| Thesis Title: |
An Irish Gradual of the Twelfth Century - Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Rawl. C. 892: A Palaeographical, Liturgical and Repertorial Study |
| Supervisor(s): |
David Hiley & Harry White |
| Date Submitted / Accepted: |
28 August 2008 |
| Institution Submitting / Submitted To: |
University College Dublin |
| No. of Volumes (no. of pages): |
2 vols. (562pp) |
| Genres / Musical Instruments: |
Medieval Musicology - Gregorian Chant |
| Related Institutions: |
Waterford Cathedral, Lismore monastery |
| Related Places: |
Ireland, England, Normandy, Germany, Rome |
| Abstract: |
Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Rawl. C. 892 is the oldest extant complete musical source from Ireland. This tripartite study of the manuscript focuses on the palaeographical, liturgical and repertorial dimensions of the source and is preceded by a detailed discussion of the historical context of pre-Norman Ireland, thus setting the stage for an accurate understanding of MS. Rawl. C. 892.
The palaeographical study establishes that the manuscript was written in Ireland by two Irish scribes between 1150 and 1165. It situates the source within the Irish scribal tradition and identifies the diverse non-Irish influences in the script and decoration of the book. The musical notation is located in the broader notational traditions of Anglo-Norman England, Scandinavia and Normandy.
This thesis establishes that a close relationship exists between MS. Rawl. C. 892 and two un-notated Irish missals of the twelfth century (the Corpus and Rosslyn missals). It also establishes that all three books are deeply influenced by the Romano-Germanic Pontifical and that this foundational text was available in Ireland earlier than heretofore believed. Considerable Norman liturgical and musical influence is also evident: the traditions of Anglo-Norman Canterbury and Fécamp-Dijon-Fruttuaria being represented. This is the oldest diastematic representative of the Corbie-St Denis melodic tradition, transmitted to Ireland via Anglo-Saxon Winchester. The findings of a study of points of variance in the melodic tradition of the manuscript are presented, confirming this source to be a faithful witness to the Corbie-St Denis melodic tradition, while refining our understanding of the inter-relationships between sources representative of traditions present in the British Isles.
A discussion of the choice of script, the veneration of local saints and the episcopal character of the book prepares for the argument that the manuscript was written at the monastery of Lismore and destined for export to Waterford Cathedral. It can be understood as an expression of Lismore’s central role in the twelfth-century reform movement and in the promotion of an episcopal culture in twelfth-century Ireland.
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University College Dublin 