5 x 14/15.5 cm · second half of the 10th and beginning of the 11th century
Martyrologium
A composite manuscript consisting mainly of calendars and texts with chronological content, produced in the second half of the 10th century and at the beginning of the 11th century, for the most part not at the abbey of St. Gall. The main items are a calendar, possibly of northern Italian origin, and excerpts from the work De temporum ratione by the Venerable Bede († 735). (smu)
Parchment · 54 pp. · 24.5 x 17 cm · 9th/10th centuries
Martyrology
A martyrology by the Venerable Bede († 735) in Anglo-Saxon script, produced in the 9th century. This partial surviving copy (including the beginning of January through July 25th) is distinguished in this collection as a surviving direct copy from the original text composed by Bede. (Note: a martyrology is a collection of longer or shorter life histories of the saints in calendar date order.) (smu)
Parchment · 268 pp. · 32 x 19/20 cm · Monastery of St. Gall (Fridolin Sicher) · 1542/43
Chapter office book with the Rule of Saint Benedict, a martyrology and a necrology of St. Gall
Meant for daily use in the chapter office, this volume was written in 1542/43 by the secular cleric Fridolin Sicher (1490−1546), born in Bischofszell, for St. Gall Prince-Abbot Diethelm Blarer (1530−1564; cf. his coat of arms on p. 5 and p. 8 as well as p. 268); later the volume came into the possession of the monastic community of St. Gall. Before as well as after the Reformation, Fridolin Sicher was cathedral organist and calligrapher for St. Gall Abbey. In the front of the volume there is a Latin copy of the Rule of Saint Benedict (pp. 5-72), followed in the later part by an abridged version, consolidated into a single draft, of the Martyrologium Romanum and a necrology related to St. Gall Abbey (pp. 83-267). Under Prince-Abbot Bernhard Müller (1594−1630), this chapter office book was replaced with a new necrology begun in 1611 (cf. Cod. Sang. 1442) that no longer contained the Rule of Saint Benedict. (smu)
Parchment · A-F + 246 + Y-Z pp. · 31.5/32 x 19.5/20 cm · St. Gall · 12th and 18th centuries
The second-oldest surviving book of the chapter office of the Abbey of St. gall, including, among other items, lists of brothers who joined, the Rule of St. Benedict, a martyrology and death record as well as historical account records
The second-oldest surviving chapter office book of the Abbey of St. Gall, begun in the 12th century and maintained, with the addition of many entries, until early modernity. This volume contains, among other things, lists of the bishops of Constance (736-1318) and the abbots of the cloisters at Reichenau (724-1343) and St. Gall (719-1329), records of brothers who became members of the Abbey of St. Gall, readings and homilies for Sundays and holy days in the chapter assembly of the monchs, a copy of the Rule of St. Benedict, a martyrology complete with death records, tables and explanations for figuring the dates for Easter, and a copy, with continuation, of the St. Gall Annals found in Cod. Sang. 915. At the very back: two printed lists of St. St. Gall monks from 1757 and 1798. (smu)
Parchment · 368 pp. · 34 x 26 cm · St. Gall · around 880-890
Martyrologium
A copy of the martyrology of Ado of Vienne († 875). As an appendix the manuscript also contains vitae of ancient saints, possibly written by Notker Balbulus himself around 880/890. (smu)
Parchment · A-D+ 603 + Y, Z pp. · 23 x 16.5 cm · [in part Monastery of St. Gall] · 11th-13th century
Martyrologium by Ado of Vienne
Martyrologium by Ado of Vienne († 875), the main part of which probably was not written in St. Gall, although the manuscript was kept there since the 11th century (supplements to the patron saints of St. Gall). At the end of the volume, there are annals-style notes about the comet of 1264, calendar dates, notes regarding the construction of the cities of Milan and Alexandria, the founding of the Cistercian Monastery of Wettingen, the discord between Emperor Frederick II and his son Henry VII around 1236 as well as the latter’s imprisonment, and hexameters regarding the correct preparation of eucharistic bread (p. 601-602). (dor)
