Music and Performance in the Book of Hours

This study explores the musical foundations and performance suggestions of books of hours, which were the most popular and widespread books of the late Middle Ages. It offers a rich sound world from dozens of extant manuscript sources, with cues for scribal awareness of sacred plainchants. It provides an overview of musical content and styles within and beyond liturgical offices, privileging sound and ritual enactment in the experience of the hours.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive study delves into the musical foundations and performance suggestions found in the widely popular and widespread books of hours during the late Middle Ages. By examining a diverse range of musical genres and sections within these handbooks, which served as guides to prayer and liturgy, the book presents a rich and textured sound world derived from dozens of extant manuscript sources from fifteenth-century France. It offers the first comprehensive overview of the musical content of these handbooks, highlighting their role in liturgical and devotional prayer, as well as the scribal attention to the articulation of sacred plainchants.

While books of hours do not employ traditional musical notation, this survey elucidates the full spectrum of musical genres and styles suggested both within and beyond the liturgical offices prescribed in these texts. The study emphasizes the importance of sound and ritual enactment in the experience of the hours, complementing existing studies of visual imagery that have dominated the field.

With its interdisciplinary approach within a musical context, the book appeals to specialists in musicology, liturgy, and late medieval studies, as well as those with broader interests in the history of the book, memory, performance studies, and art history. The book is accompanied by beautiful full-color illustrations that enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of the musical content discussed.

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367691325