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 |
O quot undis lacrimarum
|
|
García Benayas, Matías
|
4 |
(E-TUY 4)
(Choirbook, MS)
#27
|
|
Attrib: Benayas |
|
|
O quot undis lacrimarum
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
O radix Jessae
|
|
Barra, Jehan 'Hotinet' de
fl.1510–1523
|
4 |
Liber septimus. xxiiii. trium/quatuor... (RISM 1534/9)
Liber septimus. xxiiii. trium/quatuor/quinque/sex ve vocum modulos dominici adventus/nativitatisque eius/ac sanctorum eo tempore occurrentium habet. ut presens index tibi commonstrat
Paris: Attaingnant, Pierre, 1534
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Hotinet |
|
|
O radix Jesse
|
|
Lambardi, Girolamo
fl.1586–1623
|
4 |
Antiphonae omnes iuxta ritum Romani b... (RISM L367b)
Antiphonae omnes iuxta ritum Romani breviarii pro totius anni dominicis diebus in primis, & secundis vesperis nunc primum ... Secunda pars
Venice: Caenobio Sancti Spiritus, 1600
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#26
|
|
Attrib: Hieronymo Lambardo |
|
|
Oramus te rex gloriae Christe - Quem nobis protectorem - Ipsum enim nobis - Gloria patri - Ipsum enim nobis
|
|
Appenzeller, Benedictus
c.1480-1488–after 1558
|
5 |
|
Orante sancto Clemente - Vidi supra montem
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
5 |
Liber nonus ecclesiasticarum cantionu... (RISM 1554/9)
Liber nonus ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum vulgo moteta vocant, tam ex Veteri quam ex Novo testamento, ab optimis quibusque huius atatis Musicis compositarum. Omnes de uno tono Antea nunquam excusus
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
#2
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non Papa |
|
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
#66
|
|
Attrib: Ia. Clemens non Papa |
|
|
Orante sancto Clemente - Vidi supra montem agnum stantem
|
|
Barré, Leonardo
fl.1537–1555
|
4 |
Symphonia quatuor modulata vocibus ex... (RISM 1543/4)
Symphonia quatuor modulata vocibus excellentissimi musici Ioannis Galli alias Chroi Ferrariae Magistri, quae vulgo (motecta Metre Iehan) nominantur, nuper in lucem edita
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1543
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#20
|
|
Attrib: Leonardvs Barre |
|
|
Orante Sancto Theonisto - In omnibus angelus meus
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(I-TVd 7)
Treviso, 1558-1571
(Choirbook, MS)
#36
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Orantes dicite
|
|
Figulus, Wolfgang
c.1525–1589
|
8 |
|
Orantes dixerunt tu Domine
|
|
Brouck, Jacob de
fl.1568–1583
|
6 |
|
Orantibus in loco
|
|
Belli, Giulio
c.1560–after 1620
|
8 |
|
Orantibus in loco isto
|
|
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
5 |
|
Orat bis qui corde canit
|
|
Regnart, Jacob
1540-1545–1599
|
4 |
|
Orate autem ne fiat
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantio... (RISM P830)
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica post festum S. Trrinitatis, usque ad primam Dominicam Adventus Domini et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi. His commune de Sanctis Ecclesiae Dei, et quaedam Fragmenta ex canticis Canticorum salomonis, accesserunt.
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich and Gerlach, Katharina, 1576
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#62
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Oratio Jeremiae Prophetae
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
8 |
|
Oravi ad Dominum Deum meum
Francis Bevan (ATBarBarB)
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
|
Oravi Deum meum
|
|
Ratti, Lorenzo
1589/1590–1630
|
8 |
|
Oravi Dominum Deum meum dicens
Francis Bevan (SSATTB)
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
6 |
Liber quinquaginta duorum motectorum.... (RISM P5181)
Liber quinquaginta duorum motectorum. quatuor, quinque, se, septem, & octo vocum
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1580
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#28
|
|
Attrib: Constantii Portae |
|
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacraru... (RISM 1583/2)
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacrarum, ab exquisitissimis aetatis nostrae musicis cum quinque & sex vocibus concinnatae, pleraeque omnes novae, necdum in Germania typis scriptae: nunc autem editae studio Leonardi Lechneri Athesini
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1583
(Partbook, Print)
#33
|
|
Attrib: Constantius Porta |
|
|
Oravi Dominum ego Daniel dicens
|
|
Seraphino, Francisco
fl.1523
|
4 |
|
Oravit Anna et ait - Non est sanctus
|
|
Wanning, Johannes
1537–1603
|
5 |
Sacrarum cantionum quinque, sex, sept... (RISM W203)
Sacrarum cantionum quinque, sex, septem et octo vocibus compositarum, et tum vivae voci tum musicis instrumentis aptatarum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Gerlach, Katharina, 1580
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Johannem VVanningvm Campensem |
|
|
Oravit Jacob
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
5 |
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
#131
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Oravit sanctus Andreas
|
|
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
4 |
|
Oravit sanctus Andreas - Tu es magister meus Christus
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
6 |
|
Or avons nous de nos aureilles
|
|
Goudimel, Claude
1514-1520–1572
|
4 |
|
Orbata sponsa filio
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|