The Codex Gisle
One of the most magnificent music manuscripts of the German late Middle Ages, the golden gradual of Gisela von Kerssenbrock, is being made accessible to a wider public by Quaternio-Verlag.
The Codex Gisle is a gradual, i.e. a choir book for the daily singing of the Mass. It originates from the Cistercian nunnery Marienbrunn in Rulle, north of Osnabrück, and was created there around 1300.
It is highly unusual that the names of the artist and scribe are known: In red ink, Sister Gisela von Kerssenbrock, a member of an old Westphalian noble family, signed the gradual in several places with an adoring nun and the words "Gisle". Gisela was the cantrix or song mistress of the convent, taught her fellow nuns to sing and was responsible for the production of the musical manuscripts. She created the book decorations, wrote texts and sheet music and donated the Codex Gisle their convent in Rulle, where it was in uninterrupted use for around 500 years.
Unusual at the Codex Gisle is also its immense variety of images: with 53 pictorial initials, it surpasses other graduals by more than double. The ornamental letters are magnificently decorated and show the most important stages in the life of Jesus in sometimes unusual scenes.
The Quaternio publishing house in Lucerne has discovered this most beautiful Lower Saxon-Westphalian manuscript from the period between 1250 and 1400 in the Osnabrück diocesan archives and is making it accessible to a wide audience through its facsimile edition.
The elaborate facsimile edition will be accompanied by a scholarly commentary volume; a music edition of selected chants is also planned.
In the exhibition Golden splendor for heavenly songs - The facsimile edition of the Codex Gisle in Kloster Eberbach (D-65346 Eltville im Rheingau, opening hours: daily 10 am - 6 pm), the facsimile edition is on display until October 29, 2015 - in individual pages and for browsing.
Facsimile Codex Gisle: 172 leaves in the original format of 35.5 x 26 cm with 53 initials, leather binding with corner fittings, in linen case, commentary volume, edition: 480 copies, ISBN 978-3-905924-20-6, Fr. 12 400.-; documentation folder with two original facsimile leaves and information brochure, Fr. 124.-.
www.quaternio.ch
