When: 21 February 2019
Location: Room A832, 8th floor, Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 527 Sherbrooke Street W, Montreal, QC, H3A 1E3, CA
Description
Prof. Julie Cumming and a group of McGill students, librarians and musicians brought a 15th-century Manuscript choirbook to life. Manuscript 73, an impressive book that is about 3 feet wide when open, originates in northern Italy. Since McGill acquired the volume in 1930 it has been used mainly in a book history context. This project is the first time that a group of musicians has brought portions of these chants to life. The choir sang from the manuscript, with the audience following along as the pages were projected overhead. Selections included excerpts from the Office and Mass of the Feast of Corpus Christi and the office of Vespers for St. Thomas Aquinas. This manuscript is now digitized and available through the McGill Library's digital repository on the Internet Archive. Take a closer look in person in the Rare Books and Archives Reading room Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Contact rarebooks.library [at] mcgill.ca for reference guidance.
Singers: Raphaël Ashby, Marta Beszterda, Sarah Bleile, Emily Ann Hopkins, Sam Howes, Alessandra Ignesti, Peter Koniers, Ian Lorenz, Andrew Senior, Jacquelyn Sundberg, Rosemarie Tougas, Leah Weitzner
Hosted by ROAAr – Rare Books, Osler, Art and Archives in partnership with the Schulich School of Music. Supported by the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada.
