Siglum: 
D-W 29 Helmst.
Summary: 
Early sixteenth-century antiphoner, possibly from the female Augustinian chapter of canonesses, St. Vitus in Hilwartshausen. 153 folios. 370 x 280 mm. Hufnagel notation with 10 staves per page.
Liturgical occasions: 
Ff. 1r-153v, Temporale: 1r, Advent; 18v, Christmas; 28r, Stephen; 50v, Epiphany; 59r, Ferial Office; 63v, Septuagesima; 72r, Lent; 114v, Easter; 135v, Ascension Thursday; 141r, Pentecost; 147v, Corpus Christi
Description: 

The inscription of the initial on f. 135v indicates that the manuscript was from a nunnery, possibly the female Augustinian chapter of canonesses, St. Vitus in Hilwartshausen. It may have been paired with D-W 28 Helmst. (Heinemann 31), as the contents are complementary. The manuscript was given to the Fritzlar library by Wilhelm von Lysfelt, and transferred from Fritzlar to Wolfenbüttel in 1587.

Physical Description: Parchment leaves. Covers of pigskin over wood binding. The manuscript includes decorated, coloured initials in blue, red, green, and black on ff. 1r, 46r, 14v, 135v, 141r, and 147v. Other initials are in red, blue, and black. Blue-red fleuronnée initials on ff. 5r, 9v, 16v, and 88v.

Differentiae are indexed by their last note and an arbitrarily-assigned number (e.g., G1, D1, E1, etc.).

This manuscript source was previously identified in the.Cantus Database as #32, as listed in the manuscript catalogue of Otto von Heinemann.

Selected bibliography: 
  • von Heinemann, Otto. Die Handschriften der Herzoglichen Bibliothek zu Wolfenbüttel. Vol. I: Die Helmstedter Handschriften. Wolfenbüttel: Julius Zwissler, 1884. Reprint: Kataloge der Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel: Die Helmstedter Handschriften. Vol. 1: Codex Guelferbytanus 1 Helmstadiensis bis 500 Helmstadiensis. Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 1963.
  • Härtel, Helmar; Heitzmann, Christian; Merzbacher, Dieter; Lesser, Bertram. Katalog der mittelalterlichen Helmstedter Handschriften. Teil 1: Cod. Guelf. 1 bis 276 Helmst. Wiesbaden, 2012.
Notes on the Inventory: 
The inventory for D-W 29 Helmst. (Heinemann 32) was prepared by Kate Helsen (The University of Western Ontario), with editorial assistance from Debra Lacoste (The University of Western Ontario). Manuscript description written by Rebecca Shaw (Dalhousie University), with editorial assistance from Debra Lacoste (University of Waterloo). Thank you to Claudia Höhle for additional editorial notes (2020-21).
Complete / partial inventory: 
complete inventory
Full source / fragment: 
Full source