Melódía (Rask 98)

The title page of the manuscript Melódía (Rask 98).
The title page of the manuscript Melódía (Rask 98).

Melódía (or Rask 98) is an Icelandic music manuscript from the seventeenth century. Believed to be written in ca. 1660–70, it contains 223 songs and is the largest and most important surviving Icelandic music manuscript from the early modern period.[1]

History

While the origins of the manuscript are unknown, it has been suggested by the Icelandic musicologist Árni Heimir Ingólfsson that it was written in (or at least has some connection with) the bishopric at Skálholt in southern Iceland.[2] In the early nineteenth century, the manuscript came into the possession of the Danish scholar Rasmus Rask, and after his death it was purchased by the University of Copenhagen. It is today part of the collection of the Arnamagnæan Institute at the University of Copenhagen.[3]

The manuscript contains a wide variety of songs. Some of them may originate in Iceland, while others were certainly brought to Iceland from abroad. Among the songs found in the manuscript are the well-known French chanson Susanne un jour, and songs by Paul Hofhaimer, Ludwig Senfl, Jacobus Clemens, and Francesco Corteccia.[4][5] The songbook also contains music in more archaic styles, such as two-part versions of plainchant such as the Easter sequence Victimae paschali laudes.

The manuscript's heading, on its first page, is "MELÓDÍA. A few foreign tones With Icelandic poetry, and many of them useful for spiritual enjoyment." While most of the texts are indeed in Icelandic, a few are in Latin. The contents of the manuscript can be divided into six main sections: Sacred songs; Secular songs; Various songs; Songs from the Songbook of Rev. Ólafur Jónsson; Various songs; Songs from the 1619 Hymnal.[6]

In recent years, attention has been brought to the importance of the manuscript and many music groups have included songs from it on their programs and recordings. Among these is a CD by the Carmina Chamber Choir which was fully devoted to songs from this manuscript. It won the Icelandic Music Award for Best Classical CD in 2008 and was an "Editor's Choice" CD of the Month in Gramophone magazine.[7][8]

Editions

While no complete edition of the manuscript exists, most of the songs were published by Bjarni Þorsteinsson in his groundbreaking study, Íslensk þjóðlög (Copenhagen, 1906–09). Here, however, the songs are printed in rhythmic note-values, unlike the presentation in the manuscript itself. Also, Þorsteinsson was unaware of the historical origins of many of the songs. In 2024, a scholarly edition of Part 4 of the manuscript, that containing songs from the "songbook" of Rev. Ólafur Jónsson of Sandar (ca. 1560–1627) was published as Söngbók séra Ólafs Jónssonar á Söndum.[9]

Selected recordings

  • Melódía. An Icelandic Songbook From the Seventeenth Century. Carmina Chamber Choir, cond. Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. Smekkleysa SMK 56, 2007.
  • Ljómalind. Spilmenn Rikínís (Marta G. Halldórsdóttir, Örn Magnússon, et al.). Smekkleysa, SMK 66, 2009.
  • Tónlist liðinna alda. Carmina Chamber Choir and Benedikt Kristjánsson, cond. Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. Smekkleysa 2019.

Further reading

  • Árni Heimir Ingólfsson: “A Devotional Song from Iceland.” In The Museum of Renaissance Music: A History in 100 Exhibits, eds. Vincenzo Borghetti and Tim Sheppard, 47–49. Turnhout: Brepols, 2023.
  • Árni Heimir Ingólfsson: Tónlist liðinna alda. Reykjavík: Crymogea, 2019.
  • Bjarni Þorsteinsson: Íslenzk þjóðlög (Copenhagen, 1906–09).
  • Silvia Hufnagel: "The Library of the Genius: The Manuscript Collection of Rasmus Christian Rask." Tabularia « Études », no 16, 2016, p. 305-327.
  • Söngbók séra Ólafs Jónssonar á Söndum. Ed. Árni Heimir Ingólfsson, Margrét Eggertsdóttir, Johnny Lindholm and Þórunn Sigurðardóttir. Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute, 2024.

References

  1. ^ Árni Heimir Ingólfsson (2019). Tónlist liðinna alda. Reykjavík: Crymogea. pp. 150–164. ISBN 978-9935-420-89-3.
  2. ^ Árni Heimir Ingólfsson (2019). Tónlist liðinna alda. Reykjavík: Crymogea. p. 154. ISBN 978-9935-420-89-3.
  3. ^ Hufnagel, Silvia (2016). "The Library of the Genius: The Manuscript Collection of Rasmus Christian Rask". Tabularia (16): 305–327. doi:10.4000/tabularia.2666.
  4. ^ Árni Heimir Ingólfsson (2021). "Enn einn "útlenskur tónn" í Rask 98". Gripla. 32: 289–300. doi:10.33112/gripla.32.11.
  5. ^ Árni Heimir Ingólfsson (2012). "Fimm "útlenskir tónar" í Rask 98". Gripla. 23: 1–63.
  6. ^ Árni Heimir Ingólfsson (2019). Tónlist liðinna alda. Reykjavík: Crymogea. p. 110. ISBN 978-9935-420-89-3.
  7. ^ Fallows, David (2009). "A Remarkable Repertory Presented with Flair and Flawless Musicianship". Gramophone. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Mugison með flest verðlaun". Fréttablaðið. 19 March 2008. p. 40.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Ólafur Jónsson (2024). Árni Heimir Ingólfsson, Margrét Eggertsdóttir, Johnny Lindholm, Þórunn Sigurðardóttir (ed.). Söngbók séra Ólafs Jónssonar á Söndum. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar. ISBN 978-9979-654-75-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
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