The discovery of rare music inside a medieval book has brought the sound of monks back to an abbey for the first time in 500 years. A performance of the "plaintive" music will be held in August at Buckland Abbey in Devon to celebrate the return of the book for the first time since 1539.
The 15th century book has been loaned to the abbey by the British Library. Recent research by a historian at the University of Exeter led to the discovery of the rare monastic music.
Lost music returns after centuries
Much of this type was lost or destroyed during the Reformation, which saw every priory and abbey in England closed by Henry VIII. The music may have been used to help the Cistercian monks through a crisis, such as during a sickness outbreak.
The National Trust, which owns the abbey, has worked with experts at the University of Exeter to prepare the music for its first performance in nearly five centuries. The music will be part of the soundtrack to a new exhibition and will be performed live in August by the university's chapel choir.
Medieval book reveals unique collection
Known as a "customary", the richly decorated Buckland Book contained the instructions the monks needed to carry out their daily religious rituals and services. It also contained a rare collection of medieval music copied and added to the book in the early Tudor period.
The music is in a style called "plainchant", with single lines of music for monks or priests to sing all together. Rather than following the rigid liturgical structure of the time, with particular pieces sung at different times of the day, the monks curated a unique sequence of chants drawn from various sources.
Creative compilation suggests crisis response
National Trust music historian Daisy Gibbs said: "Whoever compiled this collection seems to have been unusually creative, pulling together words and music from many different sources. The pieces found in the book ask for God's mercy, forgiveness and protection from harm."
"They share a real feeling of anxiety and fear. It looks as though they were once sung as a complete sequence, perhaps to help the monks through a crisis of some kind. We still have work to do to find out exactly how unusual this collection is."
Sweating sickness theory emerges
One suggestion is that the music was intended as a response to the sweating sickness, which broke out repeatedly in Tudor England. It often killed its victims within 24 hours and seemed to target young and middle-aged men.
Exeter historian Professor James Clark, who discovered the music, said: "Having searched the archives for traces of England's lost abbeys, it is very exciting to recover something of their sound. Before the Tudor Reformation, in every part of England and Wales there were places like this dedicated to creative music-making and performance."
Students bring ancient sounds alive
"Through this research we can now learn much more about this tradition and what it meant not only for the musicians but also for the surrounding communities that shared in their art," Clark added. Michael Graham, the university's director of chapel music, said the notation doesn't give instructions about rhythm or dynamics.
"This is one of the most interesting, and also most challenging, parts of performing music that's over 500 years old. Our students have really enjoyed being involved in the project, and have relished the opportunity to explore this rich vein of music and bring it to life in our chapel on campus."
Research is continuing to discover what happened to the Buckland Book between the closure of the abbey and when it was acquired by the Harley family in the 1720s. It was later sold to the British Museum in 1753.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
