Vyšší Brod 42

A Unique Music Source from Pre-Hussite Bohemia

Hana Vlhová-Wörner, Lenka Hlávková, Jan Ciglbauer , Pavel Kodýtek

$65.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
26 October 2025

Music; Choral music; Sacred & religious music; European history; History: specific events & topics

Series: Prague Medieval Studies

An in-depth study of a medieval manuscript of songs from the Cistercian monastery in Vyšší Brod.

Manuscript 42 from the Cistercian monastery in Vyšší Brod (Hohenfurth), Czech Republic, compiled in 1410, today represents one of the most important music sources from medieval Bohemia, providing insight into the rich and varied liturgical and devotional repertory circulating in Central Europe just before the outbreak of the Hussite Wars in 1419. The manuscript's collection of monophonic and polyphonic songs, one of the oldest ones in Europe, serves as a starting point for studies of the Latin mensural cantio, an important late medieval music form and cultural phenomenon.

In Vyšší Brod 42, three extensive studies explore various aspects of the manuscript and its contents. In the first, Jan Ciglbauer examines its creation process and the involvement of various scribes in noting down new texts and melodies. In the second, Hana Vlhová-Wörner delves into the variety of late medieval chant compositions contained within it and the relationship of this truly novel repertory to the formalized Cistercian liturgy. The last chapter, co-authored by Lenka Hlávková and Pavel Kodýtek, scrutinizes the manuscript's remarkable collection of spiritual songs and identifies their inscription as ""snapshots"" of a vivid oral tradition.

Together, these three studies bring a new perspective on musical life in Cistercian monasteries in Central Europe in the late Middle Ages, a topic that has received very little exploration until now.

By: Lenka Hlávková, Jan Ciglbauer, Pavel Kodýtek
Edited by: Hana Vlhová-Wörner
Imprint: Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
Dimensions: Height: 225mm, Width: 165mm,
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9788024659589
ISBN 10: 8024659581
Series: Prague Medieval Studies
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 26 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Hana Vlhová-Wörner is a researcher at the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Lenka Hlávková was head of Charles University’s Institute of Musicology and member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Jan Ciglbauer is assistant professor at Charles University’s Institute of Musicology. Pavel Kodýtek is an alumnus of Charles University’s Institute of Musicology.

Reviews for Vyšší Brod 42: A Unique Music Source from Pre-Hussite Bohemia

“Much more than just a comprehensive reevaluation of the musical aspects of the manuscript, Vyšší Brod 42, each of the contributions adds significant new research about the creation of the manuscript, its contents, and its importance to a deeper understanding of the manuscript as an early representative of later Bohemian musical traditions.” * Charles E. Brewer, Florida State University * “The first such comprehensive study of the highly valuable musical source from Vyšší Brod.” * Irina Chachulska, Polish Academy of Sciences *