Parchment · IV + 390 + IV pp. · 22 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 10th/11th centuries
A martyrology by Notker Balbulus
The sole surviving copy of the Martyrologium by the St. St. Gall monk Notker Balbulus (d. 912), a work written in about 900 and following. This particular copy from the first half of the 10th century is incomplete: a martyrology includes short biographies of the saints according to their given days in the calendar year, but information about saints for dates from June 13-17, July 3-6, August 19-26, October 27 and December 31 is missing. It is very likely that Notker Balbulus never completed the ambitious project of writing the original Martyrologium. (smu)
Parchment · 190 pp. · 21.5 x 13-13.5 cm · possibly written in Mainz or Fulda · 9th century
Martyrology
A martyrology by Hrabanus Maurus, possibly written in Mainz or Fulda, produced shortly after 843. This codex is very likely the presentation copy given to Abbot Grimald of St. Gall (841-872); however, the presentation dedication is missing from the front matter. (smu)
Parchment · 228 pp. · 21.5 x 15.5 cm · St. Gall · second half of the 9th century
A martyrology by Hrabanus Maurus
A martyrology by Hrabanus Maurus, composed shortly after 843. The codex contains a copy of Cod. Sang. 457, under the auspices of the St. Gall monk Notker Balbulus shortly after 875. It also includes the presentation dedication, missing from the presentation copy (Cod. Sang. 457), addressed to Abbot Ratleik of Seligenstadt and Abbot Grimald of St. Gall (841-872). (smu)
Parchment · 366 pp. · 21 x 15-17 cm · St. Gall · 9th/10th centuries
Computational/scientific compilation with numerous tables, schematics
Computational/scientific compilation manuscript with numerous tables, schematics, and texts about calendar computation, produced in the monastery of St. Gall around the end of the 9th century and beginning ot the 10th. The volume also includes a St. Gallen calendar and the Annales Sangallenses brevissimi (a short history of St. Gall). Two early medieval maps of the world (terrae orbis or T-O maps) precede the work De temporum ratione by the Venerable Bede. (smu)
Parchment · 94 pp. · 17.5 x 14 cm · Monastery of St. Gall (Fridolin Sicher) · before 1545
Fridolin Sicher’s Song Book
Song collection of St. Gall organist Fridolin Sicher; 49 songs for three to five voices in 16th century mensural notation without texts. Among the composers are, among others, Alexander Agricola, Loyset Compère, Josquin Desprez and Jacob Obrecht. Several pieces give the name of the composer and the beginning of the text (in French, Italian, Flemish or Latin). Usually one piece fills a double page, less frequently all (three or four) voices are arranged on a single page (dor)
The song book of Chaplain Johannes Heer of Glarus: a collection of 88 folk-, students-, love-, drinking- and joke songs, among them 40 unique items; from the pre-reformation period (1510-1520). (smu)
Paper · I + 143 ff. · 15 x 21.5 cm · second third of the 16th century
From the Songbook Collection of Aegidius Tschudi: Volume for Descant and Alto Voices
Songbook compiled by the universal scholar Aegidius Tschudi (1505-1572) from the middle of the 16th century. The volume contains 215 musical scores in measured notation using the five line staff, mainly by contemporary French, Dutch, and German composers such as Josquin Desprez, Adrian Willaert, Jacob Obrecht, Heinrich Isaac, and Ludwig Senfl. The descant (or soprano) parts are found on the left-hand pages, with the alto (or tenor) parts on the right-hand pages. (smu)
Paper · II + 25 + II ff. ff. · 14.5 x 21–21.5 cm · second third of the 16th century
From the Songbook Collection of Aegidius Tschudi: Volume for Bass and Descant Voices
Songbook owned by the universal scholar Aegidius Tschudi (1505-1572) of Glarus; together with Tschudi’s estate, it became the property of the Abbey Library of St. Gall in 1768. This volume contains in one binding the part-books for bass and descant voices for 17 motets and chansons in five or six parts by contemporary composers such as Josquin Desprez or Loyset Compère, written in mensural notation using the five line staff. This songbook was written by several hands, among them Tschudi himself, who added notes about modes on fol. 12r–v and 24v–25r (the schemata on fol. 25v likely are by Heinrich Glarean). Except for one piece, all the compositions in Tschudi’s songbook also appear in Cod. Sang. 463; therefore these part-books seem to be drafts for the final collection. (sno)
