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 |
Haec est dies
|
|
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
#138
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Haec est dies
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
8 |
|
Haec est dies - Hodie Deus homo factus - Ergo exordium nostrae
|
|
Lechner, Leonhard
c.1553–1606
|
4 |
Motectae sacrae, quatuor, quinque, et... (RISM L1286)
Motectae sacrae, quatuor, quinque, et sex vocum, ita compositae, ut non solum viva voce commodissime cantari, sed etiam ad omnis generis instrumenta optime adhiberi possint
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Gerlach, Dietrich, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Leonardo Lechnero Athesino |
|
Motectae sacrae, quatuor, quinque, et... (RISM L1287)
Motectae sacrae, quatuor, quinque, et sex vocum, ita compositae, ut non solum viva voce commodissime cantari, sed etiam ad omnis generis instrumenta optime adhiberi possint
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Gerlach, Dietrich, 1576
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Leonardo Lechnero Athesino |
|
|
Haec est dies - Hodie Deus homo factus - Id quod fuit permansit - Hodie Deus homo factus - Et quod non erat assumpsit - Hodie Deus homo factus - Ergo exordium nostre redemptionis - Gloria tibi Domine
|
|
Senfl, Ludwig
c.1486–1542/1543
|
6 |
(D-Mbs 10)
1520-1529
(Choirbook, MS)
#14
|
|
Attrib: Lud: Sennfl |
Antiphona de humanitate Christi et laude B. Marie virginis |
Novum et insigne opus musicum, sex, q... (RISM 1537/1)
Novum et insigne opus musicum, sex, quinque, et autuor vocum, cuius in Germania hactenus nihil simile usquam est editum
Nuremberg: Formschneider, Hieronymus and Ott, Hans, 1537
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: lud. Sen |
|
|
Haec est dies - Hodie mortem - Hodie Deus homo
|
|
Castro, Jean de
c.1540-1545–c.1600
|
5 |
|
Haec est dies - Id quod fuit permansit - Ergo exordium nostrae
|
|
Knöfel, Johann
1525-1530–1617
|
5 |
|
Haec est dies praeclara
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
8 |
|
Haec est dies praeclara - Cuius stellam Magi in oriente videntes
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
6 |
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
#110
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
8 |
|
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
5 |
|
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus - Cito euntes
|
|
Guyot de Châtelet, Jean
1512–1588
|
8 |
|
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus - Epulemur in Domino
|
|
Jordan, Petrus
|
5 |
|
Haec est domum Domini
|
|
Kerle, Jacobus de
1531/1532–1591
|
4 |
|
Haec est domus Dei
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
5 |
Secunda pars magni operis musici cont... (RISM 1559/1)
Secunda pars magni operis musici continens clarissimorum symphonistarum tam veterum quam recentiorum, praecipe vero Clementis non Papae, Carmina elegantissima quinque vocum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#42
|
|
Attrib: Ia. Clemens non Papa |
|
|
Haec est domus Dei
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
5 |
|
Haec est domus Domini - Fundavit eam altissimus
Pothárn Imre (SATTTB)
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
6 |
|
Haec est illa dulcis rosa pulchra nimis
|
|
Carpentras (Genet, Elzéar)
c.1470–1548
|
5 |
|
Haec est illa dulcis rosa pulchra nimis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Haec est illa dulcis rosa pulchra nimis
|
|
Rubini, Nicolò
1584–1625
|
8 |
|
Haec est illa dulcis rosa pulchra nimis
|
|
Festa, Sebastian
c.1490-1495–1524
|
4 |
|
Haec est peccati quae tui - Sic pro te morior
|
|
Maistre, Matthaeus le
c.1505–1577
|
5 |
|
Haec est preclarum vas
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Haec est requies mea
|
|
Montemayor, Cristoforo
fl.1592
|
8 |
Liber primus cum octo sex et quinque ... (I-Rn 135)
Liber primus cum octo sex et quinque et quatuor vocibus composita per Christofory montemayor Hispanum Anno Dni 1593 ... Vesperi cum otto Della Madonna ... 1592
Rome, 1592-1593
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#63
|
|
Attrib: Cristoforo Montemayor |
|
|
Haec est sanctus
|
|
Isaac, Heinrich
c.1450–1517
|
4 |
(RISM I91)
1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#49
|
|
Attrib: Henrici Isaac |
Sequence for common of a Martyr |
|
Haec est vera fraternitas
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
6 |
Cantica sacra, recens numeris et modu... (RISM L956)
Cantica sacra, recens numeris et modulis musicis ornata, nec ullibi antea typis evulgata sex et octo vocibus
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1585
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Orlando Lasso |
|
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
#371
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|