UWB Crest

School of Music

Bangor Pontifical Project

Image of Pontificial ProjectLaunch of the Bangor Pontifical Project on Sunday 18 October.

One of Bangor’s most precious medieval treasures – an exceptional service book containing a great deal of musical notation – is soon to be made universally accessible. The Bangor Pontifical is one of only a few service books to survive from medieval Wales and was made specially for Anian, who was bishop of Bangor between 1309 and 1328.

A new, state-of-the-art website, hosted by the University, will enable readers to ‘turn the pages’ of the Pontifical in its entirety, to zoom in on its musical notation, and to hear some of the chants performed. Once it has been conserved by a specialist team at the National Library of Wales, the manuscript will be photographed as high resolution digital images which will then be uploaded to the website, with search features and explanatory material.

The project is led jointly by Dr Sally Harper (Director of the Centre for Advanced Welsh Music Studies), who has worked on the musical and liturgical significance of the Pontifical over a number of years, and Dr Sue Niebrzydowski (Research Lecturer in Medieval English).

The Project will be launched at a special event in Bangor Cathedral on Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 5.15 pm. All are most welcome to attend. Speakers will include the Very Revd Alun Hawkins, Dean of Bangor; Dr David Roberts, Registrar; and Dr Sally Harper. Refreshments will be available. For more details see http://www.bangor.ac.uk/archives/bangorpontifical.php.en