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We present the results of a multifaceted study of an antiphonary—liturgical song book—presumably made in Venice in 1607, now in the Ringve, National Music Museum of Norway in Trondheim 1 . The book is hand-sewn on raised cords, bound in full leather on cardboard covers, originally with metal clamps. The paper block consists of pages printed in black and red that include both song texts and music scores. The red ink is based on vermillion and red lead while the black ink is carbon based. The treads and cords were made of flax. The leather used was made from goat skin. Radiocarbon results confirmed the printing date. The antiphonary shows several signs of repair including the possibility of re-binding. Animal-based glue was used for the repairs as well as for the sizing of both original and repair paper. Two potential periods were identified for reparations, 1670–1710 AD and 1782–1830 AD. This case study was conducted prior to the opening of a new permanent exhibition, Soundtracks, at the Ringve Museum where the book is displayed.

This interdisciplinary hymnological article reflects on some aspects of a creative journey within the evolutionary process of Estonian-language antiphonal psalm-ody from 2010 to 2024. It investigates the integration of performance elements from the archaic communal folk singing tradition of Estonian runosong (regilaul) into the contemporary prose-rhythm Estonian ecclesiastical chant, or pühalaul (‘sacred chant’), with a particular focus on antiphonal psalmody. Employing an artistic research approach, intertwined with autoethnography, the study draws on long-term artistic experimentation with pühalaul to explore how this idiomatic style for communal chanting in the Estonian language came into being. This research addresses a long-standing challenge in Estonian hymnology: the need to create an idiomatic ecclesiastical chanting practice aligned with the prosodic qualities of Estonian prose texts and local communal singing traditions, rather than relying on musical models and traditions, including rhythmic patterns shaped by German and other Indo-European languages, which were introduced through historical contact and adopted over time. While the broader repertoire and melodic foundations of Estonian antiphonal psalmody were shaped during earlier stages of the artistic research process, the present focus is on elaborating specific performance techniques for chanting, to achieve a runosong-like uninterrupted flow. Drawing on selected features of runosong, such as the circular musical phrase, anticipatory entry (leegajus), and ingressive phonation (inward speaking), the study culminates in the formulation of a circular model of antiphonal psalmody offering a new approach to communal ecclesiastical chanting.

The research project presented here is the creation of a digital life for the art- historical information that emerged from research into the miniatures of the antiphonaries of the Diocesan Library of Chioggia. The result is a small digital space where one can visualize textual and multimedia content concerning the illuminated capilettera found inside three antiphonaries of the Diocesan Library of Chioggia (Venezia), in manuscripts 4523, 4527 and 4528 respectively. An intuitive web platform allows the user to navigate between various general sections and two catalogues through the use of search filters set to refine the selection of items within them.

Abstract Contact calls allow animals to maintain group cohesion when visibility is restricted. To maximise call detection, animals should produce calls that are audible to closest neighbours or respond to individuals that produce preceding calls (i.e., antiphony). Antiphonal exchanges are more likely to occur between older conspecifics that respond more reliably or close neighbours that are more likely to detect calls when groups are travelling. Because animals should produce calls that are optimised for propagation, call structure should be associated with the distance between individuals calling in antiphonal exchanges. I investigated whether acoustic structures of red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) contact calls (phrased grunts) reflected increased sound propagation as nearest neighbour distances increased, depending on three factors: (1) the occurrence of a preceding grunt, (2) neighbour age-sex class, and (3) group travel speed. I recorded grunts from five habituated monkey groups at Kibale National Park, Uganda. Per grunt, I measured five parameters associated with sound propagation. Grunt mean entropy and frequency related negatively to neighbour distance when the neighbour produced a preceding grunt or when there was no preceding grunt, but not when a more distant individual grunted prior. Neighbour age-sex class and group travel speed did not influence whether grunt structure was associated with neighbour distance, but monkeys produced grunts with higher mean entropy and frequency as groups travelled faster. Variation in grunt mean entropy and frequency was associated with propagation to either nearest neighbours or more distant individuals that produced preceding calls, providing quantitative evidence for antiphonal calling. By calling antiphonally, animals in cohesive groups can spread out to avoid intra-group competition while maintaining contact with other group members. Higher grunt entropy and frequency as groups travel faster may counteract more variable sound attenuation as animals move through acoustically complex (e.g., densely vegetated) environments.