Martinus of Vienna, O.F.M., Exposition of the Mass
This fourteenth-century manuscript on paper contains an Exposition of the Mass by the Franciscan lector Martinus of Vienna. Two scribes carefully produced this single-column copy in a regular Gothic bookhand. They are also responsible for numerous corrections and marginal notes that appear throughout the codex. This volume belonged to the Abbey Library of Saint Gall since at least the fifteenth century, as attested by a German note of ownership at the bottom of the first page (p. 1). (rou)
Paper · 218 pp. · 21 x 14–15 cm · second half of the 14th or first half of the 15th century
Composite manuscript with Latin dictionary, sequence commentaries, and glossed sequences
This multi-part paper manuscript contains a Latin dictionary, a hymn for St. Nicholas, one for Mary, and one for the Holy Cross, as well as two sequence-commentaries, and finally sequences with glosses and superscript numbers that indicate a simplified phrasing. A single primary hand may have made the copies, which were then completed by one or more other hands. Scarpatetti dated the manuscript to the second half of the 14th century; from a paleographical perspective, a dating to the first half of the 15th century also seems possible. According to the ownership note on p. 194, the manuscript was in the Abbey of St. Gall already in the 15th century. (len)
Paper · 396 pp. · 20.5/21 x 14/15 cm · 14th/15th century
Liber Sagittarius; Summa poenitentiae; Commentary on hymns and sequences; Gesta romanorum
This composite codex belonged to Kemli, a monk of St. Gall who had the parts, some of which come from the fourteenth century, bound together and interspersed with blank pages, which he and other writers then filled in. For this reason, the manuscript features numerous different hands and a constantly changing layout. The larger blocks of related text are a collection of sermons (Liber Sagittarius, pp. 3–61), a confessors' manual (pp. 71a–92b), commentaries on hymns and sequences (pp. 118–217b), as well as a collection, apparently assembled by Kemli himself, of ancient historical exempla, which in part are taken from the Gesta romanorum (pp. 226–357). The leather binding dates from the fifteenth century. (mat)
Parchment · 55 ff. · max. 17 x 12 cm · 12th and 13th century
Collection of liturgical fragments
This small volume contains liturgical fragments. They come from six different manuscripts (overwhelmingly breviaries/psalters), of which sometimes multiple leaves, sometimes only a few lines survive. The first fragment (ff. 12r-34v) is written in Latin, but has German rubrics, which suggests a breviary for private use. As a note on f. Ar in his own hand indicates, Ildefons von Arx likely assembled this volume. (sno)
Parchment · A–D + 204 + Y–Z pp. · 16 x 11 cm · Northern Italy (?) · 13th century
Marian prayerbook
This small prayerbook contains four large textual units, of which three could be called Marian prayers. A short psalter that connects the first verse of each psalm with an Ave Maria (pp. 5–35), an extensive litany of saints (pp. 37–68), the “Joys of Mary” (pp. 69–180), and another short psalter that is structured like the first text, except that throughout it uses a different Psalm verse instead of the initial verse (pp. 180–200). The manuscript is entirely written by a skilled hand and contains rubrics and initials in red and blue ink. The text is preceded by two full-page illuminations (p. 2 Enthroned Virgin and Child, p. 3 the Flagellation of Christ). The mention of St. Abundius of Como (p. 56) suggests a possible place of origin for the codex. Thus Scherrer suggests that it could have been copied in Italy for Benedictines; Scarpatetti thinks that it was produced in or for a lay chapter or a women’s convent. On p. C can be found a likely post-medieval ownership mark by a certain Jodokus Graislos in Greek script. In the eighteenth century, the book received its current, unadorned binding and an ownership mark of the St. Gall-dependent convent of St. Johann im Thurtal (p. 1), whence the manuscript came to the Abbey Library. (mat)
