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MUS 350 Class Uncovers the Significance of Manuscripts

Posted on by Gisele Schierhorst

Music majors in Professor Erika Honisch’s MUS 350 class (Western Classical Music Before 1750) enjoyed a visit to the Music Library’s Seminar Room to examine a variety of manuscript facsimiles. Gisele Schierhorst, Head of the Music Library, presented numerous limited edition facsimiles representing the Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic and Contemporary periods of music. The facsimiles are exact reproductions of the original sources, including music, text, images, even covers and imperfections of the papers’ leaves. Students listened to a cd performance of songs from the Cordiforme codex, a heart-shaped manuscript of 15th century love songs. Mrs. Schierhorst reviewed the Music Library’s acquisition of several facsimiles. Prof. Honisch discussed the value of such primary sources and how they have enlightened historians and performers for centuries.

Gisele Schierhorst, Head of the Music Library, prepares the manuscripts for the MUS 350 class visit.
The Squarcialupi Codex contains many hand-painted images of composers, and songs from the 15th century.
Prof. Honisch discussed the history of the Cordiforme Codex, a collection of 15th-century love songs, and many other manuscripts.
As Prof. Honisch explained, scholars travel all over the world to see original manuscripts first hand, and digitized versions of many are now available as well.
Students were given time to examine several manuscripts and make their own observations.
A good time was had by all!
Facsimiles are exact reproductions of the original, even its paper quality, text and music notation, and imperfections.
Mrs. Schierhorst examines one of the modern manuscript facsimiles in the collection, that of Igor Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de Feu.
Gisele Schierhorst

Gisele Schierhorst

Head, Music Library at Stony Brook University Libraries
Gisele is the Head of the Music Library. She is the liaison to Music, Africana Studies and Sociology.
email: gisele.schierhorst@stonybrook.edu
Gisele Schierhorst

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