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 |
Vado ad eum qui misit me - Si non abiero consolator
|
|
Wanning, Johannes
1537–1603
|
5 |
|
Vado parare vobis locum - Accipietis virtute
|
|
Mantua, Jacquet de
1483–1559
|
5 |
Primo libro di mottetti di Iachet, a ... (RISM J7)
Primo libro di mottetti di Iachet, a cinque voci…
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1540
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#21
|
|
Attrib: Iachet |
|
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
#19
|
|
Attrib: Iachet |
|
Sextus liber modulorum, quatuor, quin... (RISM 1556/10)
Sextus liber modulorum, quatuor, quinque et sex vocum, (quos vulgus moteta vocat) à quibusvis celeberrimis authoribus excerptus, & nunc primùm in lucem aeditus.
[Geneva]: Bosc, Simon du, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Iaquet |
|
|
Vae animae quae Christum non quaerit
|
|
Werlin, Johannes (ii)
d.c.1680
|
3 |
Melismata sacra deo ter opt. max. pub... (RISM W799)
Melismata sacra deo ter opt. max. publicoque bono, musicis modulis, binis, ternis, quaternis & quinis cum basso continuo, Organo applicato adoptata
Nuremberg: Dümler, Jeremias, 1644
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#13
|
|
Attrib: Johannis Werlini |
|
|
Vae Babylon civitas magna - Vae illa civitas magna Babylon
|
|
Morales, Cristóbal de
c.1500–1553
|
4 |
|
Vae misero mihi
|
|
Tonsor, Michael
before 1546–after 1606
|
5 |
|
Vae nobis miseris
|
|
Mason, John
c.1480–1548
|
5 |
|
Vae nobis quia peccavimus
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
4 |
|
Vae tibi Babylon et Syria
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
4 |
Liber secundus ecclesiasticarum canti... (RISM 1553/9)
Liber secundus ecclesiasticarum cantionum quatuor vocum vulgo moteta vocant, tam ex Veteri quam ex Novo Testamento, ab optimis quibusque huius aetatis musicis compositarum antea nunquam excusus
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1553
(Partbook, Print)
#17
|
|
Attrib: Iaco. Clemens non Papa |
|
Tertia pars magni operis musici, cont... (RISM 1559/2)
Tertia pars magni operis musici, continens clarissimorum symphonistarum tam veterum quàm recentiorum, praecipue vero Clementis non Papae, Carmina elegantissima. Quatuor vocum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#45
|
|
Attrib: Nobilis Clemens non Papa |
|
|
Vae vae Babylon - Cecidit Babylon
|
|
Schede, Paul Melissus
1539–1602
|
5 |
|
Vaga bella soave - Perche non cangi ahime
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Vaga e pura angioletta scese dal ciel
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Vaga scopre Diana
|
|
Pallavicino, Benedetto
c.1551–1601
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#185
|
|
Attrib: Benedetto Pallavicino |
|
|
Vaga tranquilla e lieta
|
|
Perissone, Cambio
c.?1520–c.1562
|
4 |
|
Vagh'amorosi augelli
|
|
Casulana, Maddalena
c.1544–c.1590
|
4 |
|
Vagh'amorosi e fortunati allori
|
|
Gabrieli, Giovanni
c.1554–1612
|
5 |
|
Vaghe faville
|
|
Barré, Leonardo
fl.1537–1555
|
5 |
|
Vaghe ninfe et pastori lasciat' i primi ardori
|
|
Vecchi, Orazio
1550–1605
|
4 |
Gemma musicalis: Selectissimas varii ... (RISM 1588/21)
Gemma musicalis: Selectissimas varii stili cantiones (vulgo Italis madrigali et napolitane dicuntur) quatuor, quinque, sex et plurium vocum continens: quae ex diversis praetantissimorum musicorum libellis, in Italia excusis, decerptae, & in gratiam utriusque musicae studiosorum, uni quasi corpori insertae & in lucem editae sunt, studio & opera Friderici Linderi lignicensis. Liber primus
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Lindner, Friedrich, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#59
|
|
Attrib: Horatio Vecchi |
|
|
Vaghe ninfe e voi pastor
|
|
Gastoldi, Giovanni Giacomo
c.1554–1609
|
5 |
Balletti a cinque voci, con li suoi V... (RISM G509)
Balletti a cinque voci, con li suoi Versi per cantare, sonare, & ballare; con una Mascherata de cacciatori a sei voci, & un concerto de Pastori a otto. Quarta impressione
Venice: Amadino, Ricciardo, 1593
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Gio: Giacomo Gastoldi |
Gloria d'Amore |
|
Vaghi augelletti
|
|
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
5 |
Il secondo libro di madrigali a cinqu... (RISM G63)
Il secondo libro di madrigali a cinque voci, insieme doi à sei & uno dialogo à otto. Novamente con ogni diligentia ristampato
Venice: Gardano, Alessandro and Gardano, Angelo, 1572
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#9
|
|
Attrib: Andrea Gabrieli |
|
|
Vaghi augelletti che per valli e monti
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
|
5 |
|
Vaghi boschetti
|
|
Wert, Giaches de
1535–1596
|
5 |
|
Vaghi capelli aurati
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
|
6 |
|
Vaghi e lieti fanciulli
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
|
6 |
|
Vaghi pensier che cosi passo passo
|
|
Arcadelt, Jacques
1507–1568
|
4 |
Il terzo libro de i madrigali novissi... (RISM 1539/23)
Il terzo libro de i madrigali novissimi di Archadelth a quattro voci, insieme con alchuni di Constantio Festa, & altri dieci bellissimi a Voci mudate
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1539
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#43
|
|
Attrib: Archadelt |
A Voce Mudata |
|
Vaghi pensier che così passo passo
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
4 |
|