Seminar Report 2026

Convener

Kate Kennedy Steiner

Description of Work

We had an excellent array of paper presentations, book outlines,
and reports spanning early to late medieval Western liturgy. The
seminar discussed each presentation and report individually. We
also enjoyed a joint session with the Liturgical Music seminar with
two papers on medieval music.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

Next year we will encourage participants to consider issues-in-medieval-liturgy discussion. We will also pursue the possibility of a joint session with the Problems in Early Liturgy seminar and the Liturgical Music seminar.

Seminar Report 2022

Convener

Daniel J. DiCenso did his doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge (Gates Scholar) and is Associate Professor of Music, College of the Holy Cross specializing in Medieval chant and liturgy.

Members in Attendance

Anne Yardley, Barbara Haggh-Huglo, Michael Witczak, Joanne Pierce, Walter Knowles, Jerome Weber, Margot Fassler, Elaine Hild, Paweł Figurski, Tyler Sampson, Andrew Irving, Rebecca Maloy, Donna Brussell, Chris- topher Hodkinson, Richard Rutherford

Visitors in Attendance

Samantha Slaubaugh, Arsany Paul, Jenny Claire Smith , Pawel Figurski , Hilary Bogert-Winkler , Andrew Stoebig

Description of Work

This year’s seminar involved a general update on research projects underway, a presentation and discussion of papers, works in progress, and projects on the horizon, and a lengthy discussion of the relative merits of online and in-person formats. This year only one member attended the conference in person, but we had one of the largest (and most robust) research discussions in recent memory. Though all members acknowledge the benefits of in-person meeting, many members of the seminar were in favor of keeping a hybrid option on the table going forward as a permanent fixture of the academy.

Papers and Presentations

• Margot Fassler, “The Laments in Hildegard’s Liturgical ” The theolog- ical significance of the various laments in Hildegard’s play Ordo virtutum were explored in this presentation, including both texts and music. The last part of the work focused on the final chant of the play In principio. Much of the text was sung by Christ on the Cross and becomes an altar call deeply situated in the liturgical commentary on the Eucharist found in Hildegard’s treatise Scivias, written at the same time as the play.
• Rebecca Maloy, “Singing Sanctity in Medieval Iberia.” This paper is based on the collaborative work in progress, Doctrine, Devotion, and Cultural Ex- pression in the Cults of Medieval Iberian The paper gave an overview of the status of the project and illustrated how we approach the Old Hispanic liturgies for Iberian saints, from liturgical and musical perspectives, using as a case study the office and mass for St. Fructuosus, Augurius, and Eulogius.
• Anne Yardley, “Commemorating the Virgin at Barking Abbey: Caumbridge University Library Dd.12.56.” This paper examined the unusual commemorative Office of the Virgin from Barking Abbey, found in a 15th century book of hours. Listings in the Barking Ordinal had already made clear that the nuns of Barking venerated Mary weekly with a full three-nocturn, twelve-lesson, Matins service. Drawing on the material in this manuscript, recently attribut- ed to Barking Abbey, and correlating the material with other Barking man- uscripts, I argue that the Barking nuns compiled a unique series of readings and responsories to honor Mary, one of their patron saints. As they move through the three nocturns they articulate a Marian theology that ties in with their own self-understanding as nuns. They carefully craft the lesser hours to highlight the specific time of day in their respective antiphons and to tie in closely with the hymnody sung at Barking on Marian feasts. With this man- uscript we can now learn much about how the Barking community created, collated, and curated materials that then steeped their minds and hearts in imaginative and rich ways.

• Barbara Haggh-Huglo, “The Early Organ in the Medieval Church: New Findings.” The letter of Pseudo-Jerome to Dardanus of ca. 800-850 and the treatise Rogatus a pluribus by Gerbert of Aurillac of ca. 990 both brought attention to the organ, the first by placing the organ as the first of eight early instruments there associated with Jerusalem and Christian symbolism, the second by proving that organ pipe measurements were commensurable with Boethian numbers associated with strings and that the measurements of all pipes of the organ could be derived from the Both of Plato’s World- Soul, were widely copied and followed by an increase in the documented presence of organs in psalters and in the church.
• Joanne Pierce, “Medieval Liturgy and Public Scholarship: Comments and Resources.” This presentation focused on the roles of medievalists, especially in medieval liturgy and ritual, in the increasingly important area of public scholarship. Topics included increasing awareness of the misuse of medieval themes and symbols in current culture and the need to trace the development of certain ideas and practices in contemporary society more fully to a nation- al and global readership. Examples from the presenter’s own publications included: the meaning of the Christian cross; political oath-taking; and con- ceptions of hell/heaven. The session concluded with a brief discussion of how to compose an analytical essay for popular readership, and circulation (by email) of a list of links to sources offering further clarification on the “why” and “how” of writing these essays, some published examples, and reference to related sites of interest.
• Andrew Irving, “Introduction to Medieval Latin Liturgy: A Resource ” In this introduction to a publication project entitled “Medieval Latin Liturgy: A Research Guide,” the editors Daniel DiCenso and Andrew Irving described the genesis of the project and its development. More than ninety internation- al contributors from across disciplines have agreed to contribute entries on all aspects of medieval liturgy. The volume is intended both to provide an orientation to scholars from diverse specialisms, and to bring the dynamic developments in divergent fields of research into conversation. The structure of the volume was discussed, and input from seminar members was sought regarding possible gaps.

