Opening from an Antiphonary (c.1510)

This antiphonary was printed on paper which was not preferred for use in binding because it was more fragile than leather. However, paper was often used for wrapping, including books that were being transported before being bound. These pages show what a choirbook would have looked like before being cut and repurposed. The large size of the musical notations indicate that this would have most likely been used by a group which all read from the same copy.

These particular pages include chants for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8).