Llibre Vermell de Montserrat
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The ''Llibre Vermell de Montserrat'' (, "Red Book of Montserrat") is a manuscript collection of devotional texts containing, amongst others, some late medieval songs. The 14th-century manuscript was compiled in and is still located at the
monastery of Montserrat Santa Maria de Montserrat () is an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict located on the mountain of Montserrat in Monistrol de Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain. It is notable for enshrining the image of the Virgin of Montserrat. The monastery was fo ...
outside
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
.


Manuscript

The manuscript was prepared in approximately 1399. It originally contained 172 double pages, of which 32 have been lost. Six folios contain music. The title "The Red Book of Montserrat" describes the red binding in which the collection was placed in the 19th century. No composer is identified for any of the songs it contains. The monastery holds the
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
of the
Virgin of Montserrat Our Lady of Montserrat or the Virgin of Montserrat ( ca, Mare de Déu de Montserrat) is a Marian title associated with a statue of the Madonna and Child venerated at the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery on the Montserrat Mountain in Catalonia ...
, which was a major site of
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
during the time it was compiled.


Music

The purpose of the compilation is made clear by its anonymous compiler himself: :''Quia interdum peregrini quando vigilant in ecclesia Beate Marie de Monte Serrato volunt cantare et trepudiare, et etiam in platea de die, et ibi non debeant nisi honestas ac devotas cantilenas cantare, idcirco superius et inferius alique sunt scripte. Et de hoc uti debent honeste et parce, ne perturbent perseverantes in orationibus et devotis contemplationibus.'' :"Because the pilgrims wish to sing and dance while they keep their watch at night in the church of the Blessed Mary of Montserrat, and also in the light of day; and in the church no songs should be sung unless they are chaste and pious, for that reason these songs that appear here have been written. And these should be used modestly, and take care that no one who keeps watch in prayer and contemplation is disturbed." The songs, therefore, were written for the pilgrims to have something appropriately "chaste and pious" to sing and dance to ( circle dances). The songs are in
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
, Occitan and
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
. While the collection was written near the end of the 14th century, much of the music in the collection appears from its style to originate earlier; the
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Ma ...
'' Imperayritz de la ciutat joyosa'' contains two different texts that can be sung simultaneously, a style that would have been old-fashioned when the manuscript was compiled. The songs have many of the characteristics of
folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
s as well as
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...
s. Some are
monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...
, while others are set in two to four parts of usually non-imitative
polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
. The monodic songs can be sung as two- or threefold canons. The relative simplicity, the dance rhythm, and the strong melodies of the songs have given the music collected in the Red Book a lasting appeal, and these songs are some of the most frequently recorded pieces of early music.


Surviving songs

The ten songs in the collection that survive are: # Song: '' O Virgo Splendens'' (fol. 21−v22) ("O Splendid Virgin") #
Virelai A ''virelai'' is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is one of the three ''formes fixes'' (the others were the ballade and the rondeau) and was one of the most common verse forms set to music in Europe from th ...
/danse: '' Stella Splendens'' (fol. 22r) ("Splendid Star") # Song: '' Laudemus Virginem'' (fol. 23) ("Let us praise the Virgin") # Song: '' Splendens Ceptigera'' (fol. 23) ("Splendid ruler") # Virelai: '' Mariam, Matrem Virginem, Attolite'' (fol. 25r) ("Praise Mary, the virgin mother") # Virelai/danse: '' Polorum Regina'' (fol. 24v) ("Queen of the Poles") # Virelai: '' Cuncti Simus Concanentes'' (fol. 24) ("Let us sing together") #
Ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
/danse: '' Los Set Gotxs'' (fol. 23v) ("The seven joys") #
Motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Ma ...
: '' Imperayritz de la ciutat joyosa / Verges ses par misericordiosa'' (fol. 25v) ("Empress of the happy city" / "Virgin, out of mercy") # Virelai: '' Ad Mortem Festinamus'' (fol. 26v) ("We hasten towards death") Many performers have performed these songs; some of the more noteworthy performances have been by Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XX, Micrologus, Studio der Frühen Musik, and Ensemble Unicorn.


