Some of the earliest written notes in western musical history discovered in Pennsylvania; The Guardian, October 28, 2025

Richard Luscombe , The Guardian; Some of the earliest written notes in western musical history discovered in Pennsylvania

[Kip Currier: What an incredible discovery for not only musicologists but every human on the planet -- one of the earliest known examples of written notes in western musical history.

The article indicates that the document came to the attention of researchers through a private collector. This story underscores the importance of archivists, museum staffs, researchers, and others in cultivating professional, ethical relationships with private collectors and societies. 

It also highlights the importance of libraries, archives, and museums for preserving our collective historical artifacts. Hopefully, this musical notation artifact can one day be acquired by a cultural heritage institution, preserved, and made accessible for posterity.]

[Excerpt]

"Researchers in Pennsylvania have uncovered what they believe are some of the earliest written notes in western musical history – on a ninth-century manuscript they say remained “hidden in plain sight” for years in the hands of a private collector.

The notations – characters and dots similar to shorthand outlines – appear above the word “alleluia” on the document, a vellum manuscript leaf from a Latin sacramentary, a Catholic liturgical book used in western Europe during mass from the mid- to late 800s.

While earlier written forms of ancient musical notes exist, notably the Hymn to Nikkal, carved into clay tablets dated between 1400 and 1200BC, the sacramentary markings are among the first known depicting the birth of modern western music, according to the researchers.

They were discovered by historian and author Nathan Raab, president of the Raab Collection, during the evaluation of the document presented to him by the private owner. Raab believes the notations were previously overlooked or misunderstood, and he said he spent months researching their origin and significance.

“This is an incredibly early witness to our modern use of musical notations at its very dawn, and its discovery is a further reminder to us in the business of historical discovery that sometimes those discoveries are hiding in plain sight,” he said."