Abstract
A small music book now housed in the library of the Metropolitan Cathedral at Prague, Cim 4, was acquired for St Vitus' Cathedral in 1235. The arrival of this manuscript, containing offertory verses and tropes of the Mass Ordinary, marked a new period of music writing in the history of the diocese of Prague: a musical script imported from outside the diocese was adopted, and - after some minor modifications - became a characteristic element of all diocesan music books.
This script was continuously maintained over centuries and became a conscious expression of identity for the Prague diocesan clergy. In this paper, I will show some new findings that could help determine the provenance of the troper, at least to situate it regionally.
After this, those ways in which this notation was adopted and adapted in Prague will be traced. A significant example will show how music notation can play an important role in the expression of identity and even political authority of a certain church institution.