The Polyphony Database
polyphonydatabase@gmail.com
About the database❯
PolyphonyDatabase.com is a detailed catalogue of early music sources designed to help musicians perform, academics study, and enthusiasts explore a vast and glorious repertoire quickly and easily. It aims to combine the practicality of CPDL with the academic rigour and ambition of the RISM census, to make use of similar projects where possible, and to directly combat the frustrations performing musicians have with all existing resources.
Its three main goals are:
- To assist performers, directors, and editors by cataloguing the contents of primary sources, source concordances, and basic information about how each piece of music can be performed.
- To provide a reliable starting point for academic research by linking to library catalogues, other existing databases, and facsimile images of early music manuscripts and prints.
- To provide a repository for properly sourced critical editions, performing scores, and recordings of as much of this music as possible, each carefully vetted for typesetting quality and accuracy, and made available for free download, so that this music might be discovered and appreciated by a wider audience.
The database was founded by Francis Bevan in 2014 as an outlet for his editing hobby and is regularly updated by him and a small team of enthusiasts. If you would like to contribute some cataloguing time, recordings or editions, submit corrections, commission an edition or just donate some cash, please get in touch with Francis via email: polyphonydatabase@gmail.com. Read more about the project's history at the 2018 Crowdfunder page.
The best way to help fund the project is to commission performing editions. New editions can be made quickly for as little as £10.
Understanding the clef images
A red clef means the voice is missing from this source. Where there are no concordances to fill in the gaps, this means the piece will require reconstruction.
A green clef means the voice is incomplete in this source. This might denote a fragment of a larger work, or a e.g. canonic voice that isn't written out in full.
A faded clef means much of the piece can be performed without this voice. For example, an extra 6th voice in the Agnus Dei of an otherwise 5vv Mass setting, or a short gimel in a big votive antiphon. Filtering by number of voices will exclude these clefs, while filtering by a specific voice combination will include them.
A blue clef denotes a voice that uses more than one clef in this source - this is particularly prevalent in earlier printed sources. We've estimated the larger clef on the left to be the most used to give an idea of voice distribution at a glance.
An X clef is used as a placeholder for voices we know are necessary, but haven't yet worked out which! This can be because there are no extant sources for a missing voice and no reconstruction has yet been attempted (it will normally become obvious which voice is missing once editing starts), or because we have catalogued a source from an incomplete facsimile that we know to be complete elsewhere.
Title |
Function(s) |
Composer |
# |
Sources |
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Ingegneri, Marco Antonio
c.1535–1592
|
4 |
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Viadana, Lodovico
c.1540-1560–1627
|
1 |
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Ratti, Lorenzo
1589/1590–1630
|
8 |
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Infantas, Fernando de las
1534–c.1610
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Silva, Andreas de
b.c.1475-1480
|
3 |
Trium vocum cantiones centum a praest... (RISM 1541/2)
Trium vocum cantiones centum a praestantissimis diversarum nationum ac linguarum musicis compositae
Nuremberg: Petreius, Johann, 1541
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Selectissimarum sacrarum cantionum (q... (RISM 1569/6)
Selectissimarum sacrarum cantionum (quas vulgo Moteta vocant) flores, trium vocum: ex optimis ac praestantissimis quibusque divinae Musices authoribus excerptarum. Iam primum summa cura ac diligentia collecti et impressi. Liber terius.
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1569
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Andrea di Sylva |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Anon
|
6 |
Il primo libro de motetti a sei voce,... (RISM 1549/3)
Il primo libro de motetti a sei voce, da diversi accellentissimi musici composti, & non piu stampati novamente posti in luce, & con somma diligentia coretti
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#3
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(D-Dl Mus.1-D-3)
Dresden, 1550-1560
(Partbook, MS)
RISM
#37
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(D-ROu Mus.Saec.XVI-42)
Rostock: Weissenberger, Albert, c.1555-c.1570
(Choirbook, MS)
#23
|
|
Attrib: Incerti authoris |
|
Septimus liber modulorum, quatuor, qu... (RISM 1556/11)
Septimus liber modulorum, quatuor, quinque et sex vocum, (quos vulgus moteta vocat) à quibusvis celeberrimis authoribus excerptus, & nunc primùm in lucem aeditus.
