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Detailed record for Egerton 274

Part 1 ff. 3-118 
Title Musical miscellany
Origin France, N.
Date last quarter of the 13th century, or 1st quarter of the 14th century
Language Latin and French
Script Gothic, written below top line
Decoration Large historiated initial in colours and gold, extending to form a three-sided border with figures (f. 3). 11 large historiated initials in colours and gold, most extending to form a one-sided border (ff. 7v, 20, 20v, 22v, 24v, 27v, 37v, 45, 56v, 58, 78). 25 decorated initials, with animals or foliate features forming a one-sided border (ff. 12, 25v, 26v, 28v, 36, 38v, 39v, 41, 42, 43, 47, 47v, 48, 48, 49, 50, 52v, 59v, 62v, 64, 66, 69v, 75, 83, 87, 92). Marginal figures or animals in colours. Line-fillers in red, blue, and gold (ff. 92, 92v, 115). Large initials in gold or blue with pen-flourishing in gold, and/or red and usually blue forming a one-sided border. Small initials in gold with blue penwork decoration, or in blue with red penwork decoration. Added initials in red and brown. Musical notation on red 4- or 5-line staves, some added, some unfinished.
Dimensions in mm 150 x 105 (95/105 x 65)
 
Part 2 ff. 119--132v 
Title Musical miscellany
Origin France or England
Date 2nd half of the 13th century
Language Latin
Script Gothic
Decoration 2 large puzzle initials in red and blue with red and blue penwork pen-flourishing extending to form a partial border (ff. 119, 122). Small initials in red with blue pen-flourishing. Small initials in red or blue.
Dimensions in mm 150 x 105 (90 x 65)
 
Part 3 ff. 133-159 
Title Musical miscellany
Origin ? Germany
Date 4th quarter of the 14th century
Language Latin
Script Gothic
Decoration Musical notation on red 4- or 5-line staves, some added, some unfinished. German neumes (ff. 149-159)
Dimensions in mm 150 x 105 (95/105 x 65)
 
Official foliation ff. 160 (ff. 1, 2 and 160 are parchment flyleaves + 4 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning and 4 at the end)
Form Parchment codex
Binding BM/BL in-house. Rebound in 1985 (The former BM/BL in-house covers are kept separately.)
Provenance 15th-century music on 5-line staves (ff. 132v-159v), from f. 149 with German neumes, according to Manuscripts of Polyphonic Music, 11th - Early 14th Century, p. 497.
Jacques Dogimon: 16th- century: inscription 'Iste liber pertinet ad iacobum Dogimona' (f. 1); 'Jacobus Dogimon me possidet . . . [followed by several effaced words]' (f. 1v).
Jehan Perthuis de Hacquemere: see Manuscripts of Polyphonic Music, 11th - Early 14th Century, citing an inscription on f. 160, now no longer visible.
Bought by the British Museum from Dr. Van de Velde of Ghent, in 1834, using the Bridgewater fund (£12,000 bequeathed in 1829 by Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater (b. 1756, d. 1829).
Notes Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts.
Musical notation on red 5-line staves, with additions by later hands.
Part 2, crossed tironian ets.
ff. 1-2 are parchment leaves, f. 2 with 14th-century musical notation.
medieval foliation 'ii' - 'vii' (ff. 2-6), with 'iii' missing
Quire 6: (f. 131-160). Fascicle 5 contains no music. In each of the fascicles 2-6 there are some erasures with secular texts replaced by sacred ones or even by new compositions. For instance, fascicle 6 contains late 14th century sacred monodies with minims and black and red notes up to f. 137v. On the page in question are the remains of a two-part Benedicamus. From f. 149 there are German neumes. Another interesting feature which may reveal English influence is the presence of longs alternating with rhombs in LoB. The polyphonic conductus are as usual in score, the motets in parts.
Select bibliography Catalogue of Additional Manuscripts 6666-10018; Catalogue of Egerton Manuscripts 1-606 (unpublished catalogue available in the British Library Manuscripts Reading Room), p. 110.

Augustus Hughes-Hughes, Catalogue of Manuscript Music in the British Museum, 3 vols (London: British Museum, 1906-65), I, 423-24; II (1908), 193, 464.

A Guide to the Exhibition of Some Part of the Egerton Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1929), no. 117.

Manuscripts of Polyphonic Music, 11th - Early 14th Century, ed. by Gilbert Reaney, Répertoire international des sources musicales, BIV 1 (Munich: G. Henle, 1966), pp. 496-498 [with additional bibliography].

Arthur Seale, Music Manuscripts (London: British Library, 1987), p. 7, pl. 4.

Nicolas Bell, Music in Medieval Manuscripts (London: British Library, 2001), pp. 39-40.


Images

Part  1   ff. 3-118
Musical miscellany
* * *
 
Virgin and Child

f. 3
Virgin and Child
Mary

f. 7v
Mary
The Crucifixion

f. 20
The Crucifixion
 
Musical notation

f. 22
Musical notation
Standing figures

f. 24v
Standing figures
Illuminated initial

f. 25v
Illuminated initial
 
Ape on horseback

f. 27v
Ape on horseback
Man and dragon

f. 28v
Man and dragon
Man splitting wood

f. 37v
Man splitting wood
 
Illuminated initial

f. 38v
Illuminated initial
Illuminated initial

f. 43
Illuminated initial
Catherine

f. 45
Catherine
 
Musician

f. 58
Musician
Castle

f. 78
Castle

Part  2   ff. 119--132v
Musical miscellany
* * *
 
Illuminated initial

f. 108v
Illuminated initial
Puzzle initial

f. 122
Puzzle initial

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