Lamentations from the Low Countries

At various times and places, elaborate musical formulas (‘tones’) have been used for sung lessons on solemn liturgical occasions. The best-known are the tones used for the lessons of the first nocturn of the Night Office during the Triduum Sacrum. The first three lessons of each Night Office were taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The current edition offers Lamentations as notated in five sources from the Low Countries. At present these are the only manuscripts from the region known to contain fully notated Lamentations. Although their number is small, each can be considered illustrative of a particular liturgical practice in the region. The aim is to make the notations available to and performable by a wider audience, and it is hoped that this edition will contribute to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich musical heritage of the Low Countries.