# The Library as Witness to Music History: The Case of the Sinai Musical Manuscripts

Dr. Kujumdzieva believes that the Library of Congress' microfilmed collection of musical manuscripts from St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, are representative of music from the Byzantine era and, by extension, for all Orthodox music that entered the orbit of Byzantine Christian civilization. In her talk, she will examine Byzantine music in its various stages and how it is contextualized in these manuscripts in order to answer some basic questions. Exactly what was chanted in these early times? What were the earliest assembled books to include medieval chant repertories and how did these repertories grow from the sources? How was the music notated and how was it transmitted in the Eastern Orthodox world? By answering these and other questions, Kujumdzieva will discuss why the Sinai manuscripts were microfilmed and why they are so important in the history of music.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2010
- By: John W. Kluge Center (library Of Congress)
- Genres: History, Music, Religion
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688452/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021688452?play=1)