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 |
Miserere mei Domine
|
Ash Wednesday |
Bartolucci, Ruffino 'Fra Rufin'
c.1470–1539
|
4 |
Motetti e Canzone Libro Primo (RISM [1521]/6)
[Rome]: Antico, Andrea, c.1520-c.1521
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Fra rufino |
|
|
Miserere mei Domine - Et anima mea
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Aichinger, Gregor
1564–1628
|
5 |
|
Miserere mei Domine fili David - At illi venit et adoravit eum
|
|
Waelrant, Hubert
c.1517–1595
|
6 |
Sacrarum cantionum (vulgo hodie motet... (RISM WW1a)
Sacrarum cantionum (vulgo hodie moteta vocant) quinque et sex vocum, sancta aliquot Iesu Christi Evangelia continentium, authore Huberto VVaelrando
Antwerp: Laet, Jean de and Waelrant, Hubert, c.1558
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#13
|
|
Attrib: Huberto VVaelrando |
|
(D-Sl 4)
Stuttgart: Chamerhueber, Johann, 1565
(Choirbook, MS)
#15
|
|
Attrib: H. Vuael |
|
|
Miserere mei Domine [I]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle) |
Corteccia, Francesco
1502–1571
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei Domine [I]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle) |
Lupo, Thomas
1571–1627
|
5 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#31
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Lupo |
|
|
Miserere mei Domine [II]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle) |
Corteccia, Francesco
1502–1571
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei Domine [II]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle) |
Lupo, Thomas
1571–1627
|
5 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#34
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Lupo |
|
|
Miserere mei Domine [III]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle) |
Corteccia, Francesco
1502–1571
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei Domine - Miserere mei Deus
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Sermisy, Claudin de
c.1490–1562
|
4 |
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta... (RISM 1538/5)
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta novem motetos habet, ut in sequenti indice demonstratur
Ferrara: Buglhat, Johannes de, Campis, Henrici de, and Hucher, Antonio, 1538
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Claudin |
|
Claudii de Sermisy, regii sacelli sub... (RISM S2818)
Claudii de Sermisy, regii sacelli submagistri, nova & prima motettorum editio
Paris: Jullet, Herbert and Attaingnant, Pierre, 1542
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Claudii de Sermisy |
|
Tomus tertius psalmorum selectorum qu... (RISM 1542/6)
Tomus tertius psalmorum selectorum quatuor & quinque, & quidam plurium vocum
Nuremberg: Petreius, Johann, 1542
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: Claudin |
|
|
Miserere mei Domine quoniam infirmus
|
|
Lupus
|
6 |
|
Miserere mei Domine quoniam infirmus sum - Convertere Domine
|
|
Gerarde, Derrick
fl.c.1540–1580
|
5 |
|
Miserere mei Domine - Quoniam tu Domine
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Varotto, Michele
before 1550–?1599
|
5 |
|
Miserere mei - Ecce enim iniquitatibus
|
Ash Wednesday |
Slegel, Valentin
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei et exaudi orationem meam
|
(Response(s)) |
Anon
|
4 |
(E-SI 21)
Santo Domingo de Silos
(Choirbook, MS)
#33
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Responses for compline? Various verses of psalm 4. |
|
Miserere mei fili David
|
|
Felis, Stefano
c.1550–1603
|
5 |
|
Miserere mei [I]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei [I]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Anerio, Giovanni Francesco
c.1567–1630
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei [II]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei [II]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Anerio, Giovanni Francesco
c.1567–1630
|
4 |
|
Miserere mei [III]
|
(Alternatim psalm/canticle), Ash Wednesday |
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
4 |
|
Miserere mihi
|
|
Amon, Blasius
c.1560–1590
|
4 |
Introitus dominicales per totum annum... (RISM A945)
Introitus dominicales per totum annum, secundum ritum ecclesiae catholicae, suavitate et brevitate quatuor vocibus exculti, tam utiles quam necessarii
Vienna: Formica, Leonhard, 1601
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#53
|
|
Attrib: F. Blasio Amon Tyrolensi |
|
|
Miserere mihi Domine
David Fraser (ATTBarBB)
The Cardinall's Musick
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
6 |
|
Miserere mihi Domine
|
|
Cristo, Pedro de
c.1545–1618
|
8 |
|
Miserere mihi Domine
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
5 |
Quinque vocum musica in introitus mis... (RISM P5174)
Quinque vocum musica in introitus missarum, quae in diebus dominicis toto anno celebrantur, iuxta morem Sancte Romanae Ecclesiae; Nunc ab auctore diligentissime emendata
Venice: Bufalini, Fausto and Merulo, Claudio, 1566
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#46
|
|
Attrib: Constantii Portae |
|
Quinque vocum musica in introitus mis... (RISM P5175)
Quinque vocum musica in introitus missarum, quae in diebus dominicis toto anno celebrantur, iuxta morem Sancte Romanae Ecclesiae; Nunc ab auctore diligentissime emendata
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#46
|
|
Attrib: Constantii Portae |
|
|
Miserere mihi Domine
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
4 |
|