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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Resplendent Beyond Reckoning” • Sherborne Missal (1399AD)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 28, 2020

HE SHERBORNE MISSAL is the largest (and most lavishly decorated) Medieval Missal from England to have survived the Reformation. The manuscript was produced for the Benedictine abbey of St Mary’s in Sherborne, Dorset, circa 1399AD. The principal artist—a Dominican friar named John Siferwas—included his portrait and coat of arms several times in the manuscript. We were made aware of this by Father Lawrence Lew. One of the attendants of the Blessed Virgin Mary (next to the Cross) has braided hair, so I guess young women did that even in the 1400s:

74922-Sherborne-Missal-CRUCI
74920-Sherborne-Missal-C

Similar to the Saint Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal, Gradual, and Lectionary there appear to be fantastic little images of the different motions the priest makes during the Canon:

Priests who want to help congregations follow the Mass should really look into the Jogues Missal, because it provides photographs alongside the Ordinary of the Mass, in addition to having the complete Lectionary readings (ABC) and complete Propers in Latin and English.

The Sherborne Missal is now available
in its entirety to view online.

Meménto, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuárum…

…in primis quæ tibi offérimus pro Ecclésia tua sancta cathólica…

Communicántes, et memóriam ve­ne­rántes, in primis gloriósæ semper Vírginis Maríæ…

Qui prídie quam paterétur, accépit panem in sanctas ac venerábiles manus suas…

Hanc ígitur oblatiónem servitútis nostræ, sed et cunctæ famíliæ tuæ…

Quam oblatiónem tu, Deus, in ómnibus, quaésumus, benedíctam, adscríptam, ratam, rationábilem, accep­tabilémque fácere dignéris…

Præcéptis salutáribus móniti, et divína institutióne formáti, audémus dícere…

The level of detail is astounding:

Notice how the monks along the side have the words (on little white flags) to the Ave Regina Caelorum, which matches the drawings:

Roráte cæli désuper et nubes pluant justum…

Nunc scio vere, quia misit Dóminus ángelum suum…

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Medieval Manuscripts Last Updated: August 29, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

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