Allatio capillorum Beatae Mariae Virginis: plainchant liturgy of an unknown Marian feast in the convent of St George in Prague
Abstract
In plainchant manuscripts (calendars, breviaries, liber ordinis, and processionals) from St George's Benedictine convent at Prague Castle, a number of documents from the period from the early fourteenth to the end of the sixteenth century have survived on the liturgical celebration of the feast day Allatio capillorum Beatae Mariae virginis. The oldest date from the period of Kunigunde of the Přemyslid dynasty (1302-1321), while the newest are from the late sixteenth century.
The study deals with the composition and development of the plainchant repertoire used for this feast day. This involves a combination of elements from the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Feast of the Ascension, and part of the Easter plainchant repertoire.