General observations on the tradition of the Vorau manuscript
Of the 416 manuscripts catalogued by Fank, 81 are liturgical manuscripts, which is less than 20%. Of these, 12 are manuscripts with neumes, 17 medieval and 4 newer codices with staff notation, other 48 sources are without musical notation. The bibles and homiliaries are not included in the list. By the latter, their liturgical use has to be considered, even though they frequently served for the purpose of study. More than 40 fragments with musical notation listed here are found in the manuscripts, while potential fragments in the incunabula or printed books of the old inventory of the library are not included in the list.
It is evident that a large group of adiastematic manuscripts dating from the founding period of the monastery is preserved. The first five sources on the list represent a liturgical tradition which precedes the standardisation of the Salzburg Liber Ordinarius (A-Su M II 6). The essential book types such as missal and breviary are obtained, thus providing us with a comprehensive impression of the liturgy and its music in the founding period. This is not evident in the similar monasteries such as Seckau, where not a single antiphoner was preserved, whereas a large number of missals can be found. Although detailed studies of this liturgical tradition do not yet exist, the notation of the oldest missal has been researched. The existence of multiple Passau breviaries is noticable, which can be explained by a certain correlation of the Liber Ordinarius Codex 99 to particular customs of Passau. The tradition of Lamentations is rare, and they are not found in a separate liturgical book, but rather in a composite manuscript. Unlike Seckau, where the Liber Ordinarius from 1345 (A-Gu 756) is notated with adiastematic neumes of a very late date, in Vorau there is no trace of neumatic notation after the second half of the 13th century.
The codices with diastematic notation in Vorau were written – as was customary – in gothic notation. They represent an entire spectre of a liturgical-musical development of nearly 350 years – from the middle of the 13th century to the end of the 16th century. It is noticeable that manuscripts from the 16th century are rarely found in the monasteries of the Augustinian Canons in the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The production and purchase of the liturgical manuscripts after 1500 came to a standstill. This does not come as a surprise, considering the deplorable conditions of the monasteries in the period from the beginning of the Reformation to the Counter-reformation and Catholic Renewal. The common prayer of the Divine Office often came to a standstill due to the shortage of monks. The renewal of monastery life was connected with – although not caused by –the adoption of the Roman Rite and the corresponding books. Besides the notated psalters and hymnar from the 13th and 15th centuries, there are two large antiphoners from the 14th century, Codices 287 and 259, which reflect the richness of the chant practice of the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as the above mentioned liturgical reforms occuring after the middle of the 14th century. Of special importance for the local profile of Vorau within the extensive liturgical tradition of Salzburg, are the Cantatorium Codex 22 and the Antiphoner Codex 253, which is considered a supplement to the „large“ antiphoners, and contains special offices – numerous saint's offices (Historiae), that are unknown, or not used in Salzburg. The Antiphoner Codex 287 also contains a large number of the special saint's offices (Historiae), either in the original part or as diverse additions. These offices correspond with the „supplement volume“ Codex 253. Codex 22 is a collection of prominent chants (for the cantor) for the liturgical year. It includes for example, the tropes of the Christmas responsory Descendit de caelis: Missus ab arce etc. Also included are the Lamentations of Tenebrae with the elaborate E melodies, the ending in the local variant, Visitatio sepulchri (the Passau type) and numerous Song-of-Songs-antiphons, which can also be found in the Codex 287. Mass chants of the 15th century are adequately documented in one gradual and sequentiary. The latter two books constitute a comparable counterpart to the Seckau „Graduale Magnum“ from around 1490 (A-Gu 17), which extensively documents the local practice of the liturgy of the mass. The preserved missals of that period usually contain only notated prefaces, which come in many versions.
For the rightful classification and qualification of the notated liturgical manuscripts, the importance of the manuscripts for mass and office without notation should not be underestimated, whether they are complete or just different excerpts from a missal or breviary. The sung liturgy cannot be completely reconstructed or described without these books. There is hardly a monastery where so many breviaries - above all from the 15th century –have been preserved. Many of these sources have been written in Vorau, which consequentially show a considerable correlation and concordance with the musical sources. Therefoe, these codices are therefore shown in a separate list, based on the catalogue and partially on private inspection, because they ultimately form one whole with the notated sources. The breviaries contain those pieces, that do not appear per se in a notated manuscript: readings, prayers, additions, detailed rubrics and other instructions for performance, as well as local characteristics. Important for the integrity of the liturgy are such details as (ninefold) blessings at matins, which are found in breviaries or diverse orationals – a booklet for the presider of the liturgy. The parts that are constant, „self-evident“ or known by heart are rarely registered in the manuscripts. In the rich fund of Vorau sources even these occurances can be found, because in some places – for unknown reasons – the scribe has written down what is considered „common knowledge“. Besides the breviaries written in Vorau, there are many codices of this genre in the monastery, that were destined for the monastery parishes, or received as donations or inheritance. These sources provide an inexhaustible treasure of material for the studies of the late medieval liturgy of Salzburg, in a larger amount than can be found in many other places, even including Salzburg itself, where only sparse liturgical sources of the cathedral are preserved in diverse libraries. A separate chapter make the manuscripts that contain exclusively the so called additional offices (e.g. Officium parvum BMV, Office of the Dead, additional prayers such as Trina oratio etc.). Essential for the liturgical order of the monastery are the Libri Ordinarii, of which there is one with notation (Codex 99) and further two without notation, thus making the Vorau monastery one of the rare places where the medieval liturgy and liturgical music have been documented without notable losses.
A-VOR 21, Missal XII-2: Ex ore infantium,
German neumes with indications of semitones
A-VOR 22, Cantatorium XV: Lamentations, beginning
A-VOR 99, Liber Ordinarius after 1200:
Monday and Tuesday of the Holy Week
A-VOR 253, Antiphonale Voraviense, Historiae, Middle of the 15th century:
Beginning of the Office of St. Thomas
A-VOR 254, Gradual Vorau 1454: Nos autem gloriari
with baroque text version of the Feast of St. Francis
A-VOR 259, Antiphoner Bohemia-Vorau XIV and 1496:
Trinity antiphon with a contrafactum
A-VOR 287, Antiphoner XIV-1: Psalmody
A-VOR 332, Missal arround 1270:
German neumes 13th cent., trope for the third Christmas Mass introit