The term Exultet indicates both the formula of benedictio of the candle that occurred during the Easter Vigil and the scroll on which we find it recorded. In medieval Italy, in the Benevento area, between the 10th and 14th centuries this song of praise, which was the climax of the celebration, was repeatedly transcribed on parchment scrolls made up of sheets sewn together, where the text was accompanied by rich miniatures representing both scenes from the Old and New Testaments and relating to the different stages of the rite.
The Exultet shows a very peculiar architecture of the page: the images in fact appear in the opposite direction from the text. This is because, while the text was proclaimed by the officiant, who stood on the ambo next to the Paschal candle, the images were addressed to the faithful who in most cases were unable to read the written text, let alone understand its meaning.
So while the officiant let the scroll fall back during the reading, the assembly could follow the ceremony thanks to a real iconic text, a Biblia pauperum in its own right. This also explains the large size and richness of the illustrations, which in this way could be enjoyed from a great distance.
The so-called “Casanatense Roll” consists of three parts Benedictio fontis ms 724/I Pontifical Ms 724/II Exultet Ms 724/III
The evocative video that we present below thanks to the courtesy of the author, Prof. Bissera Pentcheva (Department of Art History, Stanford University), who made it with the collaboration of the Casanatense Library as part of her research “Icons of Sound and the Concept of Choros in Medieval Art,” aims to bring back to life the atmosphere, lights, sounds, and melodies that made up the world of medieval religiosity of which the Exultet was the protagonist. [fact sheet by Ilaria Vercillo].
From the text of the introduction to the video:
The Exultet is a long prayer, sung on Easter night, when the deacon climbs the ambo ladder and the bishop lights the Paschal candle. The interior submerged in darkness is illuminated by a single voice and a single light, and the ritual revolves around this central axis. The music for the Exultet prayer consists of a simple and repetitive structure. It consists of four melodic fragments that are repeated with some variations.
The cyclic melody evokes the image of orbiting stars, which are models for the resurrected body. The circular movement, employed in the music and in the gesture of unrolling the Exultet scroll, the circular patterns in the floor, express the idea of the Choros, a dance and a song together, through which humanity enters into attunement with the divine sphere.
Bissera Pentcheva has already published in this field with “Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space and Spirit in Byzantium” (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017), for which she received the Academy of Medieval Studies of America award in 2018.