Carmina qui quondam. Melodie metrów boecjańskich w zasobach rodzimych na tle repertuaru europejskiego

Czesław Grajewski

doi:10.21697/sc.2023.30.1.3

Published: 2023-11-06

Vol. 30 No. 1 (2023)

Carmina Qui Quondam. Melodies of Boeotian metres in native resources against the background of the European repertoire

Czesław Grajewski

Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings

Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły

https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2023.30.1.3

Abstract

S. Boethius in each of the five books of his philosophical treatise De consolatione philosophiaeincluded poetic fragments, the so-called meters, a total of 39. In the Carolingian era, an anonymous composer created melodies to the first words of these meters, initiating a tradition, evidence of which is found in more than 30 manuscript sources in Western Europe. There are many indications that this practice served a didactic purpose: it was intended to make it easier for students to recite ancient poetry. In the 15^th century, most probably in Cracow, another tradition was born, which assigned different melodies to the same meters. So far, eight old prints with handwritten notes of those melodies have been found. Interestingly, the two traditions do not intermix. Moreover, the “Polish” melodies were developed polyphonically, possibly by Jerzy Liban of Legnica (c. 1464 – after 1546). The content of the books in which the “Polish” melodies are recorded also points to the didactic purpose of this practice. This article is an attempt to compare the repertoire of both traditions.

Keywords:

Boethius, Carmina qui quondam, melody, meters, old prints

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Grajewski, C. (2023). Carmina Qui Quondam. Melodies of Boeotian metres in native resources against the background of the European repertoire. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 30(1), 31–54. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2023.30.1.3

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Czesław Grajewski

graczes@yahoo.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2692-8232

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Prof. dr hab. Czesław Grajewski, dyrektor Instytutu Historii Sztuki i kierownik Katedry Kultury Artystycznej

UKSW. Badania naukowe koncentruje wokół zagadnień źródłoznawczych oraz oficjów o św. Katarzynie Aleksandryjskiej