{"id":49,"date":"2017-07-26T20:40:31","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T20:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/?p=49"},"modified":"2017-11-19T13:56:53","modified_gmt":"2017-11-19T13:56:53","slug":"on-the-path-of-stencilled-liturgical-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/2017\/07\/26\/on-the-path-of-stencilled-liturgical-books\/","title":{"rendered":"On the path of stencilled liturgical books"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Natural
Lurs, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A fascinating world that still holds many unanswered questions and one that deserves further study as it pertains to the history of the book, the history of letterforms and the history of reproduction.
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Recruited in 2015 as one of the research students at the Atelier National de Recherche Typographique (ANRT) in Nancy, France, I had the opportunity to be baptised into the waters of stencilled liturgical books, and ever since, I have decided to dive deeper, to be able to tell the story of these beautiful, industrious works. A fascinating world that still holds many unanswered questions and one that deserves further study as it pertains to the history of the book, the history of letterforms and the history of reproduction (printing).<\/p>\n

Eric Kindel, with whom I have had the privilege and pleasure to discuss this topic of the stencilled letter and more particularly, stencilled liturgical books\u2014has written much on the method of stencilling and the stencilled letter\u2014is a must read for anyone interested in this subject. It is in fact Kindel who guided me towards my encounter with Claude-Laurent Fran\u00e7ois.<\/p>\n

For months I had been waiting for the 24th<\/sup> August, 2016 to finally meet Claude-Laurent Fran\u00e7ois who has been conducting research on the works of stencilled liturgical books since 1994. Waiting to discover these special books he had spoken about and had kindly arranged for their viewing. A pair is located at Notre dame de Ganagobie, France, and the other at Sainte-Tulle, France. Very different but similar works dating from the 18th<\/sup> century. These aforementioned works have been featured in Fran\u00e7ois\u2019 text \u2018Les \u00c9critures Realises au Pochoir\u2019 published in Yves Perrousseaux\u2019s Histoire de l\u2019Ecriture Typographique Le XVIIIe si\u00e8cle, <\/em>(Vol. II, pp. 139\u2013160, Italy, 2010). This text features the pair found at Ganagobie.<\/p>\n

A work of reference on the subject of stencilled choir books is the text by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim, \u2018Uiber ein in der Mainzer Univerit\u00e4tsbibliotheck befindliches durch Belch geschriebenes Chorbuch\u2019 in Beschreibung einer typographischer seltenheiten, <\/em>(Vol. 3, Mainz, 1800\u20131804). Hellmut Rosenfeld, who referred to Waldheim in his text \u2018Der Gebrauch der Schablone f\u00fcr Schrift und Kunst seit der Antike und das schablonierte Buch des 18. Jahrhunderts\u2019 in Gitenberg-Jahrbuch<\/em> (pp. 71\u201384, 1973) tells us in his story that the method of stencilling was first implemented in France by religious orders as it was well suited to monastic ideals and each member of the monastery could participate. However, the fact that some of these works are signed, suggests that each member may not have participated and that this work was done by those trained in the art of stencilling (as for manuscripts, there were scribes appointed to carry out that task). I would also like to suggest that various religious orders operated differently as it can be noticed, some books are less precisely executed than others. I hope to discuss this in another feature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A\u00a0pair of stencilled liturgical books
\nused by the Minimes monastery of Marseille<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Ganagobie-sign-france\"
Sign at monastery entrance. Ganagobie, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Antiphonal
Figure 1 Title page of antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The title pages of the works conserved\u00a0in the\u00a0monastic library at the Ganagobie monastery tell us a few things about these antiphonals. That of the 1st antiphonal\u00a0(see Figure 1) tells us it is just that \u2018the first part\u2019; with the words pars prior<\/em> stencilled in yellow in capitals. Just below we see, Exaravit Concinnavitque<\/em> telling us the method of\u00a0production used, which\u00a0can be\u00a0loosely interpreted as \u2018devices for inscribing\u2019. Both volumes show this kind of information on the title pages and are both signed. The two volumes use heavy weight laid paper which perhaps lends to the vividness of the colour that\u00a0greets us as we peruse the pages.<\/p>\n

