Dating from the late 10th century, this version of Boethius’ De institutione musica is the oldest book in the State Library. Originally written by Boethius in the 5th century, this treatise is a purely theoretical text.
Rather than commenting on the practice of music, De musica consists primarily of definitions and explanations of musical terms in relation to mathematics. This approach, which considered music as a mathematical discipline, was prevalent among scholars up to the Middles Ages.
Attached to this work is an abridged version of Musica enchiriadis. Often bound with De musica, it is an anonymous 9th century musical treatise documenting both the practical and theoretical aspects of music practice at this time.
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