Views from the Choir Loft

Digitizing the Vatican Library

Fr. David Friel · January 15, 2020

ORKING with manuscripts has long been a labor limited to those with the time and resources to travel to libraries around the globe. In recent years, this has slowly begun to change, as more and more libraries have begun to make their collections available online. Such digitization projects are complex, so publishing an entire library online does not happen overnight. One very important collection that continues to expand its online offerings is the Vatican Apostolic Library (VAT).

Launched in 2010, the digitization of the Vatican Library (known as DigiVatLib and available here) has comprehensive goals. Ultimately, the plan is to make the library’s entire manuscript collection available online. The collection includes 80,000 codices, which will translate to 40 million scanned images. The DigiVatLib project makes use of International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) technology, which not only makes its own resources accessible, but also enables these resources to be easily searched and compared alongside the treasures of other major collections.

Digitizing manuscript libraries serves two principal purposes. First, it accomplishes long-term preservation of the materials for future generations. Second, it opens the collection’s treasures to a broad audience of scholars and interested parties. Both of these missions are immensely valuable.

Perusing the Vatican collection online turns up not only mesmerizing manuscripts, but also a large collection of coins and medals. Other treasures to be explored include incunabula, archival materials, and graphic and printed materials.

The homepage of the Vatican Library is worth a visit in its own right, but the digital collections warrant special exploration. One decade into the project, the results are fascinating.

Taking a few moments (or countless hours!) to pore over DigiVatLib is sure to provoke questions, curiosities, and new interests.

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served for five years as Parochial Vicar at St. Anselm Parish in Northeast Philly. He is currently a doctoral candidate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“Abraham” • Guerrero Imitates His Teacher

Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599) studied music with Father Cristóbal de Morales circa 1545. He taught himself the organ. On 3 April 1542 he was engaged as a contralto by Seville Cathedral at an annual salary of 12,000 maravedís. He remained there until 1546, when, at the age of only 17, he was invited—on the recommendation of Father Morales—to become mæstro de capilla of Jaén Cathedral. He was entrusted with the boarding, lodging, and instruction of the six choirboys; but he neglected this duty and was sentenced to be dismissed on 30 August 1548. However, he was absolved and reinstated on 3 November. I think you can see (perhaps) a little homage to his teacher on the word “Abraham.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Too much music!

Choosing music for the Sacred Music Symposium requires careful consideration. We make sure (always) to have great variety. Because the schedule is so full, there’s never sufficient time to discuss the music fully—indeed, we could easily do a month-long seminar on each piece! For example, last year Dr. Calabrese conducted a setting of the Magnificat by Father Guerrero (d. 1599). It is one of the most magnificent (pardon the pun) pieces ever written, and I wish I had time to point out the brilliant way he syncopates the word “dispersit,” which means “He has scattered” or “He has dispersed.” Superb!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Sharing Is Caring”

I would like to share a message from a highly respected scholar. (His articles appear in distinguished journals such as Études grégoriennes and Oxford’s Early Music.) He wrote as follows:

The Brébeuf Hymnal is very tastefully done. Your team has exquisite literary and musical taste. I see from my copy of the hymnal that you also set Ex more docti to “Rockingham” (one of my favorite melodies for “When I survey the wondrous cross”). I especially appreciate the background information at the bottom of the page. When I played at the Lutheran church, I would always have a little note about the music, sometimes about a hymn, if the “Hymnal Companion” offered something of interest. The church we attend has battered Worship II hymnals (one per pew), but almost nobody seems to want to sing. I congratulate you on the staggering amount of work it took to produce the Brébeuf hymnal: excellent contents and production.

—Jeff Ostrowski