Gregorian Chant - Missale Coloniensis - 1487

$0.00

Original Incunabula leaf printed in red and black, with Gregorian Chant in manuscript staves and hufnagleschrift notation. Ten lines of manuscript musical notation in double columns, on printed four-line stave with printed text.(350 x 235MM – 13 7/8 x 9 ¼’’) 

From the Missale Coloniensis (Cologne Missal) printed in Basle, 1487 by Michael Wenssler.  (Reference: Gesamtkatalog Wiegendrucke, item M24321).

The first printed book to include music is the Psalterium, printed by Fust and Schöffer, Gutenberg's associates, at Mainz, in 1457. Only the text & three black lines of the staff were printed; the fourth line was drawn by hand in red, & the notes were also written in manually. A Roman Missale completed at Milan in April 1476 by Michael Zarotus is the earliest known printing of music from movable type. Hand-written insertions continued to be made in many liturgical works, even after the general adoption of music printing.

This leaf illustrates the difficulty early printers had dealing with musical notation. While the text is beautifully printed, the music (and even the four lines) was laboriously added by hand.

A very scarce and unusual leaf of early music notation – per the Gesamtkatalog, only 15 copies of this 1487 Missal are known worldwide.

The  red “P” begins: “Per Omnia secula…” (World without end. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord).  

The large red “V” with a cross within the initial begins:  “Vere dignum et iustum…” (It is indeed fitting and right, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give thanks to you).

Shipped unmatted

  • Inventory# IM-12170
Sold Out