• Pawel Figurski, “Medieval Liturgy and the Making of Poland: A Study in Medieval State-Formation.” According to archeological discoveries of recent decades, the emergence of the Piast polity is viewed as a violent revolution that happened within 40 years of the 10th c. rather than a consensual evo- lution reaching back to the 9th c. and earlier Slavic settlement. Neverthe- less, the events surrounding the baptism of the first historic ruler c. 966 are still viewed as the beginnings of the thousand-year-long Poland with its first ‘state’, a direct predecessor of the current Third Polish Republic. This paper answers the question of why the realm of the Piasts, constructed with much violence, began to be perceived as the savior instead of a predator by not only modern historiography, but also by medieval elites. The explanation of the process will be found in a realm usually overlooked in debates about medie- val state-formation—namely, the Christian liturgy.
• Michael Witczak, “Priestly Spirituality at Mass: The Concluding Rites: A Comparison of the Private Prayers of the Priest in the Missale Romanum 1962 and Missale Romanum ” The private prayers of the priest at Mass, originating in the the 8th century Carolingian world, convey a theology of the priesthood. Their reformed shape in the post-Vatican II Missal offers a change in the theology of priesthood. This fifth installment explored the con- cluding rites of Mass, and the optional prayers for the priest to say once back in the sacristy. The theology of priesthood articulated is one that focuses on the priest as promoter of the priesthood of the faithful.
• Tyler Sampson, “Roman Liturgy and Monastic Ideals at Gall.” This paper is a study of an unedited commentary on the canticles of Lauds found in a ninth-century manuscript of St. Gall (St. Gall, Stiftsbibliothek cod. sang. 446). The commentary De canticis is part of a larger section of the codex focused on aspects of liturgical time. Within the overall framework of St. Gall 446, a liturgical ‘textbook’ with romanizing tendencies, De canticis explicates both the ordo and ratio, the order and meaning, of the liturgical canticles.
• Daniel DiCenso, “New Reflections on 89v, Brussels, KBR, ms. 10127-44.” This presentation raised questions about how to interpret the scribal insertion on fol. 89v with respect to the ownership history and origins of the manuscript.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

Papers, presentations, works-in-prog- ress, and other discussions will continue. Members are particularly invited to nominate visitors who may wish to attend our meeting. We plan to elect a new convener at the next seminar. No plans for joint sessions at this time. Site visits are under discussion. A strong feeling to allow for hybrid attendance, even if only via skype or zoom on a laptop.

Seminar Report 2020

Convener

Daniel J. DiCenso, Associate Professor of Music, College of the Holy Cross (Dan was ill and unable to attend; Walter Knowles filled in as Convener pro tem for the meeting.)

Members in Attendance

Katie Bugyis, Michael Driscoll, Barbara Haggh-Hu- glo, Walter Knowles, Rebecca Maloy, Anthony Ruff, Tyler Sampson, Michael Witczak, Anne Yardley

