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 |
Te lucis ante terminum [I]
|
|
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
|
Te lucis ante terminum [I]
Taverner Consort
|
|
Tallis, Thomas
c.1505–1585
|
5 |
|
Te lucis ante terminum [II]
|
|
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
|
Te lucis ante terminum [II]
The King's Singers
|
|
Tallis, Thomas
c.1505–1585
|
5 |
|
Te lucis ante terminum [III]
|
|
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
|
Te lucis ante terminum [IV]
|
|
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
|
Te maneat semper servante
|
|
Burck, Joachim a
1546–1610
|
5 |
|
Te matrem Dei laudamus
|
|
Conflicting attributions
|
5 |
(GB-Cjc 234 (K.31))
Cambridge, c.1525-c.1530
(Partbook, MS)
#7
|
|
Attrib: hewghe Austen |
|
(GB-Cu Dd.13.27)
Cambridge, c.1525-c.1530
(Partbook, MS)
#7
|
|
Attrib: hewe Austen |
|
Harley 1709 (GB-Lbl Harley 1709)
London, c.1525-c.1530
(Partbook, MS)
#19
|
|
Attrib: asshwell |
|
(GB-Ckc Rowe 316)
Cambridge, 1565
(Partbook, MS)
#11
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
as We praise thee, O God |
Sadler partbooks (GB-Ob 1-5)
Oxford: Sadler, John, c.1565-1585
(Partbook, MS)
#8
|
|
Attrib: Mr Aston |
= Te Deum |
Baldwin commonplace book (GB-Lbl RM-24-d2)
London: Baldwin, John, c.1580-c.1606
(Score, MS)
#135
|
|
Attrib: mr: tavernar |
Short 3vv section beginning 'Tu ad liberandum' = Te Deum |
Baldwin commonplace book (GB-Lbl RM-24-d2)
London: Baldwin, John, c.1580-c.1606
(Score, MS)
#136
|
|
Attrib: mr: iohn tavernar |
Short 3vv section beginning 'Tu angelorum domina', down a fourth = Te Deum |
|
Te merito Daniel - Subque tuo Daniel
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens o... (RISM L1019)
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens omnes cantiones quas motetas vulgo vocant, tam antea editas quam hactenus nondum publicatas II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. IIX. IX. X. XII. vocum a Ferdinando serenissimi bavariae ducis maximiliani musicorum praefecto, & Rudolpho, eidem Principi ab Organis; Authoris filiis summo studio collectum, & impensis eorundem Typis mandatum
Munich: Heinrich, Nikolaus, 1604
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#208
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Templum in templo
|
|
Torres y Martínez Bravo, José de
c.1670–1738
|
4 |
Missarum liber, ad usum sanctuarum ec... (RISM T1009)
Missarum liber, ad usum sanctuarum ecclesiarum utilissimus, in quo continentur octo missae
Madrid, 1703
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Iosepho de Torres |
Canon |
|
Tempore felici
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
8 |
|
Tempore felici
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
5 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar
|
|
Conseil, Jean
1498/1501–1534
|
4 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
Motettorum Quinque vocibus liber quintus (RISM P728)
Rome: Gardano, Alessandro, 1584
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Ioan. Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Motettorum quinque vocibus liber quintus (RISM P729/730)
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1588-1593
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Ioan. Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Motettorum quinque vocibus nunc denuo... (RISM P731)
Motettorum quinque vocibus nunc denuo in lucem aeditus. Liber quintus
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1595
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Ioan: Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
(V-CVbav Capp.Sist. 96)
Rome: Felix, Horatius, 1630
(Choirbook, MS)
#7
|
|
Attrib: Praenestinus |
|
|
Tempus est ut revertar
|
|
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
1 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar
|
|
Vinci, Pietro
c.1525–1584
|
5 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar
|
|
Pionnier, Joannes
d.1573
|
5 |
Secundus tomus evangeliorum quatuor, ... (RISM 1555/10)
Secundus tomus evangeliorum quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum continens historias & doctrinam, quae in Ecclesia proponi solet: De Ascensione Christi. De Missione Spiritussancti
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1555
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Ioannes Pionier |
|
|
Tempus est ut revertar ad eum - Rogabo patrem
|
|
Reiner, Jacob
before 1560–1606
|
5 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar [I]
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
4 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar [II]
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
4 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar - Nisi ego abiero paracletus
Pothárn Imre (SSATBB)
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
6 |
Sacrae cantiones (vulgo motecta appel... (RISM L796)
Sacrae cantiones (vulgo motecta appellatae) sex et octo vocum, tum viva voce, tum omnis generis instrumentis cantatu commodissimae. Liber quartus.
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1566
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi Lassi |
|
Selectissimae cantiones, quas vulgo m... (RISM L815)
Selectissimae cantiones, quas vulgo motetas vocant, partim omnino novae, partim nusquam in Germania excusae, sex & pluribus vocibus compositae per excellentissimum Musicum
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1568
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Orlandum di Lassus |
|
Selectissimae cantiones, quas vulgo m... (RISM L915)
Selectissimae cantiones, quas vulgo motetas vocant, partim omnino novae, partim nusquam in Germania excusa, sex & pluribus vocibus compositae
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Berg, Johann, 1579
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#17
|
|
Attrib: Orlandum di Lassus |
|
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens o... (RISM L1019)
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens omnes cantiones quas motetas vulgo vocant, tam antea editas quam hactenus nondum publicatas II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. IIX. IX. X. XII. vocum a Ferdinando serenissimi bavariae ducis maximiliani musicorum praefecto, & Rudolpho, eidem Principi ab Organis; Authoris filiis summo studio collectum, & impensis eorundem Typis mandatum
Munich: Heinrich, Nikolaus, 1604
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#340
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Tempus est ut revertar - Nisi ego abiero paracletus
|
|
Contino, Giovanni
c.1513–1574
|
5 |
|
Tempus est ut revertar - Nisi ego abiero paracletus
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
6 |
Sacrarum cantionum cum sex vocibus qu... (RISM M3321)
Sacrarum cantionum cum sex vocibus quae vulgo motecta nuncupantur, nunc primum in lucem editus Liber Secundus
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1587
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Philippi de Monte |
|
Corollarium cantionum sacrarum quinqu... (RISM 1590/5)
Corollarium cantionum sacrarum quinque, sex, septem, octo, et plurium vocum de festis praecipuis anni
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1590
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#34
|
|
Attrib: Philip. de Monte |
|
|
Tempus est ut revertar - Non vos relinquam orphanos
|
|
Heurteur, Guillaume le
fl.1530–1545
|
4 |
Guillermi le heurteur, Ecclesiae diui... (RISM L1638)
Guillermi le heurteur, Ecclesiae diui Martini Tvronensis canonici, artisqve modvlatorie peritissimi professoris. Operum musicalium liber primus
Paris: Attaingnant, Pierre, 1545
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#13
|
|
Attrib: Guillermi le heurteur |
|
|
Tempus est ut revertar - Rex gloriae Christe
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|