ABSTRACT
Because it was reputed to hold the relics of Si James the Greater, the Cathedral of Santiago dc Compostela became a religious center of high importance in the Middle Ages, and pilgrims from all parts of Europe and the British Isles flocked to Compostela. The Cathedral boasted a rich and complex liturgy for the feasts of St. James, in which music played an important part, and pilgrims may have chosen their travel dates to coincide with the most elaborate liturgies. These liturgies, which formed the focal point of the pilgrims' experience at Compostela, are recorded in the first book of a twelfth-century manuscript known as the Codex Calixtinus (hereafter CC). The author, who styles himself Pope Calixtus, says that the manuscript contains everything necessary for the Saint's feasts. Indeed, all of the special texts for St. James are included in the manuscript. Moreover, all of the music, which ‘Calixtus’ credits to himself, is found there as well. It is this music that the people of the time associated with pilgrimage, and this music that the author took such pains to record. It did not exist on its own, however. The rituals formed the context in which the music was heard, and the avenue through which it can be understood.