Two things in particular struck my attention in these works. The exceptional quality of the decorative elements and the crispness\u00a0of the stencilled letterform (giving\u00a0some indication of the quality of the stencil from which it was stencilled) as compared with other stencilled liturgical books consulted. There is also a certain simplicity\u2014or perhaps the better word might be soberness\u2014found in these two volumes of stencilled antiphonals. This is clearly not the work of an amateur, it brings to mind the description of the work of Johann Claudius Renard by Fischer Von Waldeheim, who\u00a0expressed his fascination with the quality of Renard’s stencilled works. Waldeheim tells us in his notes that Renard received in 1747\u00a0a\u00a0recommendation from\u00a0the Chancellery of Banz, not only for his ability in the craft of stencilling but also for instructing members of religious communities in this craft. Is it possible that the author of these works was a student of Renard?<\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom1-france-852x521\"
Figure 2 Close-up of stencilled letters on title page of antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am intrigued by the shape of the\u00a0letterforms found in these works. The\u00a0capital letterforms above (Figure 2) have swelling main strokes, an extreme stroke contrast and a vertical axis (interestingly similar\u00a0to the characteristics to what is described as the first modern roman typeface which appears in 1784 \u2018type Didot\u2019).<\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom2-france-852x521\"
Figure 3 Close-up of stencilled border on title page of antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom3-france-852x521\"
Figure 4 Two coloured stencilled text in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The capitals in red, in Figure 4 above, appear to be a form of Versal. We can see the serifs on the lower-case characters are horizontal; characteristic of the modern roman that was to come. Yet, notice the use of the long s and the t (which to my view, has a bit of a humanist flavour). Fran\u00e7ois (2010) asks what I find to be some very interesting questions: Has the cutting of stencilled letters, in some way caused, the letter axis to become vertical? Have stencilled letterforms and typographic characters developed independently? These questions deserve to be answered.<\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom4-france-852x521\"
Figure 5 Close-up of stencilled text in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom5-france-852x521\"
Figure 6 Close-up of stencilled letters in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These choir books show musical notations that are also stencilled (Figures 7, 8 & 10). Notice there are two styles. In the various works consulted so far\u2014particularly Cistercian antiphonals\u2014I have noted five different styles of notation. I hope to write more on this at some later date. In Figure 7, just below, we can see the remnants of the layout technique: guidelines in lead pencil and registration points which are meant to guide placement of letters horizontally. These registration points are meant to be covered by the letter that follows; notice for example the one protruding on the left side of the letter i.<\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom6-france-852x1189\"
Figure 7 Section of a stencilled page in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom10-france-852x1208\"
Figure 8 View of stencilled full page in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Page format: 40 cm x 54 cm. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-posterior-zoom2-france-852x521\"
Figure 9 Stencilled border in antiphonal (Pars Posterior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-posterior-zoom3-france-852x521\"
Figure 10 Stencilled notes in antiphonal (Pars Posterior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-posterior-zoom4-france-852x521\"
Figure 11 Size variation in stencilled lettering in antiphonal (Pars Posterior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ganagobie
Surroundings of Monastery at Ganagobie, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ganagobie
View of the Durance valley, Ganagobie, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This overview is just a peek into the world of the stencilled liturgical book. Much remains to be discovered and told.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
\n

\"Sunset
Sunset over the Durance valley. Lurs, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom7-france-284x341\"
Figure 12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom8-france-284x245\"
Figure 13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom9-france-284x288\"
Figure 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-prior-zoom11-france-284x282\"
Figure 12\u201415 Stencilled lettrines in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Images credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ganagobie-stencilled-antiphonal-posterior-zoom1-france-284x461\"
Figure 16 Stencilled border in antiphonal (Pars Prior)<\/em> used by the Minimes monastery of Marseille, 1763. Conserved in the monastic library at the Ganagobie Monastery, France. Image credit: elms*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/p>\n

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<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A fascinating world that still holds many unanswered questions and one that deserves further study as it pertains to the history of the book, the history of letterforms and the history of reproduction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,3,10,5,7],"tags":[18,17,19,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":122,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atelierelms.com\/typote-design-workshops\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}