Visitors in Attendance

Cara Apesi, Elaine Stratton Hild, Christopher Hodkin- son, Katherine Steiner

Papers and Presentations

• Michael Witczak continued his series of comparisons of the apologies at the Eucharistic liturgy (the private prayers of the priest in the Roman liturgy). The communion rite of the 1962 and 2008 Roman Missals served as the topic. The theological key to the comparison was the theology of priesthood expressed in each prayer. Of particular interest was a 1962 private prayer in the first person singular (“I”) converted in the post Vatican II reform into a public prayer (“We”) that introduces the sharing of the sign of peace by the whole community. Next year should bring a comparison of the concluding rites and final conclusions of the project.
• Christopher Hodkinson presented a performance edition of ferial Compline according to the Use of Sarum, based upon manuscript sources from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Questions discussed included editorial meth- odology, the interpretation of rubrics regarding posture and tone of voice, and the adaptation of the Sarum Office for parochial Suggestions were made regarding further development of the project and possibilities for publication.
• Kate Kennedy Steiner presented “Local music and the early Lady Mass in insular sources.” The paper argued that music for early Lady mass (a daily solemn Marian mass in her own chapel) in the British Isles developed locally primarily through contrafacta on common sets of chants. In the thirteenth century the Lady mass absorbed the creative output of musicians serving it, and as such it becomes for us an important witness to the ritualization of Marian theology at the local level.
• Barbara Haggh-Huglo discussed the processional antiphon for the dead “Clementissime Domine qui pro nostra miseria” whose earliest source is a tenth-century addition to D-Mbs Clm 14179 from northwest France and which next appears in I-Rv 5, a late eleventh- or early twelfth-century antiphoner from the Benedictines of St. Sisto in Rome. It would later be sung by Dominicans, Franciscans, and Carmelites, and in other locations, but was not universally used. The presentation discussed the antiphon’s possible Roman origin and diffusion, and compared its text to that of the offertory of the dead, Domine Jesu Christe, which also refers to Tartarus.
• Elaine Stratton Hild presented a work-in-progress entitled “Chants in medieval rituals for the end of life.” The book project examines manuscript sources from four institutions: Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican (San Pietro F 11, beg. 12th century); Sens cathedral (Paris, Bib. Nat. lat. 934, 12th century); Orsières, Switzerland (Grand St Bernard 3, 14th century); and the Abbey of the Minoresses of St Clare without Aldgate, England (Reigate Surrey, Cranston Library 2322, 15th century), and analyzes the functions of music within the rituals.
• Tyler Sampson presented “The ordines romani and Presbyteral Liturgy,” part of a larger project examining the practical, theological, and educational uses of the ordines romani. This paper focused on a liturgical-didactic book of the 9th century meant for the use of a priest (Paris, BnF lat. 1248). It argued that this rare instance of documented presbyteral liturgy indicates the persistence and creativity of the Carolingian liturgical reforms, and that liturgical practice was locally conditioned.
• Michael S. Driscoll presented a paper entitled, “Officializing Private Confession: The Carolingian Contribution.” In 813 five regional councils were convened in Gaul (Reims, Arles, Chalon-sur-Saône, Mainz and Tours) by Charlemagne to deal with the question of public and private In September of that year, the results of these councils were gathered at the imperial court at Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) which would impact the sacramental practice of penance. Briefly the overall decision was that if one committed a public sin, then this should be submitted to public solemn penitence, but if the sin was private it should be submitted to private penance. This solution was artificial and it did not hold for long. Yet, the distinction between public and private penance helped move the latter heretofore a pious monastic exercise to an official sacramental form recognized by the bishops.
• Anthony Ruff led a singing practicum entitled “Learning to Sing a Medieval Chant: Emotional Expression in Performance (Then and Now),” a combined session of the Issues in Medieval Liturgy seminar and Liturgical Music The objective of the practicum was to learn to sing a medieval chant in a variety of ways to better understand the degree to which the text, the music, and the liturgical context either inherently express or beg for the performative expression of emotion. This was followed by a round table discussion entitled “Chant and Emotion: Concrete Examples for Discussion,” organized by Daniel DiCenso, Christopher Hodkinson, Rebecca Maloy, and Anthony Ruff.
• Rebecca Maloy presented an overview of a new collaborative interdisciplinary project, “Doctrine, Devotion, and Cultural Expression in the Cults of Medieval Iberian Saints” and presented a case study focusing on the common of confessors and the cult of Aemilian at San Millán de la Cogolla.
• Katie Bugyis presented a paper entitled, “Tracing the Templar Origins of a Twelfth-Century ” This paper sought to recover the origins of a psalter (Cambridge, St. John’s College, MS C.18 (68)), known to have been acquired in the late twelfth century by the Benedictine nuns at Wherwell Abbey in Hampshire, England. By examining liturgical features of the psalter that were integral to its intended use, Bugyis made a case for identifying the Knight Templar Osto de Saint-Omer (d. c.1174) as the psalter’s patron and first owner.

Other Work and Plans for the Future

The seminar is working to revise and update its membership and email lists—both of which have fallen a bit out of date. The seminar really enjoyed the joint session and is thinking about ways to incorporate more joint sessions in future years. Conversations were had about potential presentations and discussions to be had in 2021.