Does anyone have a better copy of this from the Psalter
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    this is a friends. I told him I would tanslate and sing for him but good luck off of this copy.
    Front of Psalter page.jpg
    2757 x 4136 - 833K
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    I make the text to be:

    Beatus Didacus stadium virtutis ingressus carnem suam laboribus et flagellis vigiliis ac jejuniis edomabat.

    which is something about Blessed Didacus subduing his flesh with flagellation, vigils and fasting.

    This is a Mode I antiphon, I would guess the first of Vespers (Ps. 109, Dixit Dominus). Only the first part of the psalmtone ending appears above the psalm incipit. Read the first note of the chant as re, and you won't have any trouble with the rest. The antiphon does not appear in the CANTUS database of Roman Office chants. His feast day is Nov. 13 (on which the Antiphonale monasticum has the Feast of All Saints of the Benedictine Order).

    My best transcription is attached, pending confirmation of the text. (I'm pretty sure the marks above the "e" of "carne" and "a" of "sua" abbreviate an "m".)
    BeatusDidacus2.pdf
    14K
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen Adam Wood donr ryand
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    thank you Richard
  • MarkThompson
    Posts: 768
    I agree with Richard's transcription. The marks over the e and a are scribal abbreviations; they could theoretically stand for different things, but in this the m's are necessary because "carnem suam" must be the direct object of "edomabat."
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,187
    Here is a reference to a Spanish MS confirming the liturgical place (Laudes and the hours) and also some of the text, which says that Blessed Didacus (=Diego =James, but not the Apostle) entered the stadium (as it were "entered the lists" in the spiritual warfare) and subdued his flesh etc etc.

    Slightly different melody.

    Everyone should read his wiki page, if only because of the mechanical model, which is too cool not to know about.
    Thanked by 1dhalkj
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,799
    Cool indeed; there's more here, though I'm still confused about how it got to the Smithsonian. Of course, even if Schiller had known about this, Verdi (''Don Carlos'' 1867) wouldn't have the chance to steal a march on Offenbach (''Hoffmann,'' 1851)!
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