Parchment · 247 pp. · 14.5 x 10.5 cm · Brabant or Northeast France · 15th century
Book of hours in Latin and necrology
Book of hours of high-quality production and stylistically well-written (pp. 1-193, following four paper flyleaves). The miniature on p. 24, representing St. Veronica with the veil, is particularly noteworthy. Christ’s face was later damaged. A full-page miniature on p. 163 is at the beginning of the Office for the Dead. The manuscript’s initials are decorated with gold leaf, as well as the pages with miniatures - for example pp. 24, 38, 52 and 132 - containing figural decorative elements such as representations of animals. In the 16th century the manuscript seems to have reached the Eastern Alemannic-speaking area and have come to St. Gall. (nie)
Parchment · 145 pp. · 16.5 x 11.5 cm · end of the 13th or first half of the 14th century
Antiphonal and Sequentiary for Saints’ Feasts
The manuscript contains the antiphons, invitatories, and responsories for certain offices of saints, and then the Alleluia verses and sequences for the feast-days of some saints. The majority of the chants are provided with adiastemmatic neumes. A note on p. 112, written before the turn of the 15th century, has neumatic notation on staves. As the leather covering on the spine and the back cover is entirely missing, the Gothic cover joint is very visible from the outside. According to the ownership note on p. 3, in the eighteenth century the manuscript was in the Abbey of St. Johann in Toggenburg. (len)
The German Language Prayer book of Dorotea von Hof
This manuscript of collected items with twelve historiated initials and prayers in the German language was written by Dorothea von Hof (1458-1501), daughter of Heinrich Ehinger and Margarethe von Kappel. The codex contains the Officium parvum BMV as well as assorted prayers (mainly Marian prayers and prayers from the Passion of Christ), the Hundert Betrachtungen ("Hundred Meditations") from the Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit ("Book of Eternal Wisdom") by Henry Suso, and prayers ascribed to Thomas Aquinas. This manuscript on paper, completed in 1483, was presumably owned by the sisters of the Dominican cloister of St. Katharina in St. Gall, of which Dorothea von Hof is listed as a patroness. (fas)
Parchment · II + 323 pp. · 10 x 8 cm · St. Gall · first half of the 10th century
Tropary
Important musical manuscript in very small format containing the repertory of tropes, Ordinary chants and sequences in use around 930/940 in the monastery of St. Gall. With discrete texts and compositions by numerous St. St. Gall monks (Notker Balbulus, Tuotilo, Ratpert, Notker Physicus, Waltram and others). The manuscript was intended for the cantor who indicated the melody to the other singers. (smu)
The manuscript contains antiphons, verses, and responsaries, followed by sequences. The chants are accompanied by square notation on four red lines. The script, a small textualis, comes from a fourteenth-century hand. The manuscript and binding (with leather-covered wooden boards) are kept to the smallest possible format. (len)
Paper · 89 ff. · 10 x 7-7.5 cm · St. Gall · 1484, 1485
German prayer book for private use
This prayer book contains prayers from the collection of William III, Duke of Bavaria (ff. 1v-16r), prayers to the Virgin Mary (ff. 17r-39r), prayers for Holy Mass and others (ff. 39v-45v) as well as for Communion (ff. 80r-88v). In between are St. Bernard’s verses (ff. 46v-50v) and various other texts of blessings and prayers (ff. 51v-78v). According to a colophon on f. 81v, the texts were written and decorated with pen-flourish and Lombard initials by the professional scribe Simon Rösch. On ff. 89 and 90 (glued onto the back cover), another poem was added in a different hand. The language of the prayers is Swabian. Numerous feminine forms of names suggest a female commissioner, probably a convent of nuns in St. Gall. (nie)
