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Fingergull

Schola Sanctae Sunnivae.

Blood



Blood carries heavy symbolism. The Red Cross urges us, "Give blood, save a life!" We have blood brothers, and there are crimes committed in cold blood. Vampires feed on blood meals, and information is the lifeblood of the modern economy. Â Lady Macbeth, haunted by Duncan's blood, famously cries "Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!" In the Old Testament, Priests sacrificed animals on the altar as a blood offering, and in the New Testament, Christ shed blood on the cross.

A Holy Relic



In the Christian tradition, blood is life, redemption, atonement, forgiveness. So imagine getting your hands on an actual drop of Christ's blood! It would be something quite extraordinary-a holy relic to trump all relics. The Icelandic Annales Regi of 1165 record this very a thing: embedded in a gold ring, a drop of Christ's blood found its way to Nidaros, in what is today the city of Trondheim in Norway.

Such a happening would surely be grounds for high commemoration. Indeed, September 12th, the day Nidaros Cathedral received the relic, was later declared an annual feast day-in Latin, Susceptio sanguinis Christi, the blood of Christ received. Â The feast was prominent in the ecclesiastical calendar, ranking only below Christmas and Easter, and included a musical repertory of more than 30 chants.

Susceptio sanguinis Christi-the Holy Blood Office



Based almost entirely on melodies from older Offices, the music for the Holy Blood Office was probably written down between 1250 and 1275.  Many old mass texts were destroyed during the Reformation, but luckily, the parchment that contained the music we're hearing today was repurposed as binding for Danish accounting books! The surviving fragmentary manuscript has since been reconstructed and is now held at the National Library of Denmark in Copenhagen.

Schola Sanctae Sunnivae



The ensemble, Schola Sanctae Sunnivae directed by Anne Kleivset gives modern listeners a glimpse into 12th century Norway with their 2015 recording titled FINGERGULL-a reference to the golden ring of the blood relic. The CD presents the chant cycle for the Holy Blood Office in its entirety.

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