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 |
Verbum iniquum et dolosum - Ego vero egenus
|
|
Blanchus, Jacobus
fl.c.1540–1560
|
8 |
(D-Mbs 41)
Munich, 1540-1560
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#9
|
|
Attrib: Ja: Blanchs |
|
|
Verbum iniquum et dolosum - Sed tantum victui meo
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(I-Bc Q.20)
Bologna, c.1530
(Partbook, MS)
#59
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Verbum iniquum - Ne forte satiatus
|
|
Certon, Pierre
d.1572
|
4 |
|
Verbum supernum prodiens
|
|
Ortiz, Diego
c.1510–c.1570
|
4 |
|
Verbum supernum prodiens
|
(Hymn) |
Anon
|
6 |
(D-Mbs 43)
c.1550
(Choirbook, MS)
#6
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Hymn |
|
Verbum supernum prodiens
|
|
Carpentras (Genet, Elzéar)
c.1470–1548
|
4 |
|
Verbum supernum prodiens
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(D-Sl 24)
Stuttgart: Peuschel, Nikolaus and Chamerhueber, Johann, 1557
(Choirbook, MS)
#5
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Verbum supernum prodiens nec patris linquens - Se nascens dedit socium convescens
Pothárn Imre (SATTBarBarB)
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
7 |
|
Verde laur'è il mio core
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Verde lauro gentil
|
|
Stabile, Annibale
c.1535–1595
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#224
|
|
Attrib: Annibal Stabile |
|
|
Verdi panni sanguigni
|
|
Ferrabosco, Domenico Maria
1513–1574
|
4 |
|
Verdure le bois verdure
|
|
Anon
|
6 |
|
Vere Dominus est in loco isto
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
6 |
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
#402
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Vere Dominus est in loco isto - Haec est domus Domini
|
|
Manchicourt, Pierre de
c.1510–1564
|
5 |
Choirbook A (NL-Lml 1438)
Leiden: Blauwe, Anthonius de, 1549
(Choirbook, MS)
#34
|
|
Attrib: Manchicourt |
|
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulg... (RISM 1554/3)
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulgo moteta vocant, quinque et sex vocum
Lyon: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Manchicourt |
|
Tertius tomus evangeliorum quatuor qu... (RISM 1555/11)
Tertius tomus evangeliorum quatuor quinque sex et plurium vocum continens historias et doctrinam, quae in ecclesia proponi solet: de Trinitate, de Dedicatione Templi, De coena Domini
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Petrus Manchicourt |
|
Theatri musici selectissimas Orlandi ... (RISM 1580/4)
Theatri musici selectissimas Orlandi de Lassus aliorumque praestantissimorum musicorum cantiones sacras, quatuor, quinque & plurimum vocum, repraesentantis Liber secundus
Geneva, 1580
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Manchicourt |
|
|
Vere languores
|
|
Ferrarese, Paolo
fl.1565
|
4 |
Passiones, Lamentationes, Responsoria... (RISM P868)
Passiones, Lamentationes, Responsoria, Benedictus, Miserere, multaque alia devotissima cantica ad offitium hebdomadae Sanctae pertinentia
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1565
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#33
|
|
Attrib: D. Pauli Ferrariensis |
|
|
Vere languores nostros
|
|
Molinaro, Simone
c.1570–after 1633
|
5 |
|
Vere languores nostros
|
|
Falusi, Michele Angelo
fl.1683–1684
|
4 |
Responsoria Hebdomadis Sanctae una cu... (RISM F93)
Responsoria Hebdomadis Sanctae una cum Benedictus, Miserere, ac antiphonis quatuor vocibus cum organo auctore P. Mag. Fr. Michaele Angelo Falusi Romano
Rome: Mascardi, 1654
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Michaele Angelo Falusi |
|
|
Vere languores nostros
Nancho Alvarez
Ensemble Plus Ultra
|
|
Victoria, Tomás Luis de
1548–1611
|
4 |
(I-Bc X.46)
Bologna
(Score, MS)
#2
|
|
Attrib: Tomaso Lodovico da Vittoria |
|
Motecta que partim, quaternis, partim... (RISM V1421)
Motecta que partim, quaternis, partim, quinis, alia, senis, alia, octonis vocibus concinuntur
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1572
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Tomae Lvdovici de Victoria Abulensis |
|
Thomae Ludovici de Victoria Abulenis ... (RISM V1422)
Thomae Ludovici de Victoria Abulenis motecta quae partim quaternis Partim, Quinis, Alia, Senis, Alia, Octonis, Alia,
Duodenis, Vocibus, Concinuntur...
