Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

General questions

 

Adding a new chant into Cantus Index

  • How to add a new chant into the Cantus Index
  • When should I create a new text variant of a chant?
 
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What is the difference between Cantus Index and Cantus Database?

  • In 2012 the CANTUS Database split into two websites:
                   1) Cantus Database - Inventories of chant sources
                   2) Cantus Index - Catalogue of chant texts and melodies
     
  • Cantus Index (https://cantusindex.org) is a catalogue of chants for Office and Mass with their standardized full text and Cantus ID. It is a system for automatic assigning of Cantus IDs to the new chants found in manuscripts. Cantus Index is able to search in the integrated manuscript databases (such as Cantus Database) for chant concordances in manuscripts.
           Chants listed in the Cantus Index contain only 4 data fields:
                1. Full-text
                2. Genre
                3. Feast (not required)
                4. Cantus ID
    NOTE: The Cantus Index replaced the former "Master chant table" in the Cantus Database.
     
  • Cantus Database (https://cantusdatabase.org) contains complete inventories of chants in medieval books. Every chant in the Cantus Database has a reference to the Cantus Index via Cantus ID number.

                    

How are the databases connected in the Cantus Index Network?

  • Cantus Index connects the online resources via Cantus IDs assigned to each chant.
 

Who can contribute to Cantus Index?

  • Registered users contribute by adding new chants which immediately receive automatically-generated Cantus IDs.
  • If you find a chant not yet included in the Cantus Index please contact us and we will assign your username and password.
 
 

Adding a new chant into Cantus Index

How to add a new chant into the Cantus Index?

 

When should I create a new text variant of a chant?

If the new chant is quite similar to another chant of the same genre, enter the Cantus ID of the similar chant. The new text will receive this number plus a “variant” .1, .2, .3, etc. suffix. Use this option for long and short versions of a text where the beginnings are similar, when a phrase has been added in the middle, or in other circumstances when texts exhibit such close relationships.

Do not create a new Cantus ID if the text adds or subtracts the word "alleluia" within or at the end, if it substitutes a different word of the same meaning, if the difference is only of word order, or if there is the addition or subtractions of a very few words in one or more places.