Illuminated Latin manuscript music emerged in medieval Europe, when sacred chants were written by hand in monasteries and scriptoria. Early notations—called neumes—were added above the text to guide singers through plainchant long before modern musical notes existed. Scribes used ink, natural pigments, and sometimes gold leaf to decorate large initials, turning each page into both a musical guide and a devotional artwork meant to inspire the choir. By the 12th to 15th centuries, these manuscript