GRAD
Kutna Hora's Musical Manuscripts of 15. and 16. Centuries

Single sheets, fragments

Besides complete books there is a number of single sheets and fragments that have been preserved in Kutná Hora. Originally, they were a part of graduals or other songbooks. They have miscellaneous histories, but we can very rarely tell whence they came to their current location. It cannot be assumed they are all of Kutna Hora’s provenience. Some of them have probably been found in newer books as a part of their binding. (Parchment used to be a very precious material and so we can find even older sheets in medieval books.) Other may represent remainders of books destroyed during the counter-reformation and in particular the time of reforms of Joseph II, when the literary brotherhoods were dissolved and graduals sold off by single sheets as wrapping paper. Although we talk about minute fragments, it is very appropriate to pay close attention to them since they may be of a historical or artistic value.
1. Parchment double-sheet (Museum Kutná Hora) – originally part of an antiphonary. It probably dates back to the turn of 13th and 14th centuries [3]. It can be considered to be of Czech provenience and it very likely belongs to the so called Prague’s rite [12].
2. Parchment sheet ( State District Archive in Kutná Hora) – contains introitus for the feast of Saint Michael. It probably dates back to the first half of 14th century[12].
3. Parchment sheet – is placed in the depository of the Czech Museum of Silver in Kutná Hora. It contains introitus for the feast of Saint Stephen. It might date back to the beginning of 15th century[12].
4. Front page of an unknown gradual – used to be a part of a private collection in Vienna till 1920, then missing. In 2009 appeared on auction in London Sothesby's auction hall. In 8.12.2009 was bought by Central bohemia region council. The sheet contains a full-page depiction of the life of a mining town analogous to other graduals from Kutna Hora [19], [18].
5. Two paper sheets – are placed in the depositary of the Czech Museum of Silver in Kutná Hora. They both date back to 16th century. The music may have also been written for instrumental accompaniment. (The edges contain, among others, records of the purchase of a horse written with a Renaissance hand.)

Kaňk. gradual: Execution of Kutna Hora
miners near city Poděbrady.
6. Fragments of „Kaňkovský” Gradual – are deposited in the Czech National Museum. They contain a full-page figural illumination: Execution of Kutná Hora’s miners in Poděbrady, Execution of Kutná Hora’s miners at the castle Křivoklát and the burning of Master John Hus [5]. The fragments are identified with the “Kaňkovský” Gradual, which the town of Kaňk ordered in between 1559 – 1561. Its author was Adam Kazybaba [27].
CANTICA srpen 2005. Kontakt: kafka@email.cz