Rome: Gardano, Alessandro, 1583
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici de Victoria |
|
Thomae Ludovici De Victoria Abulensis... (RISM V1432)
Thomae Ludovici De Victoria Abulensis Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae
Rome: Gardano, Alessandro, 1585
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Ludovici De Victoria |
|
Cantiones sacrae Thomae Ludovici a Vi... (RISM V1424)
Cantiones sacrae Thomae Ludovici a Victoria abulensis, musici suavissimi, quatuor, quinque, sex, octo, et duodecim vocum, nunquam ante hac Germania excusae.
Dillingen: Mayer, Johann, 1589
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici a Victoria Abulensis |
|
Motecta quae partim quaternis, partim... (RISM V1423)
Motecta quae partim quaternis, partim quinis, alia senis, alia octonis, alia duodenis vocibus concinuntur
Milan: Tini, Francesco and Tini, Simone, 1589
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici de Victoria |
|
(US-Cn MS 1548/5)
c.1600-c.1799
(Choirbook, MS)
#3
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(US-Cn MS 1548/2)
c.1600-c.1799
(Choirbook, MS)
#3
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Motecta que partim, quaternis, partim... (RISM V1425)
Motecta que partim, quaternis, partim quinis, alia senis, alia octonis, alia Duodenis vocibus in omnibus solemnitatibus per totum annum, concinuntur, Noviter recognita & impressa
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1603
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Tomae Lvdovici de Victoria Aulensis |
|
|
Vergina santa
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
|
Vergine bella
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#53
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Vergine bella
|
|
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo
|
4 |
|
Vergine bella
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
|
Vergine bella che di sol vestita coronata - Vergine saggia e del bel numer'una - Vergine pura d'ogni parte intiera - Vergine santa d'ogni gratia piena - Vergine sola al mondo senza esempio - Vergine chiara e stabile in eterno - Vergine quande lagrime ho gia sparte - Vergine tal e terra e post'ha - Vergine in cui ho tutta mia speranza - Vergine humana e nemica d'orgoglio - Il di s'appressa et non puote esser
Pothárn Imre [Vergine bella] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine saggia] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine pura] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine santa] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine sola] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine chiara] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine quante lagrima] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine tal e terra] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine in cui] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Vergine umana] (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre [Il di s'appressa] (ATTTB)
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
5 |
Musica di Cipriano Rore sopra le stan... (RISM 1548/10)
Musica di Cipriano Rore sopra le stanze del Petrarcha in laude della Madonna, Et altri Madrigali a cinque voci, Con cinque Madrigali di due parte l'uno del medesmo autore bellissimi non piu veduti, Insieme quatro Madrigali nuovi a Cinque di Messer Adriano. Libro terzo
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1548
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#1
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano Rore |
|
Bourdenay codex (F-Pn 851)
Paris, c.1570-c.1599
(Score, MS)
#141
|
|
Attrib: Cypriano Rore |
|
|
Vergine bella che di sol vestita - Vergine saggia e del bel numer' una - Vergine pura d'ogni parte intera - Vergine santa d'ogni gratia piena - Vergine sola al mondo senza esempio - Vergine chiara e stabile in eterno - Vergine quande lagrime ho gia sparte - Vergine tal' e terra e post'ha - Vergine in cui ho tutta mia speranza - Vergine humana e nemica d'orgogli - Il di s'appressa et non puote esser
|
|
Ferrabosco, Alfonso (i)
1543–1588
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#74
|
|
Attrib: Alfonso Ferabosco Sen |
II: c2/c1/c3 |
|
Vergine chiara
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#58
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|