HUFNAGEL NOTATION: PSALTERIUM MOGUNTIUM

MS 5582
MS Short Title HUFNAGEL NOTATION: PSALTERIUM MOGUNTIUM
Description Hymnal in Hufnagel notation as part of Psalterium Moguntium, Mainz: Fust and Schöffer 1457 Printing and MS on vellum, Mainz, 1457, 4 printed ff. 35x24 cm, single column (30x19 cm) with 20 lines of MS Hufnagel notation on 5 hand-drawn staff-lines on spaces provided between the printed lines. Rubrics printed in red, 6 large initials printed in red with "Maiblumen" decoration in light blue, and in blue with "Maiblumen" in pink, the printed decoration extending up to 8 lines (12 cm).
Context The complete Mainz Psalter with Office of the Dead and Hymnal had 175 leaves (the short issue with Psalter only had 143 leaves). The present bifolium was ff. 148 and 151. Only 3 more or less complete copies of the long issue survives today and 8 of the short issue, and 26 fragments with1-3 leaves. The Gutenberg Bible by comparison, survives in 49 more or less complete copies, and over 200 single leaf fragments, apart from fragments with several leaves. MS 5582 is also registered in the Schøyen Collection of incunables as INC 72.
Provenance 1. Cover of the binding of "Bürgermeister-Rechnung de anno 1693"; 2. Ludwig Rosenthal, München cat. 105 (1903):5; 3. Otto Hupp, Schleissheim near München; 4. Karl & Faber auction 96 (May 1965) lot 220; 5. Dr. Otto Schäfer, Schweinfurt, OS 418 (1965-2000); 6. Otto G. Schäfer, Schweinfurt (2000-2014); 7. Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books AG, Stalden, Schweiz (2014-2017), cat.12 (2016):2 and Brochure 16 (2016):21.
Commentary After the Gutenberg Bible, the 1457 Psalter is the second substantial Western printed book. It the first using large and small types, and the first using three-colour printing. It is also the first printed book with date and printer's name. It is the first printed book with music, which however, had to be added by hand together with the staff lines. Later staff lines were printed, while notes were not printed until 1473. Single impression printing of staff-lines and notes simultaneously did not appear until 1520.
Published Manfred von Arnim, Katalog der Bibliothek Otto Schäfer, Schweinfurt, Teil I, Schweinfurt: Hauswedell 1984, no. 278.
Place of origin Mainz
Dates 1457 AD