ABSTRACT
In papal matins there was a particular method of chanting the Lessons and Prophecies. The singers sang these one at a time in order of seniority, beginning with the last singer, and the manner of chanting these Lessons and Prophecies had to be taught to new singers as soon as they joined the chapel. In fact, most of our knowledge of the daily activities of the papal singers in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries is drawn from the writings of the masters of ceremonies. Like Burkhard, de Grassis kept a detailed diary of the ceremonies of the papal court, although these diaries have never seen a complete modern edition. The papal singers existed, then, to serve not only the pope, but the entire Vatican establishment, and were required to participate in the daily canonical hours held for members of that establishment.