Modern recordings

*1971 - ''Music of Catalonia in the 14th Century: Llibre Vermell de Montserrat''. Atrium Musicae *1979 - ''Llibre Vermell de Montserrat. A fourteenth century pilgrimage''. Hespèrion XX, Jordi Savall *1992 - ''Llibre Vermell - Pilgrim Songs & Dances''.
New London Consort New London Consort was a London-based Renaissance and Baroque music ensemble, which performed in most of Europe and various other parts of the world. Founded and directed by Philip Pickett, most of its repertoire was recorded and broadcast by BBC ...
,
Philip Pickett Philip Pickett (born 17 November 1950) is an English musician. Pickett was director of early music ensembles including the New London Consort, and taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He played recorders, shawms and similar ins ...
*1994 - ''Llibre Vermell De Montserrat''. Sarband, Osnabrücker Jugend Chor *1995 - ''Llibre Vermell de Montserrat - Cantigas de Santa Maria.'' Alla Francesca *1996 - "Los set goyts" and "Imperayritz de la ciutat joyosa" recorded by
Angelo Branduardi Angelo Branduardi (born 12 February 1950) is an Italian folk/folk rock singer-songwriter and composer who scored relative success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece. Biography Branduardi wa ...
in the album ''Futuro antico''. *2007 - ''Llibre Vermell''. Choeur de chambre de Namur,
Psallentes Psallentes ("those who sing") is a Gregorian chant ensemble founded in 2000 and based in Leuven, Belgium. Members Psallentes consists of singers Conor Biggs, Lieven Deroo, Pieter Coene, Paul Schils and Philippe Souvagie and is directed by Hendrik V ...
, Les Pastoureaux, Millenarium, directed by Christophe Deslignes. RIC 260. *2001 - ''Un Llibre Vermell, chants et danses des pèlerins de Montserrat.'' Camerata Vocale de Brive; Ens. Le Concert dans l'Oeuf; Capella Silvanensis, Directed by Jean-Michel Hasler. Collection Romane CR 106 *2016 - ''Llibre Vermell de Montserrat.''Llibre Vermell de Montserrat
''www.alia-vox.com'', accessed 9 May 2022
La Capella Reial de Catalunya ''La Capella Reial de Catalunya'' is a group of soloist singers with the aim of making the repertoire of Catalan historical music and, by extension, that of Spanish and other music widely known throughout the world. The group was formed in Bar ...
, Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall.


Media

* ''Mariam matrem virginem'' (
MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
file)


See also

*
Cantigas de Santa Maria The ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'' (, ; "Canticles of Holy Mary") are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile ''El Sabio'' (1221–1284). Traditionally, they a ...
, similar musical manuscript compiled during the reign of
Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...
.


References

*''The Black Madonna: Pilgrim Songs from the Monastery of Montserrat (1400–1420)'': Ensemble Unicorn with Michael Posch (Naxos, no. 8.554256, 1998), sound recording and liner notes. *''
Lord of the Flies (1990 film) ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1990 American survival drama film directed by Harry Hook and starring Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh, Danuel Pipoly and James Badge Dale. It was produced by Lewis M. Allen and written by Jay Presson Allen under the p ...
'': The soundtrack by Philippe Sarde features the melodies of " Stella Splendens in Monte," "Los Set Gotxs," and "Mariam Matrem". No credit was given, though the orchestrations were original. * ''El Llibre Vermell. Cantos y danzas de fines del Medioevo''. Maricarmen Gómez. Fondo de Cultura Económica. Madrid. 2017 ()


Notes


External links


Llibre Vermell de Montserrat - A discography


at Amaranth Publishing *

with English translations

contains modern notations of the songs in PDF.

with images of the original manuscript. * http://scolas.skyrock.com/article_1107086564.html
Llibre Vermell de Montserrat
on Wiki Musique {{DEFAULTSORT:Llibre Vermell De Montserrat Catalan music Music illuminated manuscripts 14th-century illuminated manuscripts Chansonniers (books) 1390s books Medieval music manuscript sources