Missale Vetus:liturgy, palaeography and repertories in the notated missal EXcl 3515

EXcl 3515 is a notated missal located in Exeter Cathedral. To date, it has received very little attention from chant scholars. This neglect is due possibly to the absence of a liturgical Kalendar and evidence of local saints in the Sanctorale. Its general assignment to the thirteenth century with a generic English origin shows that critical questions concerning provenance and dating have been overlooked. In addition, no indepth analysis of the liturgical observance in the missal has been undertaken to date. This study seeks to address these omissions. The missal is comprised of four disparate sections, which were put together in a seamless manner to create a full liturgy. However, the parts are not so separate as hitherto believed. The current study reveals new information on the structure and format of the missal; this in turn affects questions of chronology. An added fragment provides the crucial key to unlocking the relationship of the sections to one another. Drawing on methods used by scholars such as Hiley, Hughes and Karp, this comparative investigation indicates an Exeter provenance and a twelfth-century dating for the missal. Despite the seemingly neutral quality of the Sanctorale the inclusion of Saints such as St Blaise and St Leonard enable us to recognise and identify a distinct Use. Of particular interest are the continental links to the Loire Valley that emerge throughout the thesis. The Fleury post-Pentecostal alleluias are a unique series in this insular source. Further evidence of influence from the Loire Valley is found in the notation and melodic variants. Not only do the prayers and chants provide valuable information about the liturgical affiliations and influences in EXcl 3515, but also a study of the script hands adds significant new data about insular ‘Protogothic’ script and notation. EXcl 3515 represents a transitional stage in the development of script and notation before the widespread influence of Gothic script and square notation that represent the thirteenth century. Therefore, the focus of this study is to highlight the significance of EXcl 3515 and its unique place among the chant sources of the twelfth century. EXcl 3515 is the sole surviving complete insular missal with notation that pre-dates Sarum Use. Therefore, it is a unique and invaluable witness to a secular liturgy from the South- West of England.