This research project analyses the National Library’s medieval resources from a musicological perspective. Its goal is to determine which melodies featured in the chants performed during mass at the medieval Diocese of Turku and how they lived on in post-Reformation Finland.

Did the chants fully comply with Dominican melodies, as has been assumed? What were the melodies used before unified diocesal practice were created, and can traces of them be found in the official tradition? What was the significance of Catholic chants during the Lutheran 16th century? How well did the practices of parish churches follow the official guidelines in terms of music? Did medieval Finland have local chanting traditions, and if so, where did they come from? 

The results of the project will also help scholars use liturgical manuscripts in other types of historical research. The melodies can, for instance, indicate the directions from which Christian influences arrived in various parts of Finland.