Black
& Red

MUSIC WITH RED STAVES

Fig. 95 is a reproduction, in facsimile, showing
quarter of a page of a folio Service Book (probably
French, early sixteenth century). The page consists
of two columns of ten staves each, and is headed
4[ I*1 vigi (lia), natiuitatis dnl. The book is printed
on vellum in red and black; the columns of music
have faint red bounding lines ruled by hand (not
shown in the figure).

The red stave is very effective, and it was com¬
monly used in early MSS. and printed books. There
appears to be some doubt, however, as to its practical
value, and I have been advised that it is not so legible
as the black line stave, and also that, in Church Ser¬
vice Booh (see p. 309), in order to make an absolutely
clear distinction, red should be reserved entirely for
the rubrics.

The “plain-song” chant, with its four-line stave,
has a simpler and finer appearance than the more
modern and elaborate five-lined stave and tailed
notes. The latter, however, may yet be treated
very effectively.

Note i.—The mark 41 and the capitals £>,
and ф were blotted—it can scarcely be called
“painted”—with yellow. Yellow or red were often
used in this way to mark the small black capitals in
printed books (& in MSS.—especially in the small
Bibles of the 13th century—p. 414, & comp. p. 266).
It is a questionable method. (These blots have been
removed from the figure—except, by an oversight,
in the case of Sj).

(2) Other Colour Schemes.—(a) The title, or (b)
the text and the notes, might be in burnished gold
(the other parts in either case remaining in red and
black).

106

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Fig. 95.

107