Details

Standardized Title:

Adwār. Persian.
ادوار. فارسى.

Subjects:

Symbolism of numbers.
Islamic magic.
Islamic occultism.
Music theory.
Music.
Islamic countries.
Arab countries.
Music -- Early works to 1800.
Music theory -- Arab countries -- Early works to 1800.
Islamic occultism -- Early works to 1800.
Islamic magic -- Early works to 1800.
Symbolism of numbers -- Islamic countries -- Early works to 1800.

Form/Genre:

Manuscripts, Persian.
Manuscripts, Arabic.
Manuscripts, 15th century.
Manuscripts, 17th century.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.
Codices (bound manuscripts)
Compilation manuscripts.
Commentaries.
Diagrams.
Treatises.
Stamps (Provenance)

Language:

Persian and Arabic.

Summary:

Composite manuscripts with two works. The first is a Persian translation of al-Urmawī's treatise the theory of music, including division of frets, ratio of intervals, consonance and dissonance, cycles, rhythmic and melodic modes, and the 5-string oud or lute (f. 1v-38v). The second is a short, anonymous work on the science of letters (ʻilm al-ḥurūf) (f. 41r-61v).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title supplied by cataloger.
Collation: Paper, 61 + ii; 1⁶ 2¹⁴ 3⁶ 4¹⁴ 5-6⁸ 7⁴(+1); [1-75], modern pagination in eastern arabic numerals in ink (f. 1v-38v), upper outer corners. Catchwords on each leaf of treatise (f. 1-37), some trimmed away, lower left verso.
Layout: Written in 15 long lines (f. 1-38); border-ruled; second work written in 14 long lines (f. 41-56).
Script: Written in nastaʻlīq script by 2 hands (treatise f. 1-38, f. 41-56), with treatise headings in thuluth script.
Decoration: Illuminated headpiece (f. 1v); thuluth headings in gold, diagrams and tables in red and black, and selected characters and words in red ink throughout treatise; tables in red and black and numerals and selected words in red in second work.
Binding: Red leather with black leather doublure, gilt-stamped central mandorla with two pendants on the vertical axis and gilt-stamped frame.
Origin: Copy of first work completed in A.H. 815 (1412) (f. 38v); second work completed in A.H. 1054 (1644) (f. 56v).

Local notes:

Lawrence J. Schoenberg & Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative.

Penn Provenance:

Sold at auction at Sotheby's, 22 April 1989, lot 25, to Lawrence J. Schoenberg.
Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.
Gift of Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, 2016.

Cited in:

Described in Transformation of knowledge: early manuscripts from the collection of Lawrence J. Schoenberg (London: Paul Holberton, 2006), p. 32 (LJS 295).

Cited as:

UPenn LJS 295.

Contributor:

Schoenberg, Lawrence J., former owner.
Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Contains:

[Anonymous work on ʻilm al-ḥurūf].

OCLC:

751430611

Web link:

The Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative Fund Home Page