Lost voices of monks to ring out at abbey

THE discovery of rare music inside a medieval book has brought the sound of monks back to an abbey for the first time in 500 years.

- ROD MINCHIN

A performance of the 'plaintive' music will be held in August at Buckland Abbey in Devon to celebrate the return of the book for the first time since 1539.

The 15th century book has been loaned to the abbey by the British Library.

Recent research by a historian at the University of Exeter led to the discovery of the rare monastic music.

Much of this type was lost or destroyed during the Reformation, which saw every priory and abbey in England closed by Henry VIII.

The music may have been used to help the Cistercian monks through a crisis, such as during a sickness outbreak.

The National Trust, which owns the abbey, has worked with experts at the University of Exeter to prepare the music for its first performance in nearly five centuries.

The music will be part of the soundtrack to a new exhibition and will be performed live in August by the university's chapel choir.