New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-10
ANCIENT MUSIC.
THE OLDEST MUSICAL MANUSCRIPTS IN
AMERICA.


TO he Editor OF The Tribune
SIR: Last Winter photograph was sent to
me of an old musical manuscript which had been
accidentally discovered at Miami University, Oxford.
Ohio. This Ms. was found ia an old Aristotle, pub
lished at Basic in 1880. Mr. Karl Merz, editor Of
Brainard's Musical Jord, who sent me the photo
graph expressed hope that might be able to dcc-
pher it, and perhaps fix its date. By this photograph
deciphcrod the first verse of the antphony, and
traced il to The twelfth century at the same time
wrote short article on the early manner of nOta-
ton tNeums Notation), which appeared in The U"si-
cal World for February. fac smile of the
first Part of tho Ms. as well as my deci-
phcring of il. is given below. CIhc most
important parts OF my article have since
been reproduced in some Western papers without
giving ne credit for my inyestigati0n.l This TX
ford musical Ms. was supposed to bo the oldest
known in this country. never dreamed, however,
that in book 10 which have often referred during
the last 10 wears still older Ms. lay hidden, which
| accidentally discovered only some weeks ago. |
found il in Easter week. and by curious coinci-
dencc the parchment proved TO contain an "Oterto-
rum pro tempore paschali,' beginning thus: IN
surTexcrunt in me vir niQui' had occasion 10 refer
to q passagein Zarno's Institutions Harmonious,
published at Venice in IDS. While muslng over
tho meaning of the pas. arc III question, was
unronsciously play ing With The cover OF the DOCK ~
with "A fan. when my eye lighted upon corner OF
yellow v"iImn prcp'ue through the tori paper
OF the I'D. Very cnrious characters attracted
my attention at once. and rs the co'pah-
ions of Christopher Columbus hailed Liant!
Land! | exclaimed. "NeumGe. Ncnm.cH Inc
old parchment binding of ny book, though held it
in great revcIcncc-I ASK any bcokwonn whether the
musty smell of a rarssimo old volume does not pcs
in4.,x IL. in
jcc;e,i 10 an anutomcal process by means ri my
pockc.-knifc. by much cutting and tearing sue
ceclcd ia dctaciing four pieces of Vciium written
over ou both sides with ncump. / cleared the zine
from the dinernt pieces, and after several mas
succeeded in putting together the mprsols,
aud found that they all belonged 10 one
and the SAME leaf. | trace this manuscript
to the tenth century il corresponds exactly With
the manner in which the miS>al is written men
TONED by Ambros on page II, in The second Volume
Of his "Geschchte dor Musk S~e example
hc!1w.l
Willie vet under the influence oe il,c excitement of
This di coycry / paid a wish to NJ. j. W. nTcNei'~
fire musical libriry ia Ncw-Yoik. showed him, OF
course, my old ncumn raeS. and 10. he VAS tie
happy posscs,or OF whole manuscript mis,,l, with
tie chants written in uoumr, but Approaching al
ready The more perfect forn of She square notes
written oil four lines. lie has since been Lind
enough to have some Of tn" pages photographed for
me- part of which am thus able To give IN example
of here.
TIE characters to be considered essentially a. the
first attempt al musical notation, cat Of which our
modern notation Las been gradually d"' el0Pcd. were
the ncumr, snail crooks and hooks If ,aIloHs
shapes and positions, written above The words of a
psalm or hymn. II is impossible 10 trace their
origin with certainty for there are 10 Trustworthy
historical documents on the sahcct in existence.
Our most learned historians of music are likewise Of
divided opinions with ii ard 10 II. fctls who vas
among the first 10 approach this obscure question,
cndcavorcl to prove that the first of thc neum"
notation was due to those northern tribe the Cloths
and Lonharls who invaded Tie den.oraliEed Lo'nan
Empire and conquered Italy, ana 70 the saxon,
who Liade themselves masters of Great Britain.
lie consequently divided the reumm into two
classes. the Lombard and tlre Saxon ,sse " Re-
sumo Pliilosopminuc," etc. ia the iirst edition
of " Geographic lnvcrsollc DIS Mnsicirns"i. This
theory, tholrh "l,-:inatcly defended hy F6tis,
pccialIy in several afticcs in the Pags gazette Nc
sicalc, earnestly opposed by kic-cwettor,
who. in the Old Ns,jcri GG:cfe of Leipzig,
secuted the idea that urciviiizcd barbarians
could have tauvht 10 the descendants OF
the old Greeks and Romans tho form OF subtle
musical notation rs the ncumr appeared 10 he. On
Kcscwcticr's side stood musical Swans Ike Til.
Ni~aul, Lamhillottc. Cou>s,ma!rr Boti5c dc Tonl-
mon, and \. ecIiuhigcr. F(,iS. whether convinced
not by hs learned Opponents died without giving
up Ii. thcOly of the Lombard and Saxon
nculn.r for in the fourth volume of his
iIistnirc Generate de Ia Musiquc," he back
to the cbarco Tn Nsard cppossing the theory OF
Fcti.. endeavorcd to trace the neumr 10 q
kind oi shorthand writing used NJ the beginning Of
Il, si,rfc.i ap i.v ftr
This theory, Though ingenious in its premises. de-,
not rest upon such a sound basis as to be unreserV-
edly accepted. Coussenakei's attempt to the
origin of the Ieuma notation l. more plausible and
his theory was accepted ~ the learned lisio-
rian Of music, Scliub;gcr, ard by Anbros in his
Gc>chcItc Ger Mueik." The ncnmR, according
10 CousSeinaktI, have grown ont of the accents Of
speech which represented By peculiar signs,
they are now in French. The accent IL meditation
Of the voice TO designate, i'll a certain measure pitch
and duration vf sund. Thus the dccrafus acatas
uhe accent 0gr in FRENCH designatcs the fysis, or
raising OF lie voice the aco'as gToris idceHt grare
the Thesis or sinking of tie voice. the Goocaas cir
dcrus accent crcon fcrc a nnon of the two former
accents representing the raising and then the sink
ing of the voice. These different accents served un
doubtcdly as patterns for the forms Of tie first
musical characters. Thus tie neuma sign ,UGa
resembles ia form and meaning the first of
the above accents ; the PaEctU couchcd Nirga,
the second and the CEais tie Third. Wien the lat
ter sit. is reversed designating the sinking of the
tone Of the voice, and afterward tie raising of il,
il is called ToS IodGas foot These are
tie fundamental forms of ncu,n@, out Of which, by
means Of different combinations and arrangements.
AL the rest of those ancient musical characters were
constructed. Each of these characters had its
name. Some old authors enumerated many
as 10 different ones. Others reduced them 10 "A
more reasonable figure, az things became too much
confused by the multiplication of mysterious signs
The word neuna, when employed for old notation