Paper · A + 142 + Z ff. · 10.5 x 7 cm · St. Gall, St. Katharinen Convent of Dominican nuns, Cordula von Schönau · before 1498
Latin Officium defunctorum and German prayers for the deceased
A German-language allegory about indulgences (fol. 63v–67v) is inserted into this Latin Officium defunctorum (fol. 1r–104r). Following on fol. 104v–141r are German prayers (partly prayers on indulgences) for the deceased. The copyist, Cordula von Schönau, who is named on fol. 141r, is attested to have been at the St. Katharinen Convent of Dominican nuns from 1492 to 1498. (sno)
Parchment · A + 172 ff. · 11 x 8 cm · 2nd half of the 14th century
Dominican Psalter
Most likely intended for the convent of Dominican nuns of St. Catherine in St. Gall, this tiny psalter (11 x 8 cm) reveals its Dominican use already in the calendar (ff. 2r-7v), which includes Dominican saints, such as Thomas Aquinas and Peter Martyr. Copied in a single column of textualis by a regular hand, the text is punctuated by alternating red and blue initials, sometimes with pen flourishes, and in different sizes according to the textual divisions (psalm, verse). In addition to Latin notes, the margins contain instructions in German on how to recite the Psalms. After the litany of saints and prayers (ff. 151r-159v), a paper quire has been added, dating from the end of the fifteenth century and containing hymns (ff. 160r-170v). (rou)
Paper · 144 ff. · 11.5 x 8 cm · St. Gall, Franz Gaisberg · ca. 1477–1504
Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book
This small-format prayer book of Franz Gaisberg, who later became Abbot of St. Gall (abbot 1504–1529), only contains prayers in Latin. It begins with a calendar (f. 1r–12v) and a computistic table (f. 13r/v), followed by prayers about the passion (f. 14r–29v), prayers and antiphons to Mary (f. 31r–49r) and other saints (f. 49r–80r), as well as to the Commune sanctorum (f. 81v–83v), various other prayers (f. 83v–107r), as well as the liturgy of the hours for the passion and for the souls of the deceased (f. 107v–140r). There is no decoration except for initials with simple scroll ornamentation in red ink that stretch across two to four lines. (sno)
Paper · 230 ff. · 8.5-9 x 6.5-7 cm · Southern German monastery (present Baden-Württemberg)? · 1509
German prayers
This small codex consists of two parts. The first part (ff. 1-79) is made up of texts by two female scribes (ff. 1r-28r and 28v-79r); it was produced around 1500 or shortly thereafter. According to a colophon on f. 162r, the second part (ff. 80-226) was written by Sister Fides Baierin and, according to a note on f. 80r, belonged later to Sister Barbara Wingelhus. The last three leaves are blank. The booklet reached the Abbey Library in the late 18th century. The first part contains various prayers, especially on the passion; the second part contains prayers in honor of the Virgin Mary. The language of the texts is an Early Modern High German with Swabian influences. (nie)
Parchment · 326 ff. · 7 x 5.5 cm · Amiens: Johannes Mouret · 14th century
Breviary of the Celestine Order
This Breviary can be associated with the Order of the Celestines based on the rubric on fol. 122r. According to the scribe's notes on fol. 211v, 271v, and 319v, it was written by Brother Johannes Mouret from Amiens. The manuscript, executed in tiny handwriting, is decorated with numerous fine pen-flourish initials, as well as a few small pen drawings of faces and dragons in the margins. (sno)
Parchment · A–I + 194 + U–Z ff. · 7.5 x 5.5 cm · first half of the 15th century
Dominican Psalter
This tiny psalter, which was written for a Dominican Convent, begins with a fragmentary calendar (ff. Er-Iv; one leaf, containing the months of January and February, has been removed). After the Psalms (ff. 1r-182v) there follows the Old and New Testament Cantica (ff. 183r-193r) and the Athanasian Creed Quicumque vult (ff. 193r–194v) as well as a fifteenth-century addition of a litany (ff. Ur–Wr). Red and blue initials, some with pen-flourishes, make up the book’s ornamentation. The flyleaves come from older recycled parchment, and the pastedowns are made up of fragments from a fifteenth-century charter. Since Catherine of Siena does not appear in the calendar, the psalter likely was produced before 1460. The manuscript was in the Abbey Library by the eighteenth century at the latest. (sno)
