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Notes 59.4 (2003) 977-980


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The Istanbul Antiphonal (about 1360): [Facsimile Reproduction and Studies]. Edited by Janka Szendrei. 2d ed. (Musicalia Danubiana, 18.) Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2002. [Facsim. reprod. (b&w), 303 fols. Paper. ISBN 963-05-7856-1. Studies (by Mária Czigler, László Dobszay, Janka Szendrei, and Tünde Wehli), Eng. ed.: recommendation (presidents of Turkey and Hungary), p. 5-6; essays, p. 9-26, 39-65; color reprods. of historiated initials, p. [27-37]; bibliography, p. 67-70; index cantuum, p. 71-94. Paper. ISBN: 963-05-7678-3. € 176 (set). Also issued with Studies vol. in Hungarian (Az Isztambuli antifonále 1360), text, 78 p.; color reprods. of historiated initials, 11 p.]
The Istanbul Antiphonal: Facsimile Edition with Studies. Edited by Janka Szendrei. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1999. [Recommendation (presidents of Turkey and Hungary), p. 5-6; studies, p. 9-26, 39-65; color reprods. of historiated initials, p. [27-37]; bibliography, p. 67-70; index cantuum, p. 71-94; facsim. reprod. (color) of MS, 303 fols. Cloth. Hungarian ed. of studies (Az Isztambuli antifonále: Fakszimile kiadás és tanulmányok), 78 p. Turkish ed. of studies (Istanbul antifonale'si: Tipkibasim ve incelemeler), [End Page 977] 28 p. Compact disc: The Istanbul Antiphonal, Hungaroton HCD 31816, [1999]. ISBN: 963-05-7678-3 (set, issued in box). Out of print.]

The Istanbul Antiphonal (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, MS Deissmann 42) is a large, secular (i.e., nonmonastic) Hungarian antiphonary of 303 folios in choirbook format, written in the diocese of Esztergom around 1360. The codex was taken as booty to Istanbul during the Turkish occupation of Hungary (1526- 1686) and preserved there with other Hungarian liturgical manuscripts (Deissmann 43, 49, 60, 68) as part of the sultan's treasury, now deposited in the Topkapi Museum. A 1997 agreement between the presidents of Hungary (Árpád Göncz) and Turkey (Süleyman Demirel) made possible the restoration of the antiphonary, heavily damaged by mold, at the National Széchényi Library in Budapest, after which it was photographed and studied comprehensively by members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The results of this work were presented in a glossy, high-quality color facsimile reproduction of the entire codex (reduced from 46.5 cm X 31.6 cm to 29 cm X 20.5 cm), preceded by a substantial collection of English essays describing the codex and its notation as well as past research (Janka Szendrei), the restoration (Mária Czigler), illuminations (Tünde Wehli), liturgical structure (László Dobszay), music (Szendrei), and origin and later history (Dobszay), followed by a comprehensive bibliography and thorough index (with indications of mode) of the chants to facilitate the examination and study of the manuscript. Packaged in a sturdy, leather-covered box, this volume is accompanied by Hungarian and Turkish translations of the studies issued in separate booklets and a compact disc featuring the Schola Hungarica under Dobszay and Szendrei performing unusual local or Hungarian chants transmitted by the codex (The Istanbul Antiphonal, Hungaroton HCD 31816, [1999]; also issued independently that year as The Istanbul Antiphonary, Gregorian Chants from Medieval Hungary = Magyar Gregoriánum, 7). This lavish modern presentation of the codex is entirely merited by its witness to the flourishing Angevin period in Hungarian history and by the rarity of secular antiphonaries from this time, even outside of Hungary (none survive from medieval Paris, for example).

Issued in late 1999 and limited to five hundred copies, this deluxe edition of the Istanbul Antiphonal quickly sold out in three months by the spring of 2000, and many libraries were unable to obtain the facsimile. To meet the demand for additional copies, the publisher, Akadémiai Kiadó, agreed to reissue the facsimile in 2002 in a more functional, black-and-white paperback study edition (Szendrei and Dobszay had originally suggested issuing the facsimile in both a deluxe and study version) as part of the series Musicalia Danubiana, with the studies bound as a...

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