November 06, 2008

Illuminated music manuscripts beautiful as they are, are a source of frustration. I came across this site that has a whole bunch of illuminated music and I don't know what it sounds like. I like the way it looks very much but I'd like to hear it. Can any of you help me out and play and upload it so that I can hear it (just a snippet or a link to an existing mp3 would do), or a pointer to a commercial download would be appreciated too.
  • I think your best bet is to look for Gregorian chants. The pieces look like monks' hymns at different times of the day (Laudes morning, Vespers evening, Noctes night). Here's a site with playable extracts from some well-produced chants. I haven't been able to find the exact pieces in the manuscripts.