Acoustic communication plays a vital role in frog reproduction. In most anuran species, long-distance sound communication is one-way from males to females; during the reproductive season, males produce species-specific advertisement calls to attract gravid females, and females are generally silent but perform phonotactic movements that lead to amplexus. One exception is the concave-eared torrent frog (Odorrana tormota). In this species, females produce courtship calls that elicit antiphonal vocalizations by males, followed by precise phonotactic movements. The large odorous frog O. graminea (previously Odorrana livida) in southern China is subject to the same environmental constraints as O. tormota, with which it is sympatric; it is unclear whether their sound communication is one-way or bidirectional. Here, we provide the first data on female O. graminea vocalizations and their functions. Using playbacks of female calls, we conducted acoustic behavioral experiments in the laboratory in response to which males emitted single- or multi-note antiphonal calls with a varying fundamental frequency. Moreover, they were attracted to female call playbacks, exhibiting precise phonotaxis. The female courtship call–male response interaction thus forms a duet between partners of a receptive pair. These results demonstrate that this unique communication system likely reflects an adaptation to an environment in which short-distance communication is at a premium given the high levels of ambient noise.

Recent studies conducted in the natural habitats of songbirds have provided new insights into the neural mechanisms of turn--taking. For example, female and male plain--tailed wrens (Pheugopedius euophrys) sing a duet that is so precisely timed it sounds as if a single bird is singing. In this review, we discuss our studies examining the sensory and motor cues that pairs of wrens use to coordinate the rapid alternation of syllable production. Our studies included behavioral measurements of freely--behaving wrens in their natural habitat and neurophysiological experiments conducted in awake and anesthetized individuals at field sites in Ecuador. These studies show that each partner has a pattern-generating circuit in their brain that is linked via acoustic feedback between individuals. A similar control strategy has been described in another species of duetting songbird, white--browed sparrow--weavers (Plocepasser mahali). Interestingly, the combination of neurophysiological results from urethane-anesthetized and awake wrens suggest a role for inhibition in coordinating the timing of turn--taking. Finally, we highlight some of the unique challenges of conducting these experiments at remote field sites.

Background Pair compatibility affects the success of a pair; however, its causes and mechanisms are not fully understood. Vocal exchange may be very important for pair formation, coordinating pair activities, maintaining the pair bond and mate guarding. To investigate the role of vocal exchange in pair formation and pair maintenance, we explored whether new and established pairs of zebra finches differed in their calling relationships. We used individualised backpack microphones to examine the entire daily vocal emission of pairs, with parallel video recording of behaviour. Results We found that in non-breeding, isolated pairs, a specific type of call, the “stack call”, was the most common. Furthermore, all pairs used the stack call for precisely timed antiphonal exchange. We confirmed a difference between new and established pairs in social behaviour, with the former spending less time in physical contact. Notably, we found that this was mirrored by a difference in calling behaviour: members of new pairs converged over time on a more symmetric calling relationship. Additionally, we observed different response rates to partners among individuals, but a repeatable relationship of answering within pairs, which may reflect different degrees of motivation to answer the partner. Conclusions Our findings show that there is plasticity in calling behaviour and that it changes during pair formation, resulting in a coordinated stack call exchange with a similar number of answers between partners once the pair is established. It is possible that some of the calling relationship measurements that we present reflect pair compatibility.

The Advent Lyrics, a group of Old English religious antiphons (formerly called Christ I) dating from about the 9th century, are presented in this edition as an independent group of poems disengaged, for the first time, from Cynewulf's Christ. Professor Campbell’s study focuses on the significance of the antiphons as lyrics rather than as philological documents. The book includes a full critical introduction, a new text and modern English translation (on facing pages), critical notes, and a glossary.Originally published in 1959.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.