Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the nature of the psalms in the context of the office, not only reviewing the expected material content but connecting it with the practices of vocal alternation in psalmody and the realization of the media distinctio—the structural, devotional, and performative pause in the middle of a psalm verse, which is sometimes indicated in manuscript books of hours. It highlights the concise liturgical melodies known as antiphons. The book then concerns the genre of the hymn in the book of hours. It also focuses on responsories, the most elaborate type of song one could hear in a performance of the Divine Office. The book discusses musical content and performative gesture outside of the liturgical offices and highlights four discrete sections of the book of hours, three of them standard and one an infrequent occurrence, though rich with sonic potential.