Parchment · II + 161 pp. · 12 x 8 cm · France · 2nd half of the 15th century
Prayer book, Latin and French
Small format prayer Book on highest quality parchment with Latin and several French prayers. The coat of arms on p. 3 refers to the Montboissier family from Auvergne as commissioner. In addition to a half-page crucifixion scene (p. 3), the manuscript also contains many tiny initials, most of them with animal heads, as wells as numerous miniatures on pp. 97-146, taking up four lines of text with images of saints. (sno)
Parchment · A-H + 684 pp. · 16 x 11.5 cm · 14th century
Breviary
This substantial manuscript contains a Benedictine breviary. According to Scarpatteti, a professional copyist produced this in a Benedictine monastery, either in Savoy or in Italy, given some mentions related to Montecassino. The script, a rotunda, and the decoration, consisting of red and blue initials with blue and violet pen flourishes, betray the same transalpine origin. In addition, a fourteenth-century note written in Italian confirms this provenance (p. 8). Although the manuscript is only first officially attested in a catalogue of the St. Gall library in 1827, the insertion of the first pages in paper suggests that it was there at least from the fifteenth century (A-H). Indeed, beyond to adding various notes, a fifteenth-century copyist completed the fragmentary calendar and inserted into it the name of Notker, who was venerated in St. Gall (p. H). (rou)
Parchment · A + 289 ff. · 16 x 10.5–11 cm · second half of the 15th / first half of the 16th century
Breviary of the Diocese of Constance, for the Abbey of St. Gallen
This breviary was written in bastarda by a single hand, probably belonging to a choir monk of the Abbey of St. Gall. In addition to the usual parts of a full breviary (Calendar, Psalterium feriatum, Proprium de tempore [incomplete], Proprium de sanctis and Commune sanctorum), it also contains Marian prayers, the liturgy for compline and the vigil of the dead, a Cursus B. M. V., suffrages, and further prayers. (sno)
Parchment · A + 261 ff. · 11.5/12 x 9 cm · France · 14th century
Breviary (summer section)
This small manuscript contains the summer part of a breviary, copied in an elegant textualis, probably in France, as suggested by the entries in the fragmentary calendar (for example, the anniversary masses for the King of France and for the Countess of Blois). At the end of the codex (f. 261v), annotations in German, written probably in the fourteenth century, and others from the fifteenth century relative to St. Gall (ff. 174v-175r) indicate that, early on, it was present in the German-speaking region and in St. Gall. Various reasons, including the script of one of the later hands, suggest that, at a very early date, the manuscript belonged to the convent of Dominican nuns of St. Gall. (rou)
Paper · A + 190 ff. · 14.5 x 10 cm · probably St. Gall · second half of the 15th/ first half of the 16th century
Spiritual Marian breviary: Prayers and meditations in German for the liturgical year
This manuscript, probably from a nuns’ convent in St. Gall, contains a cycle of prayers and meditations through the liturgical year, beginning with Advent and on through Christmas, Easter, Pentecost to the Assumption of Mary. The visions of the Nativity of Jesus of Saint Bridget of Sweden and a rosary, among others, are interspersed. This codex is written by a single hand which, along with others, can also be found in the sister manuscript Cod. Sang. 510. (mat)
Paper · 270 ff. · 13 x 10 cm · St. Gall · second half of the 15th/ first half of the 16th century
German prayers
According to the scribe, this manuscript originally is from the Dominican convent of St. Katharina in St. Gall, later Wil; it contains a cycle of prayers and meditations through the liturgical year, beginning with Advent and on through Christmas, Easter, Pentecost to the Assumption of Mary. The visions of the Nativity of Jesus of Saint Bridget of Sweden and a rosary, among others, are interspersed. One of the scribes of this manuscript also wrote the entire sister manuscript Cod. Sang. 509. (mat)
