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 |
Vox in rama audita est
|
|
Otto, Georg
1550–1618
|
5 |
|
Vox in Rama audita est
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
4 |
Cantiones selectissimae quatuor vocum... (RISM 1549/11)
Cantiones selectissimae quatuor vocum, liber secundus
Augsburg: Ulhart, Philipp, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non Papa |
|
Primus liber septem decim continet qu... (RISM 1551/1)
Primus liber septem decim continet quatuor, & quinque vocum modulos (quae Moteta vulgò dicuntur)...
Paris: Chemin, Nicolas du, 1551
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non papa |
|
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)
#14
|
|
Attrib: Iacobus Clemens non Papa |
Matthei secundo |
Motetti del Laberinto a quatro voci L... (RISM 1554/15)
Motetti del Laberinto a quatro voci Libro Terzo. Sacrarum cantionum sive motettorum
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
#6
|
|
Attrib: Clemens |
|
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulg... (RISM C2694)
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulgo moteta vocant, quatuor vocum, nunc primum in lucem editus
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Clemente 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
#50
|
|
Attrib: Nobilis Clemens non Papa |
|
Quartus liber modulorum (RISM 1559/5)
[Geneva]: Sylvius, Michael, c.1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non papa |
|
|
Vox in Rama audita est
|
|
Senfl, Ludwig
c.1486–1542/1543
|
4 |
|
Vox in Rama audita est
|
|
Ribera, Bernadino de
c.1520–c.1580
|
7 |
Motetes a 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (E-VAcp 20)
Valencia, 1641
(Partbook, MS)
#59
|
|
Attrib: Bernadinus Ribera |
|
|
Vox laetitiae
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
Secundus tomus ecclesiasticarum canti... (RISM P829)
Secundus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a passionem Domini et salvatoris nostri Jesu Christiu usque ad primam Dominicam post Festum S. Trinitatis
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#100
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Vox patris caelestis
|
|
Mundy, William
c.1529–1591
|
6 |
Baldwin partbooks (GB-Och 979-983)
Windsor: Baldwin, John, c.1575-c.1581
(Partbook, Print/MS)
#137
|
|
Attrib: mr w mundie one of the gentlemen of the queens chapelle |
|
(GB-Ob Mus.Sch.e.423)
Oxford, c.1575-1586
(Partbook, MS)
#119
|
|
Attrib: Mr Mundy |
|
Baldwin commonplace book (GB-Lbl RM-24-d2)
London: Baldwin, John, c.1580-c.1606
(Score, MS)
#124
|
|
Attrib: mr wm: mundie |
Short 3vv section beginning 'Surge propera' |
Baldwin commonplace book (GB-Lbl RM-24-d2)
London: Baldwin, John, c.1580-c.1606
(Score, MS)
#115
|
|
Attrib: mr: wm mundie |
Short 3vv opening section only |
Willmott MS (GB-Ob MS. Mus. c. 784)
Oxford: Sadler, John, 1591
(Partbook, MS)
#19
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Braikenridge MS (GB-Ob Tenbury 1486)
Oxford: Sadler, John, 1591
(Partbook, MS)
#19
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(GB-Lcm 2035)
London, c.1600-c.1625
(Partbook, MS)
#21
|
|
Attrib: Mr Mundy |
Surge propera section only |
(GB-Lcm 2035)
London, c.1600-c.1625
(Partbook, MS)
#36
|
|
Attrib: Mr Mundy |
Opening section only; transposed up a fifth |
(GB-Lcm 2035)
London, c.1600-c.1625
(Partbook, MS)
#51
|
|
Attrib: Mr Mundy |
Favus distillans section only |
|
Vox tonitrui tui
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
8 |
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniar... (RISM H1985)
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniarum quatuor, quinque, sex, octo et plurium vicum, quae ex sancto catholicae ecclesiae usu ita sunt dispositae, ut omni tempore inservire queant
Prague: Nigrinus, Georg, 1590
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo Hándl |
|
|
Vox tonitrui tui
|
|
Meiland, Jacob
1542–1577
|
5 |
Cantiones aliquot novae, quas vulgo m... (RISM M2181)
Cantiones aliquot novae, quas vulgo motetas ocant, quinque vocibus summo studio compositae: quibus adiuncta sunt officia duo, de S. Iohanne Evangelista, & Innocentibus
Frankfurt: Corvinus, Georg and Feyerabend, Sigmund, 1576
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo Meilando Germano |
|
|
Vox tonitrui tui
|
|
Resinarius, Balthasar
c.1485–1544
|
4 |
Responsoriorum numero octoginta de te... (RISM R1196)
Responsoriorum numero octoginta de tempore et festis iuxta seriem totius anni, Libri duo, Primus de Christo, & reno eius, Doctrina, Vita, Passione, Resurretione & Ascensione. Alter, de sanctis, & illorum in Christum fide & Cruce
Wittenberg: Rhau, Georg, 1543
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#48
|
|
Attrib: Baltasare Resinario |
|
|
Vox tonitrui tui
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantion... (RISM P828)
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica adventus, usque ad passionem Domini et salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#90
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Voyant souffrir celle qui me tourmente
|
|
Jacotin
|
4 |
|
Vrai Dieu d'amours
|
|
Anon
|
6 |
|
Vrai Dieu d'amours maudit soit la journé
|
|
Mouton, Jean
before 1459–1522
|
5 |
|
Vrai Dieu disoit
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
4 |
Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parti... (RISM 1555/19)
Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties contenant dixhuyct chansons italiennes, six chansons francoises, & six motetz faictz (a la nouvelle composition d'aucuns d'Italie) par Rolando di Lassus nouvellement imprimé...
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#19
|
|
Attrib: Rolando di Lassus |
|
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cin... (RISM L764)
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cincq et six parties novellement composez par Orlando di Lassus. Convenables tant aux instrumentez comme à la Voix
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1560
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lassus |
|
Mellange d'Orlande de Lassus, contena... (RISM L834)
Mellange d'Orlande de Lassus, contenant plusieurs chansons, tant en vers latins qu'en ryme francoyses. A quatre, cinc, six, huit, dix, parties
Paris: Ballard, Robert (i) and Le Roy, Adrian, 1570
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#29
|
|
Attrib: Orlande |
|
|
Vrai Dieu qu'amoureux ont de peine
|
|
Mouton, Jean
before 1459–1522
|
6 |
|
Vrai dieu que amoureux on de paine
|
|
Lupi, Johannes
c.1506–1539
|
4 |
|
Vrai diu d'amor chi me confortera
|
|
Ostia, Petrus de
|
4 |
|
Vray dieu d'amours mauldict soyt la journée
|
|
Jacotin
|
4 |
|
Vray Dieu d'amours/Sancte Joannes Baptista
|
|
Japart, Jean
fl.1476–1481
|
5 |
|
Vray Dieu las que ferai je
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Vray dieu qui me confortera
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Vueilles Seigneur estre recors de David
|
|
Goudimel, Claude
1514-1520–1572
|
4 |
|
Vulnera cor meum
|
|
Verrijt, Jan Baptist
c.1605–1650
|
2 |
|
Vulnera Domine Jesu Christe
|
|
Usper, Gabriele
fl.1609–1632
|
3 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
Francis Bevan (ATTTB)
|
|
Gabussi, Giulio Cesare
c.1555-1558–1611
|
5 |
|