The Greek manuscripts of the Mingana Collection (Cadbury Research Library of Birmingham)

[Oliver Gerlach]

The Cadbury Research Library of the University of Birmingham has published excellent reproductions of the Greek manuscripts of the Mingana Collection of Oriental manuscripts (also Persian, Arabic, Syriac, Hebrew, Coptic etc.). I offer here a description of its manuscripts since it is still missing there. All manuscripts are liturgical and relevant for the issue of this group.

 

Mingana Gr. 1

XI • Menologion with synaxaries, long version by Symeon the Logothete or Menophraste (fragment between 10 and 15 November, St. Guria, Samona and Abibo)

 

Mingana Gr. 2

XI • Fragment of a Gospel Lectionary with ekphonetic notation

 

Mingana Gr. 3

about 1400 •  Lectionary with Tetraevangelion and Epistolary

 

Peckover Gr. 7

XII • Illuminated Tetraevangelion written in Constantinople

 

Mingana Gr. 5

late XVIII • Petros Peloponnesios' Heirmologion argon of the Katavasies, organised according to the Canon Octoechos Order (CaO) and written in exegetic neumatic notation (Middle Byzantine), manuscript in the possession of Makarios Hieromonachos

 

Mingana Gr. 6

about 1800 • Heirmologion kalophonikon organised in oktoechos order in exegetic neumatic notation (Middle Byzantine) with compositions by Balasios Iereos, Petros Bereketis, Ioannes the Protopsaltes, Petros Peloponnesios, and Georgios of Crete. The kratemata are conventionally not separated, but notated with the heirmoi (provenance to a certain sticheron kalophonikon indicated): echos protos ff. 1r-27v, echos devteros ff. 27v-33r, echos tritos ff. 33r-38v, echos tetartos ff. 38v-67v, echos plagios protos ff. 68r-80r, echos plagios devteros ff. 80r-87r, echos varys ff. 87r-98r, echos plagios tetartos ff. 98r-111r.

 

Mingana Gr. 7

XVIII • Petros Peloponnesios' Doxastarion syntomon (Menaion ff. 1r-73v, Triodion ff. 73v-105r, Akolouthia ton pathon ff. 105r-129r, Pentekostarion ff. 129r-138r) in Petros' exegetic notation copied by Anastasios Proikonesios; some idiomela are added later in an appendix.

 

Mingana Gr. 8

early XIX • Petros Peloponnesios' Anastasimatarion with the Hesperinos cycle in oktoechos order (including Evologetaria and Pasapnoaria), then his Kekragaria (syntoma sticheraric cycle), and Petros Byzantios' version of the whole psalm 140 at the end (same melos), and 11 stichera heothina, transcribed into Chrysanthine neumes by Gregorios the Protopsaltes.

[Dominique Gatté]

Magnifique !!!

[Oliver Gerlach]

Oui, l'Anastasimataire est rare, parce que il n'est pas identique avec la version imprimée, il y a aussi une confusion entre l'Anastasimataire syntomon (mele heirmologika) qui est en fait une composition de Danièle (le premier Protopsalte, quand Petros était Lampadarios). Mais dans les autres Pays l'Anastasimataire syntomon est ceux de Petros Peloponnesios et de son élève Petros Byzantios, les kekragaria sont plus simples, mais dans un mélos stichérarique.

Aussi l'heirmologion kalophonikon n'est pas identique avec la version imprimée (malgré quelques concordances).

Chaldaiakis, A.G., 2010. Daniel the Protopsaltes (d.1789): his life and work. Revista Muzica, 2010, pp.39–53.

[Galina Alekseeva]

Oliver! Thank You for possibility to see new neumen manuscripts. It is beatifull!

[Oliver Gerlach]

The virtual exhibition is no longer available, but I updated the obsolete links.