This small-format prayer book in German contains prayers to Christ, on the Passion and on Communion, to Mary, Mother of God, and to various saints, further prayers on various topics, reflections on the Passion, and devotions according to Johannes Gerson. On f. 38v and 39r there are two full-page miniatures. They depict Christ on the cross with Mary and John (f. 38v) and the Pietà with the instruments of torture (Arma Christi, f. 39r). The manuscript was probably written for a women's convent or for female users, although some male forms also appear in the prayers. According to the ownership note on f. 185r, in the 17th century the book was owned by the Benedictine Convent St. Wiborada in St. Georgen above St. Gall. (sno)
Parchment and paper · 395 (394) pp. · 30 x 21 cm · 13th/14th century
Composite manuscript with, among others, commentary on the hymnal, Vocabularius Ex quo, Speculum humanae salvationis
Composite manuscript containing mainly theological texts and, as the largest part (pp. 61–212), the Vocabularius Ex quo. The remaining works are a commentary on the hymnal, where each verse of a hymn alternates with the corresponding explanation (pp. 1–56), a short treatise De humani cordis instabilitate (pp. 57–60), sermons (pp. 212–229, 240–268 and 268–273), the life of Albert of Trapani (Albertus Siculus) (pp. 230–239), the Speculum humanae salvationis (pp. 274–335), a short treatise on virtues and vices called Etymachia or Lumen animae (pp. 335–345), excerpts from Jerome, Augustine and others (pp. 346–368), as well as the Speculum ecclesiae by Hugo de S. Caro (pp. 370–391). The latter is written on a parchment palimpsest , the underwriting (“scriptio inferior”) is in Rotunda script. Four red and bleu fleuronné initials from the underwriting have survived (p. 372, 373 and 375). The last pages contain responsories for Christmas (Descendit de celis deus verus), the Feast of Saint Mark (Beatissimus Marcus discipulus) and Commune plurimum martyrum (Viri gloriosi sanguinem fuderunt), and also the Easter trope (Quem queritis) with melodies in square notation on four lines (pp. 392–394). The manuscript consists of parchment and paper, sometimes even mixed within one quire. This codex has been at the monastery of St. Gall at least since 1553/64 (library stamp p. 60). (sno)
Paper · VII + 140 ff. · 30.5-31 x 20.5-21 cm · 1517/1531
Organ tabulature of Fridolin Sicher
An organ tablature by the St. Gall cathedral organist and calligrapher Fridolin Sicher (1490-1546). Starting in 1512, while he was a pupil of the organist Hans Buchner in Konstanz, Sicher gathered 176 pieces by 94 composers (including Paul Hofhaimer, Hans Buchner, Jacob Obrecht, Josquin Desprez, Matthaeus Pipelaere) together in this volume. Two thirds are sacred vocal pieces, the rest are originally secular songs. The descant is in measured notation on a five line staff, while the remaining vocal parts are indicated with alphabet letters and rhythmical symbols. Some of the compositions may be found only in this particular organ book. (smu)
A 14th/15th century folio manuscript, written by several hands on differently-arranged sheets of paper, contains an extensive explanation of the liturgical year (Directorium spirituale, pp. 3–205), followed by sermons (pp. 205b–211, 257–370, 375–414), the Acts of the Apostles with a commentary (pp. 213–255), a computistic table (pp. 372–373) and a few lines of Thomas Aquinas on suffrages. The manuscript is incompletely rubricated and has no ownership marks. A colophon to the Acta apostolorum provides the year 1405 (p. 255). The fifteenth-century binding is lacking clasps. (mat)
Parchment · IV + 110 + II pp. · 27.5 x 19.5 cm · St. Gall · shortly after 1540
Directorium perpetuum ecclesie sancti Galli, Series secunda (ulterior), Regulae 1-2
