Long-Line Format

Most of the text of Western MS 097 is written in a long-line format, meaning that the text is arranged in a single column, and reads continuously across from left to right. As an example, see fol. 10r:

While a double-column layout was more common than a long-line layout for liturgical manuscripts in the thirteenth century, the long-line format could be more effective for presenting chants with musical notation.

Long rubrics and blocks of incipits can break up this long-line format, filling in leftover space in the middle or end of the line. However, within the blocks of incipits themselves, a long-line format is usually maintained. Here, in an example from Princeton MS 245, fol. 126v, the block of incipits begins by filling in the space left after the end of a chant written out in full, meaning that two columns—one of chant with musical notation, and one of incipits—appear within a single line. However, within the block of incipits, the text is read straight across from left to right, with no breaks between feasts. This compact yet consistent format allowed scribes to fill all available space, while at the same time leaving no ambiguity about the order of the chants and feasts.

This typical long-line format for blocks of incipits is only occasionally used in Western MS 097, as seen here, on fol. 242v of the manuscript. Though not as compact or evenly-ruled as similar blocks in Princeton MS 245, the rare instances of this format in Western MS 097 allow for similar clarity about the sequence of chants and feasts.