Graduale Romanum (MS Gen 999) —
Gradulae Romanum (MS GEN 999 in the University of Glasgow Special Collection) is a fragment of a late 14th or early 15th century Gradual. This large manuscript would have been used as a memory aid to facilitate group religious singing. Picturing Sound Festival 2019 comminsioned me to respond to this fragment. Inspired by this book’s invitation to sing collectively, I decided to reimagine the ‘Antiphon’ written on the first two leaves of this collection entitiled ‘Pueri Hebreorum’ and create an interactive sound installation which comes alive through collective participation. The purpose of this installation is not to recreate the dogmatisim and monophony typically associated with early Christian chants but rather to create a polyphonic modern reimagining of the notes on these ancient leaves. Surrounding this book are 4 platforms as ground level - each platform corresponds to a different voice singing the Antiphon. By standing on a board you will effectively become a singer in the choir, and by distributing your weight on the board you will be able to alter certain characteristics of the sound. (Featuring Rory Haye, Amanda Nizic and Rosyln Potter singing the Antiphon)