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St Ethelbert, King and Martyr: his cult and office in the West of England

2001/04/01 by John Caldwell · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Medieval Literature and History #Historical Studies of British Isles #Martyr #Cult #Fell #History #Relation (database) #Period (music) #Art #Classics #Ancient history #Archaeology #Geography #Cartography #Computer science #Aesthetics

paper · doi:10.1017/s0961137101000043

openalex publication_date 2001/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

The music for the Office of St Ethelbert, king and martyr, survives uniquely in the thirteenth-century Hereford Noted Breviary. While some of the chants are contrafacta, others appear to be unique to this office and even in some cases to be influenced by the content of their texts, which are based on the vita of the sainted king by Gerald of Wales. The form in which the office was performed depended on its position in relation to the Easter Cycle (the feast fell on 20 May), and this in turn raises issues for the editing of such offices in modern times.

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