Opening the Geese Book

The project focuses on the lavishly and whimsically illuminated, two-volume liturgical manuscript known as the Geese Book. Produced in Nuremberg, Germany between 1503 and 1510, this gradual preserves the complete mass liturgy compiled for the church of St. Lorenz and used until the Reformation was introduced in the city in 1525. In 1952 the parish of St. Lorenz presented the book to Rush Kress for “the American people,” out of gratitude for the support of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in rebuilding the church after the destruction of WW II. In 1962 the manuscript assumed its place in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, where it remains today – the largest book in this famous collection. The volumes are renowned for their high quality decorative illumination including fanciful pictures, provocative and satirical imagery of animals, dragons, and wild people. The work takes its name from an enigmatic illustration showing a choir of geese singing from a large chant manuscript with a wolf as their choirmaster. A fox, who has joined the choir, extends his paw menacingly in the direction of one of the geese. For more information click here.

Cooperating institutions would like to celebrate the completion of the DVD-ROM "Opening the Geese Book" with an exhibition planned for 2008.  This seed money would assure that Schleif and Schier will have support to coordinate, organize, and apply for funding for the exhibit.

More information about the project is available at: http://geesebook.asu.edu/.

Approximately $200,000 has been pledged for the project exhibition from the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (the largest museum of German art and culture). The Sparda Bank has promised substantial support for the project.

The Audio CD Das Gänsebuch (The Geese Book): German Medieval Chant was released. A press conference was held in Nuremberg on June 8, 2005. The CD is available world wide on the Naxos label (8.557412). In October the Geese Book CD became one of the top selling CDs in Germany on the Naxos list.  The CD is also available from the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at ASU.