The better to celebrate the feast of St Dominic, we are happy to share news of an important new resource for the Dominican Rite. The Dominican Liturgy website has just made available a very high quality scan of the Humbert of Romans Codex (Rome: Santa Sabina MS XIV L1), the manuscript which served as the prototype for the medieval (and early-modern) Dominican Liturgy. It was compiled by the Master of the Order Humbert of Romans in accord with the commission of the Dominican General Chapter held at Buda in 1254, and approved by the General Chapter of Paris in 1256. Except for additional feasts and the Psalter reform of St. Pius X, the texts of this document were authoritative as the prototype for the Order’s liturgical books until 1969. The complete set of scans can be downloaded in a zip file at this link; this is a large file, so be patient as it downloads. If you merely want to consult the images themselves, they can be viewed online at this link to the archive.org website. Those who download these new images have permission to use them or pass them on to others.
Here is a list of the contents; some sample pages are given below.
The beginning of the Martyrology, which in medieval times was generally far less comprehensive than the post-Tridentine version produced by Cardinal Baronius, and had far fewer entries per day.
The incipits of the various Gospels throughout the year, which in the Dominican Office are read at the end of Prime, where the Roman Office usually repeats the Little Chapter from None.
The Little Chapters and Collects of the Office, which were generally put together in one book called the Collectarium, since they were all sung by the hebdom...
Here is a list of the contents; some sample pages are given below.
- Ordinarium: f. 0v - f. 12r
- Martyrologium: f. 13r - f. 40v
- Collectarium: f. 41r - f. 58r
- Processionarium: f. 58v - f. 65v
- Psalterium: f. 66r - f. 86v
- Breviarium: f. 87r - f. 141v
- Lectionarium: f. 142r - 230v
- Antiphonarium: f. 231r - 323r
- Graduale: f. 323v - f. 369v
- Pulpitarium: 370r- f. 392r
- Missale Conventuale: f. 393r - 421v
- Epistolarium: f. 422r - f. 435v
- Evangelistarium: f. 435v - 454v
- Missale Minorum Altarium: f. 455r - 500v
If you are looking for a particular musical chant, you may download this index of the chants found in the Humbert Codex, but please note that this scan is not of good quality.
The title page: in the margin, “In this volume, the ecclesiastical office (i.e. liturgy) according to the Order of the Friars Preachers is contained, separated into fourteen volumes”, which are then named as given in the list above. On the facing page begins the general order of the rites.
The liturgical calendar from April to November.
who also intoned the antiphons.
The section of the Processionale covering Palm Sunday.
The end of the Processionale, and the beginning of the collection of versicles of the Office, which are included under the heading of the Psalter.
The beginning of the text of the Sunday and weekday Psalms, with their corresponding antiphons.
The beginning of the Office antiphonary.
The end of the Common of the Saints, and various parts of the Offices of the Virgin Mary.
The beginning of the Hymnary.
The beginning of the Gradual.
Rubrics for the daily conventual Mass, and the beginning of the Missal.
Most of Good Friday, and the beginning of Holy Saturday.
The Ordo Missae begins on the next folio.
Part of the prefaces, and the beginning of the Canon.
The beginning of the Epistle book.
In the Gospel book, the Genealogies of Christ from St Matthew and St Luke set to music, to be sung at Matins of Christmas and the Epiphany respectively.
The Exultet, which in many medieval traditions is included in the Gospel book.