Copied after 1540 (the date can be deduced from the mention of the consecration of the chapel of Saints Fabian and Sebastian on p. 6) by the St. Gall organist and scribe Fridolin Sicher (1490-1546), this manuscript contains the first two rules of the Directorium perpetuum. Its content is almost entirely identical to Cod. Sang. 533, which is the first of seven volumes commissioned by Abbot Franz von Gaisberg (Cod. Sang. 533-539). Produced some twenty years later, Cod. Sang. 532 is the only volume that survives from the second series; the others were either never produced or have been lost. Decoration had been planned but was never done (p. IV and 56 for full pages, and p. 1 and 57 for initials). Analogously to the first series, it is likely that the arms and the portrait of the commissioning abbot – probably Diethelm Blarer (1530-1564) – would have been included. (rou)
Parchment · 136 pp. · 28 x 20 cm · St. Gall · before/around 1520
Directorium perpetuum of the Monastery of St. Gall, Serie prima, Regulae 1-2
The Directorium perpetuum of the monastery of St. Gall, commissioned by Abbot Franz von Gaisberg (1504–1529), consists of seven volumes (Cod. Sang. 533–539). A total of 36 regulae contain the liturgical rules for the Liturgy of the Hours for all possible annual calendars, due to the variable date of Easter. Each rule begins with Epiphany; the rules for the holidays of the Christmas season until the Vigil of Epiphany (which do not depend on the date of Easter) are compiled in Cod. Sang. 539. Cod. Sang. 533 contains the first and second rule, for when Easter falls on March 22nd and 23rd (reference date in the codex: Septuagesima, January 18th/19th). The illumination of the manuscript is by Nikolaus Bertschi from Rorschach: p. 6 contains a full-page miniature (at the top a Lamentation of Christ with the donor, below Saint Gall and Saint Othmar supporting the coat of arms), p. 7 and p. 65 have initials in gold leaf and richly decorated borders. Unlike the following volumes, this volume was not written by Fridolin Sicher. (sno)
Parchment · 419 pp. · 27.5/28 x 20 cm · St. Gall · Fridolin Sicher, before/around 1520
Directorium perpetuum ecclesie sancti Galli, Series prima, Regulae 3–10
The Directorium perpetuum of the monastery of St. Gall, commissioned by Abbot Franz von Gaisberg (1504–1529), consists of seven volumes (Cod. Sang. 533–539). A total of 36 regulaecontain the liturgical rules for the Liturgy of the Hours for all possible annual calendars, due to the variable date of Easter. Each rule begins with Epiphany; the rules for the holidays of the Christmas season until the Vigil of Epiphany (which do not depend on the date of Easter) are compiled in Cod. Sang. 539. Cod. Sang. 534 contains the third through tenth rules, for when Easter falls between the 24th and the 31st of March (reference date in the codex: Septuagesima, January 20th to 27th). The illumination of the manuscript is by Nikolaus Bertschi from Rorschach and an assistant: p. 3, 41, 83, 135, 243, 301 and 360 contain initials in opaque colors (partly on a background of gold leaf) with scrolls or richly decorated borders. This volume was written by the St. Gall cathedral organist Fridolin Sicher. As only one of the seven volumes, this one used to be a liber catenatus. (sno)
Parchment · 374 pp. · 27 x 18.5 cm · St. Gall · before/about 1520
Directorium perpetuum ecclesie sancti Galli, Series prima, Regulae 11–17
The Directorium perpetuum of the monastery of St. Gall, commissioned by Abbot Franz von Gaisberg (1504–1529), consists of seven volumes (Cod. Sang. 533–539). A total of 36 regulae contain the liturgical rules for the Liturgy of the Hours for all possible annual calendars, due to the variable date of Easter. Each rule begins with Epiphany; the rules for the holidays of the Christmas season until the Vigil of Epiphany (which do not depend on the date of Easter) are compiled in Cod. Sang. 539. Cod. Sang. 535 contains the 11th through 17th rules, for when Easter falls between the 1st and the 7th of April (reference date in the codex: Septuagesima, January 28th to February 3rd). The illumination of the manuscript is by Nikolaus Bertschi from Rorschach and an assistant: p. 6 contains a full-page miniature (at the top a Lamentation of Christ, below Saint Gall and Saint Othmar supporting the coat of arms), p. 6a, 54, 108, 164, 211, 263 and 317 contain initials in opaque colors (p. 164 on a background of gold leaf) with scrolls or richly decorated borders. This volume was written by the St. Gall cathedral organist Fridolin Sicher. (sno)