![Jenaer liederhandschrift](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Jenaer_liederhandschrift.jpg)
The Jenaer Liederhandschrift (German, the "Jena song manuscript") is a 14th-century manuscript containing lyrics and melodies to songs in
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
. The majority of the lyrics belong to the genre of
Spruchdichtung
Spruchdichtung or Sangspruchdichtung is the German term for a genre of Middle High German sung verse. An individual work in this genre is called a Spruch (plural ''Sprüche''), literally a "saying", and may consist of one or more strophes.
While ...
and, with 91 melodies, the manuscript is the single most important source for the music of this genre.
It is currently held in the
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
n
Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek,
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
, with the shelf-mark Ms. El. f. 101. In
Minnesang
(; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who wr ...
scholarship it is referred to as Manuscript J. A further fragment, consisting of a single sheet, is in the in
Dillingen (XV Fragm. 19).
Description
The manuscript comprises 133 (of an original 154) folios and contains collections of lyrics by 31 named poets, along with an anonymous religious song (a
Leich), and the text of the ''
Wartburgkrieg'' ("The song-contest at the Wartburg").
The quality of the manuscript is exceptional:
The unusual size of the manuscript, 56 by 41 cm, the outstanding quality of the parchment, the careful, almost monumental execution of the penmanship in both text and music suggest an aristocratic patron who wished to own a song collection with melodies in a luxurious edition.
Of the melodies, Bernoulli notes, "On the whole we cannot imagine a more clearly written example of a document using
square notation
A neume (; sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff (music), staff notation.
The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the general sh ...
."
For these reasons, it seems likely that the manuscript was commissioned for display (or possibly as a gift) rather than for use in musical performance.
History
The manuscript was compiled in about 1330 in
Central Germany, possibly
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
for an unknown high-status patron, though it has been suggested it was for
Frederick the Serious, Landgrave of Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen, or
Rudolf I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg
Rudolf I ( – 12 March 1356), a member of the House of Ascania, was Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg from 1298 until his death. By the Golden Bull of 1356 he was acknowledged as Elector of Saxony and Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire.
Life
Rudolf was ...
. By 1540 it was located in
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
, where it was bound, and in 1549 was transferred as part of the Wittenberg Bibliotheca Electoralis ("
Elector
Elector may refer to:
* Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors
* Elector, a member of an electoral college
** Confederate elector, a member of ...
's library") to the Collegium Jenense in Jena, which later became the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
.
The Dillingen fragment is a single sheet, half of a folio that was removed from J (between the current folios 132 and 133) sometime before the latter was bound in 1541. It was used as a binding for a collection of religious tracts and was first discovered in 1917.
The Poets
The manuscript contains songs by the following poets, who are mostly of
Central German origin. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of melodies for each poet.
Notes
References
* Transcription of melodies into modern notation.
*
*
*
*
* Diplomatic edition of text and melodies.
*
* Catalogue entry with description.
* Introductory article.
External links
The Jenaer Liederhandschrift: digital facsimileThe Dillingen Fragment: digital facsimile* Marburger Repertorium
Jenaer Liederhandschrift
{{Authority control
Medieval music manuscript sources
14th-century books
Middle High German literature
Middle High German manuscripts
Minnesang