Western Medieval Manuscripts : Greek texts on music, mathematics and astronomy

Western Medieval Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>MS CUL Kk.5.26 is a miscellany containing <i>Greek texts on music, mathematics and astronomy</i>.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The codex is a composite manuscript, formed of three parts. The first two (ff. 1-63) were copied in the first half of the 16th century, by Giovanni Onorio, <i> scriptor</i> and <i> restaurator</i> of the Vatican Library in the years 1535-1563, and by a contemporary hand. Part III, meanwhile, was copied around the middle of the 15th century. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The manuscript was owned by Francis I, King of France, as is shown by a dedication contained in the beautiful decoration realized by Giovanni Onorio on f. 1r. The codex is no. 44 in the alphabetical catalogue of the Fontainebleau Library of 1550, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Suppl. gr. 10 (see Omont 1889, p. 17), no. 570 on the methodic catalogue of the same year, Venezia, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Nani 245 (see Omont 1889, p. 305), and is cited in the catalogue of the Greek manuscripts of the Royal Library under King Henry III (1551-1589), <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8452665g'> Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, fr. 5585</a>, f. 126v. It is the only Greek manuscript from the Fontainebleau Library not presently held in Paris (Omont 1889, p. XXIII). Furthermore, Omont identified the Cambridge manuscript as no. 12 in the list of the manuscripts owned by Jérôme Fondule, which were sent to the Fontainebleau Library in 1529 (Omont 1889, p. 371). No. 12 is described as containing "Ἀριστείδου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων περὶ μουσικῆς" (Aristeides and others on music). Kk.5.26, however, contains the work on music by Aristoxenus, not by Aristeides, consequently this identification, and its possession by Fondule, cannot be regarded as certain.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr. Erika Elia</p>