Singing Boethius's Lost Songs

This series of videos, made in collaboration with the Cambridge Digital Library and Cambridge Digital Humanities, introduces six of the reconstructed songs from Boethius' sixth-century De consolatione philosophiae (On the Consolation of Philosophy), as notated on the ‘Cambridge Songs’ Leaf, held in Cambridge University Library. The opening video introduces the project; the six short videos that follow, allow the viewer to follow the notation (neumes) in the manuscript as the melody for the opening lines of each song notated on the leaf is sung in turn. Find out more about the processes of reconstruction here; and further information on how to read neumes, here.

1. Introduction

2. Carmina qui quondam

3. Heu quam praecipiti

4. Tunc me discussa

5. Quisquis composito

6. O stelliferi conditor orbis

7. Nubibus atris

1. Introduction

2. Carmina qui quondam

3. Heu quam praecipiti

4. Tunc me discussa

5. Quisquis composito

6. O stelliferi conditor orbis

7. Nubibus atris