Codex Speciálník
The Speciálník Codex is a 15th-century speciálník (i.e. special songbook) originating from a monastery in the region of Prague and one of the most important early collections of Bohemian music.
Its eclectic mix of Medieval and Renaissance a cappella sacred music is matched only by its brilliant juxtapositions of well-known and obscure pieces and composers. Containing works for two, three, and four voices, the Codex is one of the oldest surviving collections of Czech Renaissance polyphony, and originated in the Utraquist protestant congregations of around 1500. The manuscript's repertory has close ties to the court of Emperor Frederick III and the ducal court in Milan.[1]
The manuscript is in the Library of the Museum of Eastern Boehmia (formerly Regional Museum Library) of Hradec Králové with shelfmark MS II.A.7. (RISM siglum: CZ-HKm MS II.A.7). The museum acquired it from a Prague antique dealer in 1901.
References
- ^ Hlávková, Lenka (2023). "From Centre to Periphery and Back: The Codex Speciálník and Fluid Music History around 1500". Journal of the Alamire Foundation. 15 (2): 139–150. doi:10.1484/J.JAF.5.135277. ISSN 2032-5371.
Further reading
- Kozachek, Laura Yvonne, "The repertory of the Speciálnik codex, Hradec Králové, Krajské Muzeum Knihovna (Regional Museum Library), MS II A 7 (Ph.D dissertation: Harvard University, 1998).
External links
- A listing of Medieval and Gothic recordings, containing a wealth of historical information on the Speciálník Codex.
- Free scores of songs in the Codex Speciálník in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Inventory and Bibliography of the codex at the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music