Singing the Reformation exhibition opens

The Singing the Reformation exhibition will reunite an enchanting collection of 16th century musical manuscripts for the first time in 400 years. The manuscripts will be on public display from 6 August to 28 October.

The exhibition is organised by the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity and is part of a project funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant.

The eight elaborately decorated texts - illustrated with Renaissance musicians, angels and strange bestial creatures - are usually housed in four separate cities in Europe and the US.

Manuscripts from Georgetown University in the US, Trinity College in Dublin and the British Library in London will join those held by the University of Edinburgh and the National Library of Scotland.

They were composed by the celebrated Scottish cleric Thomas Wode, a Catholic monk turned Presbyterian minister, between 1562 and 1592 in the aftermath of the Reformation.

Musical legacy

The Wode manuscripts - also known as the St Andrews Psalter - are an important musical legacy of one of the most turbulent periods in Scottish history.

These harmonisations of 106 metrical psalms from the Anglo-Genevan Psalm Book and other songs created the gold standard for post-Reformation devotion and worship in Scotland.

Without Wode’s efforts, much of the music heard in the Royal Court and in Scotland’s churches would have been lost forever. The Wode Psalter sets the 106 psalms to four-part harmonies.

The Reformation transformed worship from priests singing complex polyphonic songs in Latin to tunes fit for a congregation to sing together.

This exhibition celebrates an ordinary man and his extraordinary legacy. Without Wode, Scotland’s treasure store of music would be much poorer. “Thanks to these beautifully illustrated manuscripts, we have a fascinating insight into Scottish history. This exhibition is a remarkable opportunity for people to see these fascinating manuscripts all together for the first time in 400 years – how wonderful!

Jane Dawson

The exhibition - Singing the Reformation - also includes a display of 16th century musical instruments, such as a sackbut, recorder, and lute.

Also featured are rare books and manuscripts, including the first book printed in Gaelic, the first Psalm book printed in Scotland and early books on musical theory.

The award-winning Dunedin Consort and Players will also perform a range of music drawn from the Wode Partbooks at a concert in St Giles Cathedral on 20 August 2011.

An iPhone app has been developed in support of the exhibition, including clips of the music contained within the Wode Psalter.

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