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 |
Benedicta es virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Mosto, Giovanni Battista
before 1550–1596
|
5 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es virgo Maria
|
|
Portinaro, Francesco
c.1520–after 1577
|
6 |
Thematic catalogue. MS destroyed in 1944 (I-TVd 30)
Treviso: d'Alessi, Giovanni, c.1570
(Partbook, MS)
#23
|
|
Attrib: Franc. Portina. |
Thematic catalogue, first phrase only; Missing 6th voice |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Giovannelli, Ruggiero
c.1560–1625
|
5 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
4 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Allegri, Gregorio
1582–1652
|
3 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Boschetti, Giovanni
d.1622
|
2 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria - Felix es sacra Virgo Maria
Francis Bevan (ATTTB)
Pothárn Imre
|
BVM |
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Benedicta et venerabilis es Virgo Maria - Virgo Dei genitrix
David Fraser (SATTB)
Lincoln College, Oxford
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis... (RISM B5218)
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis, quaternis, trinisque vocibus concinnate Lib. Primus authoe Gulielmo Byrde, Organista Regio, Anglo Editio secunda, priore emendatior
London: Redmer, Richard, 1610
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Gulielmo Byrde |
|
|
Benedicta et venerabilis - Virgo Dei genitrix
|
|
Reiner, Jacob
before 1560–1606
|
3 |
|
Benedicta filia tua
|
Assumption |
Anon
|
4 |
|
Benedicta filia tua
|
Assumption |
Anon
|
4 |
(I-TVd 14)
Treviso, c.1560-1626
(Choirbook, MS)
#91
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Benedicta mater matris
|
|
Infantas, Fernando de las
1534–c.1610
|
5 |
|
Benedicta mater matris que est mater
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Benedicta semper sancta sit Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Senfl, Ludwig
c.1486–1542/1543
|
6 |
|
Benedicta semper sancta sit Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Isaac, Heinrich
c.1450–1517
|
4 |
(D-Sl 40)
Stuttgart: Peuschel, Nikolaus
(Choirbook, MS)
#15
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Sequence for Trinity; Missing last few pages |
Primus Tomus Coralis Constantini ut v... (RISM I89)
Primus Tomus Coralis Constantini ut vulgo vocant, opus insigne & præclarum, vereque coelestis harmoniæ
Nuremberg: Formschneider, Hieronymus, 1550
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Henrico Isaac |
Sequence for Trinity |
|
Benedicta semper sancta sit Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Anon
|
4 |
|
Benedicta sit creatrix et gubernatrix omnium
|
Trinity |
Anon
|
4 |
|
Benedicta sit sancta creatrix
|
Trinity |
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
4 |
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Varotto, Michele
before 1550–?1599
|
5 |
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
Nancho Alvarez
Nordic Voices
|
Trinity |
Victoria, Tomás Luis de
1548–1611
|
6 |
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
#28
|
|
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
#37
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici de Victoria |
|
Motecta festorum totius anni cum Comm... (RISM V1433)
Motecta festorum totius anni cum Communi sanctorum, quae partim senis, partim quinis, partim quaternis, alia octonis vocibus concinuntur
Rome: Basa, Domenico and Gardano, Alessandro, 1585
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici a 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
#37
|
|
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
#37
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Lvdovici de Victoria |
|
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
#35
|
|
Attrib: Tomae Lvdovici de Victoria Aulensis |
|
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
Pothárn Imre
|
Trinity |
Wert, Giaches de
1535–1596
|
5 |
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Lechner, Leonhard
c.1553–1606
|
5 |
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Lambardi, Girolamo
fl.1586–1623
|
4 |
Contrapunta in introitus missarum qua... (RISM L373)
Contrapunta in introitus missarum quae maioribus sanctorum solemnitatibus toto anni tempore in Ecclesia celebrantur, iuxta morem Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae ... Quatuor vocibus decantanda
Venice: Magni, Bartolomeo, 1617
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#19
|
|
Attrib: D. Hieronymi Lambardi |
|
|
Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Knöfel, Johann
1525-1530–1617
|
5 |
Cantus choralis musicis numeris quinq... (RISM K990)
Cantus choralis musicis numeris quinque vocum inclusus, eo ordine, quo per totum anni curriculum praecipuis diebus festis in ecclesia cantari solet
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#25
|
|
Attrib: Iohanne Knefelio |
|
|