ABSTRACT
The Monastery of St. Peter of Arouca, now a private museum run by a local association, is situated in northern Portugal, south-east of Oporto. It was founded before 951, most probably between the end of the ninth century and 925. During the first two centuries of its existence, it welcomed both men and women; some time before 1154, it became an exclusively female convent. Trying to read the original neumes directly from the facsimile is a risky and, in the end, unrewarding task, since the original is badly wrinkled and faded on the upper left corner. The folio’s upper margin was cut away, presumably during the binding process. The music was written in square notation on tetragrams. The adoption of Cistercian usage nevertheless implied books, instruction, and advice from Cistercian monks. The nearest Cistercian monastery was S. Joao de Tarouca, which was, with Alcobaca, one of the most important Portuguese convents.
