Pressus Maior

Call for Articles – Volume 1 (2026)

Pressus Maior is an international peer-reviewed online journal devoted to the study of medieval music in all its forms and contexts. The journal seeks to foster dialogue between source-based research and broader questions of musical practice, performance, spatial context, and cultural meaning, with particular attention to how music functioned within concrete ritual, institutional, and acoustic environments.

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Scope

The journal welcomes original research articles and critical editions related to medieval music, including but not limited to:

• chant and liturgical repertoires
• polyphony
• notation and transmission
• manuscript and codicological studies
• monastic, ecclesiastical, and institutional practices
• ritual, ceremonial, and processional contexts
• music and space (architectural, liturgical, acoustic)
• relationships between text, melody, and gesture
• theoretical, analytical, and philological investigations
• studies of vocal and instrumental practices in relation to medieval repertories
• historically grounded research on performance, vocality, sound production, and execution

Particular attention is given to contributions that investigate the performance, embodiment, and reception of medieval music in its historical contexts, as well as its interpretation and recontextualisation in contemporary practice, provided that such studies are firmly grounded in historical evidence and critical methodology. Studies exploring vocal technique, modal interpretation, articulation, tempo, ornamentation, and the interaction between written notation and performative realisation are especially welcome.

The journal also welcomes scholarly critical editions of medieval musical sources. Editions must be accompanied by a substantial critical introduction outlining the historical context, editorial principles, source transmission, and methodological criteria adopted. Submissions should include a clear critical apparatus and demonstrate how the edition contributes to broader musicological, liturgical, or performative questions. Critical editions undergo the same double-blind peer review process as research articles and are evaluated according to the same standards of scholarly rigour and originality.

Research by early career scholars is particularly welcome. Shorter position papers engaging critically with current methodological, historiographical, or performative debates within medieval music studies are also welcome.

All contributions should engage rigorously with primary sources and demonstrate methodological clarity and scholarly originality.

Publication Model

Pressus Maior follows an annual volume model with rolling publication. Articles are published online upon completion of peer review and editorial revision and form part of the yearly volume. Volume 1 (2026) is scheduled to be officially published on 8 December 2026.

Submission Information

Deadline: Extended: 15 June 2026

Submissions must be sent to:

submissions@pressusmaior.org

Manuscripts must be submitted in .docx format and prepared in anonymised form to ensure double-blind peer review.

Authors are asked to submit:

1. An anonymised manuscript (without name, affiliation, acknowledgements, or self-identifying references).

2. A separate title page including:

• author’s name
• institutional affiliation
• ORCID iD (if available)
• contact email
• a short bibliographical note (150 words approx.)
• abstract

General Guidelines

• Language: English
• Articles should present original, unpublished research
• Length: 7000–12000 words including references. Contributions exceeding 12000 words must be discussed and approved by the Editorial Board
• Appendices may not exceed 3000 words
• Citation style: Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., Notes and Bibliography system
• A separate bibliography file in BibTeX format must be provided (exported from reference managers such as Zotero, Mendeley, or equivalent)
• Articles are published in PDF format. Authors may submit their manuscripts in Word or another standard text document format. Manuscripts must maintain simple formatting. Use Times New Roman, size 11-12 for the main text, size 10 for long quotations, and size 9 for footnotes. Avoid the use of bold or underlining. Paragraphs should not be marked by indentation. The document must not contain extra or hidden paragraphs, tabs, or spacing
• Images and musical examples must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and be provided in TIFF or JPEG format. Musical examples must be submitted as separate files or high-quality digital scans, and accompanied by necessary permissions. The request for any permissions required for the reproduction of images is the responsibility of the author. The journal assumes no responsibility in this regard, as the intellectual property of each published contribution remains with the author. Authors may obtain and, if necessary, pay for image rights after acceptance of the article.
• Supplementary material: As the journal is online, extensive appendices, datasets, or supporting materials may be deposited in a recognised online repository and linked to the article.

Peer Review

All submissions undergo double-blind peer review by two anonymous specialists. Evaluation criteria include:

• originality and relevance
• methodological rigour
• clarity of argumentation
• accuracy of sources and references
• scholarly contribution

The standard review period is approximately 6–8 weeks.

Ethics and Licensing

The journal adheres to COPE principles of publication ethics. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Pressus Maior operates under a diamond open access model. No submission or publication fees are charged.

Further Information

For any questions regarding submissions or editorial policies, please contact:

editorial@pressusmaior.org

The Editorial Board
Pressus Maior