Being a Mediaeval Detective

I’m in Carlton on a sunny warm Melbourne autumn day, having a cup of tea and doing some research. Firstly, the background to today is that back in the 80’s I was privileged to study music art history and later museology. My final music history paper was on a music manuscript held in italy, bound in 1448 and made as a working choristers book for the chapel singers.

On my first trip to the UK in 1986 I was lucky enough to take with me recommendations from my Professor and mentor and was admitted to the Reading Room at the British Library for access to the very special collections in the closed manuscripts room. For the 6 weeks I was there I had access to some of the various manuscripts of my study. I saw the actual objects! I touched them! I smelled the vellum and the rancid fat that has stiffened and preserved them for hundreds of years. Eeeeewwwww!  I had the privilege of being in the presence of incredible books; amazing documentary evidence of lives and times not of this world.