Birgittine Hymnarium (Hymnarium Sanctae Birgittae)

Italy, 15th century, last quarter

Parchment

ii, 39, ii' leaves

172 × 115 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 2r–23v) Hymns from the Cantus Sororum

Rubric: Ymnus ad matutinum

Incipit: O Trinitatis gloria celestis decus curie

Explicit: trinum deum glorifice pro te tam digna laudibus Maria Gloria

Edition: AH, vol. 48, nos. 366–382.

2 (ff. 23v–40v) Hymns and Antiphons

Incipit: Veni creator spiritus mentes tuorum imple

Explicit: In te domine speraui non confundar in eternum

Note:

f. 23v: Veni creator spiritus.

f. 24v: Ruine celi curie, a hymn to Birgitta, also known as Ruinae coeli civium (AH, vol. 23, no 251).

ff. 25v–28r: Antiphons to the Virgin (Ave regina celorum; Regina celi; Virgo mater resurgentis).

ff. 29r–40v: Te Deum.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

nobis te diligere

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, RCI

Support: Western paper

Note: Brocade paper in pink and gold.

Locus: ff. SL1r–SL2r, SR1r–SR2v

Support: Parchment

Note: Modern parchment.

Leaf dimensions: 172 × 115 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–40v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 172 × 115 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Collation

Formula: 1 (6), 2(10), 3(12), 4(6), 4(10), 5(6)

Note: VisColl Collation

Layout

Locus: ff. 2r–40v

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 17

Written area: 120/150 × 80 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in ink. Staves in ink.

Script

Textblock

Description:

Hand 1

Textualis rotunda.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top left corner: National Library book label with current signum. Centre page: bookplate of Marcantonio V Borghese in paper, 80 x 85 mm.

(f. SL1r) In black ink by a modern hand: ‘No 4580 i prins Borgheses katalog. Uppgafs i kat. innehålla en outgifven Birgittahymn, "Rome celi curia" "i hvilken hänsyftas på S. Britas verksamhet för påfvens återförande till Rom!" Derför bjöds intill 100 fr. Boken tillslogs R.B. för 93 fr. Men hymnen är den kända Ruine celi curia, med några olikheter emot den i Brev. Lincop.’ Bottom of page: ‘1892 juni 30’.

(ff. Note_Ar–Note_Av) Notes by Robert Geete on the acquisition, provenance and content of the volume, signed ‘1894 31/4 R.G.’

Textblock

(f. 1r) In brown ink by a modern hand: ‘Ex Libris P. Hannibalis Meini ex dono reverendissimi canonici Dn. Calderini in vesp. diei 11. Martii 1842.’

(f. 3r) In the margin, in brown ink by a contemporary hand: ‘colere’

(f. 16r) In the margin, in brown ink by a contemporary hand: ‘tuus’

(f. 18r) Top of page, in pencil by a modern hand: ‘laudes’

(f. 18v) In the margin, in brown ink by a contemporary hand: ‘fore’

(f. 19r) Top of page, in pencil by a modern hand: ‘complet.’

(f. 20v) In the margin, in brown ink by a contemporary hand: ‘nos’

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text and musical notes in brown-black ink. Capitals in red. Some capitals touched with light brown ink. Rubrics in red.

Initials:

(f. 2r) Plain initial O over 3 lines, in red with interior reserved shapes, within a flourished blue frame.

Initials:

(ff. 2r–40v) Plain initials in red ink over 1-3 lines throughout the volume.

Images:

(f. 2r) Bas-de-page decoration. Man of Sorrows: Christ rising from the tomb, with a brown cross behind him. The scene is encircled by a green oval laurel wreath, placed in a mounted golden decoration of scrolls. Red and blue flowers and dots in the scrolls. The same kind of mounted decoration, but smaller and less elaborate, is placed in the lower margin of (f. 40v).

Musical Notation

Textblock

The hymns are notated with incipits in black square notation on a four-line red staff.

Binding

Description:

Modern binding in brown velvet. On LCO stamped in gold: ‘A 83’.

Binding dimensions: 180/180 × 120/120 × 15/15 mm

Contemporary: No

History

Origin

Italy, 15th century, last quarter. The bas-de-page decoration on f. 2r indicates an origin in Northern Italy.

Provenance

Names of two former owners, one P. Hannibale Meini (probably of the Maini family, Milan) and one Calderini (?), mentioned on f. 1r.

In the late 19th century, the book belonged to Marcantonio V Borghese– whose bookplate is found on LCI – by descent to Paolo Borghese.

Acquisition

Purchased by the National Library in Rome on 30 June 1892 at the book auction of Paolo Borghese, Prince of Sulmona (see note on f. SL1r). In the Borghese auction catalogue, the volume is listed as lot 4580.