Folio 39 recto 

 

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An Icelandic Gradual Manuscript

Introduction by Arne J. Solhaug

The manuscript with the signature Ny Kgl. Saml. 138 4º is an Icelandic gradual manuscript from late 16th century.
     The manuscript contains liturgical texts and melodies, and the large volume makes it a unique source from the period of transition between Catholic and Lutheran confession in Iceland.
     The liturgy represented in the manuscript is the medieval Latin liturgy, reorganized to suit the Lutheran confession, and expanded with Lutheran hymns translated into Icelandic. The content also reveals the late medieval tradition of Nidaros in Iceland, and this is an important aspect of the manuscript because of the lack of similar manuscripts in Norway.
     This manuscript probably served as a temporary liturgical agenda and handbook for services in the years before the first authorized liturgical books in Iceland: the Hymnbook 1589 and the Guðbrandur Þorlákssons Gradual 1594, both of which were printed.

The author of Ny Kgl. Saml. 138 4º was Gísli Jónsson, the third Lutheran bishop of Skálholt. Gísli Jónsson might have initiated this manuscript shortly after he and his fellow bishop at Hólar received an edict from King Fredrik II in 1585 April 29th. This instructed the bishops to improve the singing in the church and to strive for liturgical uniformity. The handwriting in the greater part of this manuscript has been identified as Bishop Gísli Jónsson’s, and his initials occur on either side of a monogram of Christ on folio 39r.
     The writing has relatively few personal characteristics. Both ornamented and non-ornamented capital letters occur in a late 14th century style.

The manuscript consists of 128 folios. It has three main parts: liturgical texts and melodies (folio 1 recto – 105 recto), a priest’s handbook (manuale) for services (folio 105 verso – 118 verso), and 6 standard texts for funeral orations, composed by Bishop Peder Palladius and translated into Icelandic (folio 118 verso – 128 verso).

The liturgical agenda is not complete, and texts and melodies are missing for 14 Sundays and feasts during the church year. The order of the material is not congruent with that of a normal church year. The medieval sanctorale is missing, but feasts of Virgin Mary are there, with very little change from the traditional texts and melodies.

The first part of the manuscript includes traditional chants both for Mass and Office. The manuscript consequently is a form of combined gradual and antiphonal. According to normal Lutheran practice, all the traditonal items of the Ordinary occur, but only few of the Proper chants are included, mainly Introitus, Alleluia and some Sequences. The Office is confined to First and Second Vespers, Matutin and Morning Prayer (Laudes)

The manuscript contains the following number of chants:

Latin Introitus (48), Latin Alleluia with Verse (44), Latin Sequences (11), one Icelandic Sequence (a translation), Latin chants of the Ordinary for Easter and Pentecoste and partly for Christmas, Latin Antiphons for Psalms and Cantica (147), Responsoria (24), Latin hymns (30), Benedicamus Domini (8), Latin Te Deum and an Icelandic version of the same, Icelandic Litany, medieval prayers both in Latin and in Icelandic, 30 Lutheran hymns in Icelandic. Compared to the medieval material, the number of Lutheran chants is small.

The sources of this manuscript have been Niels Jesperssøns Graduale 1573, and the collections of Icelandic hymn translations made by Martein Einarsson in 1555 and Gísli Jónsson in 1558.

The choice and use of antiphons and responsoria reflects the tradition of Ordo Nidrosiensis Ecclesiae (early 13th century).

This manuscript is not used by the compilors of the first printed Icelandic hymnbook and gradual.

Arne J. Solhaug 
Assistant Professor 
Norwegian Academy of Music

February 2003

© Arne J. Solhaug and Det Kongelige Bibliotek, 2003