Rebecca Maloy

Medieval Christian worship on the Iberian peninsula was structured by the rich rituals and music of the Old Hispanic rite. Sung in Honor of Sacrifice is a detailed study of one type of Old Hispanic chant: the offertory or sacrificium. By showing how the sacrificium texts draw on specific traditions of biblical exegesis and how the melodies respond to textual syntax and meaning, this project situates these chants within the intellectual culture that produced them, presents new evidence about the oral transmission of plainchant, and establishes a new basis for assessing the relationship among the different western chant traditions. Though focused on the Iberia, the project has broader implications for understanding the intersection among medieval liturgy, the arts, and intellectual life.