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The Reformation
of 1560 was a major event in Scottish history. It involved
the approval of a Protestant Confession of Faith, the
repudiation of the Pope's authority, and the prohibition
of the Mass. The new intellectual and cultural climate
that this event engendered encouraged new ways of thinking
and doing, and the University itself has its roots in
this new environment. Church life was transformed, and
for the newly promoted congregational singing a metrical
Psalter containing Old Testament Psalms was employed.
These texts were
presented in relatively plain music settings that would
appeal to, and be understood by, everyone in the congregation.The
Wode St Andrews Psalter comprises an important collection
of manuscript musical part books of the Psalms. It is
named after Thomas Wode, vicar of St Andrews , who,
under the patronage of James Stewart, Earl of Moray,
copied and compiled the books between 1562 and 1592.
And, as can be seen in the accompanying images, he illustrated
them beautifully. The books also contain a few additions
by other hands made between 1606 and 1625.
These harmonisations
of 106 metrical psalms from the Anglo-Genevan Psalm
Book and other songs created the ‘gold standard' for
post-Reformation worship in Scotland, and one set of
Parts was probably intended for use in the Chapel Royal.
As well as commissioning and copying much 16 th century
music, Wode added numerous comments to his manuscripts,
resulting in the largest body of annotations found in
any early modern British musical manuscript. Together
they constitute an illustrated ‘diary' for the second
half of the 16th century.
The AHRC has
recently awarded the University £303,000 for a
three year project: The world of Reformation Britain
as seen and heard in the Wode Psalter
. The project team is led by Professor Jane Dawson
(Divinity), with Dr John Scally, Director of University
Collections, and Dr Noel O'Regan (Music) as co-investigators,
Dr Andrew Grout (EUL) managing the Digital Images and
Dr Jessie Paterson (Divinity Computing) the project
website. The project will co-ordinate multi-disciplinary
research on the Psalter, produce a series of musical
concerts and mount an international exhibition at the
Library during the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival.
Of the eight
extant Wode Partbooks, Edinburgh University Library
is fortunate to possess five, including three in the
Laing Collection. The remaining three books are located
in libraries across the world that are collaborating
with us in the project: The British Library, Trinity
College , Dublin , and Georgetown University , Washington
, DC. For the very first time this exhibition will bring
together all the existing part books. This will act
as the focus for a wider examination of post Reformation
Scotland. Thus, in addition to music, the exhibition
will reveal new insights about religious worship and
devotion, painting, poetry, patronage and material culture.
Although the
exhibition and associated concerts will be transitory,
the exhibition's legacy will be permanent. A recording
of the Psalter's music will be made available and the
project website will make available high quality digital
images of the complete contents of the Part-books. In
these varied ways the Wode Psalter will allow the world
of Reformation Scotland to be seen and heard once again.
Andrew Grout
and Jane Dawson
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