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 |
Ne proiicias me in tempore senectutis
|
|
Coclico, Adrianus Petit
1499/1500–1562
|
4 |
Musica reservata consolationes piae e... (RISM C3258)
Musica reservata consolationes piae ex psalmis Davidicis ornatae suavissimis concentibus musicis, a peritissimo musico Adriano Petit Coclico Discipulo Iosquini de Pratis. Cantionum quatuor vocum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann, 1552
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Adriano Petit Coclico |
|
|
Ne proiicias me in tempore senectutis - Annos aeternos in mentem habeam
|
|
Praetorius, Hieronymus
1560–1629
|
6 |
Cantiones Variae V. VI. VII. IIX. X. ... (RISM P5341)
Cantiones Variae V. VI. VII. IIX. X. XII. XVI. XX. vocum quae sunt Operum musicorum Tomus Quartus Cui in gratiam Musicae peritorum additum habes Bassum Continuum
Hamburg: Carstens, Heinrich, 1618
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#9
|
|
Attrib: Hieronymo Praetorio sen. |
|
|
Ne proiicias nos
|
|
Conte, Bartholomeus le
fl.1547–1565
|
5 |
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
5 |
(I-Bc Q.27 Iº)
Bologna, c.1525-c.1550
(Partbook, MS)
#25
|
|
Attrib: Adrian |
|
Secundus tomus novi operis musici, se... (RISM 1538/3)
Secundus tomus novi operis musici, sex, quinque et quatuor vocum, nunc recens in lucem editus
Nuremberg: Formschneider, Hieronymus, 1538
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Adrianus VVillart |
|
Moteti de la simia. Liber primus vocu... (RISM 1539/7)
Moteti de la simia. Liber primus vocum quinque viginti motetos habet
Ferrara: Buglhat, Johannes de, Campis, Henrici de, and Hucher, Antonio, 1539
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#20
|
|
Attrib: Adrian vvillart |
|
(D-Sl 43)
Stuttgart, c.1540
(Choirbook, MS)
#7
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Musica quinque vocum, (quae vulgo mot... (RISM W1111)
Musica quinque vocum, (quae vulgo motecta nuncupantur.) Noviter omni studio, ac diligentia in lucem aedita. Liber primus.
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1550
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
Attrib: Adriani Vvillaert |
|
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
#15
|
|
Attrib: Adrian VVillart |
|
(I-MOe C.313)
Modena, c.1560
(Partbook, MS)
#20
|
|
Attrib: Adrianus W |
|
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine
|
|
Verdelot, Philippe
c.1480-1485–?1530/1532
|
5 |
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine
|
|
Moulu, Pierre
?1484–c.1550
|
6 |
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
4 |
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine - Annos aeternos in mente habeam
|
|
Hellinck, Lupus
c.1494–1541
|
5 |
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocu... (RISM 1545/3)
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocum. Longe gravissimae, iuxta ac amoenissimae in Germania maxime hactenus Typis non excusae. Ad lectorem. Per mare delphin transuexit & orphea, vatem, concentu dulci musica nostra refert
Augsburg: Kriesstein, Melchior and Salminger, Sigmund, 1545
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Lupus |
|
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocu... (RISM 1546/5)
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocum. Longe gravissimae, juxta ac amoenissimae, in Germania maximehactenus Typis non excusae
Augsburg: Kriesstein, Melchior and Salminger, Sigmund, 1546
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Lupus |
|
Liber primus sacrarum cantionum quinq... (RISM 1546/6)
Liber primus sacrarum cantionum quinque vocum vulgo moteta vocant, ex optimis quibusque huius aetatis musicis selecta
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1546
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#19
|
|
Attrib: Lupus Hellincv |
|
|
Ne proiicias nos Domine - Annos aeternos in mente habeam
|
|
Crecquillon, Thomas
c.1505–1557
|
5 |
Choirbook D (NL-Lml 1441)
Leiden: Blauwe, Anthonius de and Flamingus, Johannes, c.1550-c.1567
(Choirbook, MS)
#50
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Cricquillon |
|
Liber septimus ecclesiasticarum canti... (RISM 1553/14)
Liber septimus ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum vulgo moteta vocant, tam ex Veteri quam ex Novo Testamento, ab optimis quibusque huius aetatis musicis compositarum antea nunquam excusus omnes de uno tono
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1553
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Crecquillon |
|
Tomus quartus psalmorum selectorum qu... (RISM 1554/11)
Tomus quartus psalmorum selectorum quatuor et plurium vocum
Nuremberg: Berg, Adam and Neuber, Ulrich, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#20
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Crequillon |
|
Motetti del Laberinto a cinque voci l... (RISM 1554/16)
Motetti del Laberinto a cinque voci libro quarto. Sascrarum cantionum sive Motettorum
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
#8
|
|
Attrib: Cricquillon |
|
Opus sacrarum cantionum (quas vulgo m... (RISM C4410)
Opus sacrarum cantionum (quas vulgo moteta vocant)
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1576
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#33
|
|
Attrib: Thomae Criquillon |
|
|
Ne quando dicat inimicus
|
|
Gerarde, Derrick
fl.c.1540–1580
|
5 |
|
Nequando rapiat
|
|
Vasquez, Juan
c.1500–c.1560
|
4 |
Agenda defunctorum (RISM V996)
Montedosca: Montedosca, Martin de, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Ioanes Vasquez |
|
|
Nequando rapiat ut leo animam
|
Office for the dead |
Anon
|
4 |
(D-Mbs 2747)
(Choirbook, MS)
#5
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Officium defunctorum: Matins, first nocturn (Ps. 7: Domine Deus meus in te speravi) |
|
Ne recordaris dirige dum veneris
|
|
Guerrero, Francisco
1528–1599
|
4 |
Libro de Introitos (E-GU 1)
(Choirbook, MS)
#27
|
|
Attrib: Guerrero |
|
|
Ne recordaris peccata mea
|
|
Giacobbi, Girolamo
1567–1628
|
6 |
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(P-Cug 32)
Coimbra, c.1540-1555
(Choirbook, MS)
#12
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
2 |
(P-Cug 32)
Coimbra, c.1540-1555
(Choirbook, MS)
#17
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ne recorderis
sexti toni
|
|
Martínez Posse, Manuel
|
4 |
(E-TUY 5)
(Choirbook, MS)
#20
|
|
Attrib: M. Posse |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Morales, Cristóbal de
c.1500–1553
|
4 |
(E-TUY 5)
(Choirbook, MS)
#30
|
|
Attrib: Morales |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(P-Cug 34)
Coimbra, c.1570-1580
(Choirbook, MS)
#17
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
reponses for matins of the dead |
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(E-V 5)
Valladolid, c.1675-1725
(Choirbook, MS)
#18
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(E-SI 21)
Santo Domingo de Silos
(Choirbook, MS)
#19
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(E-Bim 1)
Toledo, 1601-1603
(Partbook, MS)
#63
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ne recorderis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Ne recorderis
|
(Response(s)) |
Cardoso, Manuel
1566–1650
|
4 |
Livro de varios motetes, officio da s... (RISM C1042)
Livro de varios motetes, officio da semana santa e outras cousas
Lisbon: Craesbeeck, Laurenco, 1648
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#46
|
|
Attrib: Fr. Manoel Cardoso |
Resp. pro defunctis |
|