Some Examples of Marginalia in the Margins of Musical Manuscripts: From Quill Attempts to a Portrait Graffiti

Abstract

In her research, the author of this article has studied Lithuanian musical manuscripts from various perspectives, and in this work she draws attention to another aspect of these sources – the marginalia. The information inscribed in various forms in the margins of musical manuscripts (literally and figuratively) is undoubtedly an important yet rarely researched expression of cultural communication, which is related to newly discovered facts pertaining to the document’s history and reveals new values. This article examines several musical manuscripts preserved in sheet music collection No. 105 in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. They are enriched with various kinds of marginalia, such as quill attempts, signature attempts, an autograph, a text, a drawing, and a portrait graffiti. The study employed theoretical-descriptive, empirical, iconographic and iconological research methods allowing for a comprehensive investigation, evaluation, and disclosure of the meanings and significance of the content of the manuscript marginalia both for the community at the time and for current research.