[Geneva]: Du Bosc, Simon, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Incerti auctor |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus
|
|
Conte, Bartholomeus le
fl.1547–1565
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Adesto dolori meo Deus
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
5 |
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantio... (RISM P830)
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica post festum S. Trrinitatis, usque ad primam Dominicam Adventus Domini et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi. His commune de Sanctis Ecclesiae Dei, et quaedam Fragmenta ex canticis Canticorum salomonis, accesserunt.
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich and Gerlach, Katharina, 1576
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#53
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Croce, Giovanni
c.1557–1609
|
8 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Baccusi, Ippolito
c.1550–1609
|
6 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Wanning, Johannes
1537–1603
|
6 |
Sacrarum cantionum quinque, sex, sept... (RISM W203)
Sacrarum cantionum quinque, sex, septem et octo vocibus compositarum, et tum vivae voci tum musicis instrumentis aptatarum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Gerlach, Katharina, 1580
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Johannem VVanningvm Campensem |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Lechner, Leonhard
c.1553–1606
|
6 |
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacraru... (RISM 1583/2)
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacrarum, ab exquisitissimis aetatis nostrae musicis cum quinque & sex vocibus concinnatae, pleraeque omnes novae, necdum in Germania typis scriptae: nunc autem editae studio Leonardi Lechneri Athesini
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1583
(Partbook, Print)
#41
|
|
Attrib: Leonardus Lechnerus Athesinus |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Lhéritier, Jean
c.1480–after 1551
|
4 |
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta... (RISM 1538/5)
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta novem motetos habet, ut in sequenti indice demonstratur
Ferrara: Buglhat, Johannes de, Campis, Henrici de, and Hucher, Antonio, 1538
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Lheritier |
|
Moteti de la fama, libro primo, a qua... (RISM 1555/15 (L2316))
Moteti de la fama, libro primo, a quattro voci
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Ioanne Lheritier |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Vento, Ivo de
1543-1545–1575
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Zarlino, Gioseffo
1517–1590
|
5 |
Musici quinque vocum moduli, motecta ... (RISM Z99)
Musici quinque vocum moduli, motecta vulgo nuncupata opus nunquam alias typis excusum, ac nuper accuratissime in lucem aeditum. Liber Primus
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Iosephi Zarlini |
|
(I-MOe C.313)
Modena, c.1560
(Partbook, MS)
#58
|
|
Attrib: R. Iosephus |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Mancinus, Thomas
1550–c.1611
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Rubini, Nicolò
1584–1625
|
4 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum [I]
|
|
Nucius, Johannes
c.1556–1620
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Nudus egressus sum [II]
|
|
Nucius, Johannes
c.1556–1620
|
5 |
|
Si bona suscepimus - Sit nomen Domini
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
4 |
Liber quintus cantionum sacrarum vulg... (RISM C2702)
Liber quintus cantionum sacrarum vulgo moteta vocant, quatuor vocum, nunc primum in lucem editus
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Clemente non Papa |
|
Liber quintus cantionum sacrarum vulg... (RISM C2702)
Liber quintus cantionum sacrarum vulgo moteta vocant, quatuor vocum, nunc primum in lucem editus
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Clemente non Papa |
as Jesus nomen suavissimum - Sit nomen Domini |
Thesauri Musici tomus quintus et ulti... (RISM 1564/5)
Thesauri Musici tomus quintus et ultimus continens sacras harmonias quatuor vocibus compositas
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1564
(Partbook, Print/MS)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non Papa |
|
(D-Sl 8)
Chamerhueber, Johann, 1569-1570
(Choirbook, MS)
#7
|
|
Attrib: Clemens |
|
|
Si bona suscepimus - Tribularer si nescirem
|
|
Manchicourt, Pierre de
c.1510–1564
|
5 |
|