A study of early polyphony: The music of the Codex Calixtinus

The Codex Calixtinus is a twelfth-century manuscript written in homage to St. James and located in the cathedral library of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The codex contains liturgical services for the vigil and feast of St. James, a guide for pilgrims that came to Santiago, a written record of the miracles of St. James, and a significant collection of monophonic and polyphonic music. This thesis, after a brief survey of the contents of the manuscript, has as its principal emphasis the research conducted to date on the polyphonic music. Matters discussed include attributions of the musical works, notation, rhythm, stylistic characteristics of the music, types of organum, and performance practice. Included is a list of facsimiles and transcriptions of the polyphonic works, selected transcriptions of the three-part Congaudeant catholici, and information on audio and visual recordings of the polyphony.