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 vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Dentice, Fabrizio
?1539–1581
|
5 |
Lamentationi (RISM D1659)
Milan: Tini, Simone and Tini, Francesco, 1593
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#29
|
|
Attrib: Fabricio Dentice |
[Holy Saturday, Nocturn II] Responsory 2; Fauxbordon |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Corvo, Giovanni Battista
fl.1554–1555
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Bartei, Girolamo
c.1565–after 1617
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Dering, Richard
c.1580–1630
|
6 |
Cantica sacra ad melodiam madrigalium... (RISM D1319)
Cantica sacra ad melodiam madrigalium elaborata senis vocibus, cum basso continuo ad organum
Antwerp: Phalèse the Younger, Pierre, 1618
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Richardo Diringo |
|
|
O vos omnes
Francis Bevan (ATBarBarB)
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Giacobetti, Pietro Amico
fl.1579–1616
|
5 |
Lamentationes cum omnibus responsorii... (RISM G1825)
Lamentationes cum omnibus responsoriis in Triduo Hebdomodae Sanctae nec non passiones in missis Dominica Palmarum & Parasceves quinis vocibus concinendae
Venice: Vincenti, Giacomo, 1601
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#32
|
|
Attrib: Pietro Amico Iacobetto |
Holy Saturday: Tenebrae Nocturn II, 2 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
6 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Corteccia, Francesco
1502–1571
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Aretino, Paolo
1508–1584
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Falconio, Placido
fl.1549–1588
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Lambardi, Camillo
c.1560–1634
|
8 |
Responsorii della settimana santa con... (RISM L356)
Responsorii della settimana santa con il miserere, benedictus, et christus factus est. A due chori.
Naples: d'Aulisio, Giovanni Tomaso, 1592
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
Attrib: Camillo Lambardi |
Holy Saturday: Tenebrae Nocturn II, 2 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Benevoli, Orazio
1605–1672
|
8 |
(I-Bc X.46)
Bologna
(Score, MS)
#1
|
|
Attrib: Benevoli Orazio |
|
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Gesualdo, Carlo
1566–1613
|
6 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Cavalieri, Pietro
|
8 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Bonizzi, Vincenzo
d.1630
|
5 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Reiner, Jacob
before 1560–1606
|
6 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Zoilo, Annibale
c.1537–1592
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Anon
|
4 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Heugel, Johannes
1500-1510–1585
|
3 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Lupo, Thomas
1571–1627
|
5 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#30
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Lupo |
|
|
O vos omnes
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Ingegneri, Marco Antonio
c.1535–1592
|
4 |
Responsoria Hebdomadae Sanctae, bened... (RISM I45)
Responsoria Hebdomadae Sanctae, benedictus, & improperia quatuor vocibus
Venice: Amadino, Ricciardo, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
Attrib: Marci Antonii Ingignerii |
Holy Saturday, Nocturn 2: 2 |
(A-Wn 15943)
Vienna: Moser, Georg, c.1600-c.1699
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Holy Saturday, Nocturn 2: 2 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Viadana, Lodovico
c.1540-1560–1627
|
4 |
Responsoria ad lamentationes hieremia... (RISM V1391)
Responsoria ad lamentationes hieremiae prophetae quae in maioris hebdomadae officiis concinuntur cum quatuor vocibus
Venice: Vincenti, Giacomo, 1609
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: Lvdovico Viadana |
|
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Beligni, Alberti
fl.1612
|
8 |
Responsoria hebdomadae sanctae, psalm... (RISM 1612/2)
Responsoria hebdomadae sanctae, psalmi, benedictus, et miserere una cum missa, ac vesperis sabbati sancti in octo vocum concentum redacta, simulquae basso generali pro organo
Venice: Vincenti, Giacomo, 1612
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#24
|
|
Attrib: Alberti Beligni |
|
|
O vos omnes
Francis Bevan (SATBarB)
|
(Responsory), Holy Saturday |
Nenna, Pomponio
1556–1608
|
5 |
Sacrae Hebdomadae Responsoria quae Fe... (RISM N381)
Sacrae Hebdomadae Responsoria quae Feria quinta in coena Domini Feria sexta in Parasceve, & Sabbato sancto ad Matutinas quinque vocibus concinuntur cum basso ad organum
Rome: Robletti, Giovanni Battista, 1622
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
Attrib: Pomponii Nennae |
Holy Saturday: Tenebrae Nocturn II, 2 |
|
O vos omnes
|
Holy Saturday |
Bianchi, Giulio Cesare
1576/1577–after 1637
|
4 |
Libro primo de motetti in lodi d'Iddi... (RISM 1620/3)
Libro primo de motetti in lodi d'Iddio nostro Signore a una, due, tre, quattro, cinque e a otto voci di Giulio Cesare Bianchi. Con un altro a cinque, e tre a sei del sig. Claudio Monteverdi
Venice: Magni, Bartolomeo, 1620
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#19
|
|
Attrib: Givlio Cesare Bianchi |
Canto, over Tenore |
|