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 |
Satiati amor
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
|
6 |
|
Satiati Amor
|
|
Manara, Francesco
c.1520–?1591
|
4 |
Madrigali de la fama a quatro voci co... (RISM 1548/7)
Madrigali de la fama a quatro voci composti da l'infrascritti autori, novamente con diligentia stampati & corretti. Cypriano De Rore, Francesco Da la Viola, Francesco Manara
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1548
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#33
|
|
Attrib: Francesco Manara |
|
|
Satiavit Dominus quinque milia hominum - Homines autem cum hoc signum
|
|
Otto, Georg
1550–1618
|
6 |
|
Saul breathing out threatenings abroad
|
|
Tye, Christopher
c.1505–1573
|
4 |
|
Saule Saule quid me persequeris
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Wert, Giaches de
1535–1596
|
8 |
|
Saule Saule quid me persequeris
|
|
Balbi, Lodovico
c.1545–1604
|
7 |
|
Saule Saule quid me persequeris
|
|
Patta, Serafino
fl.1606–1619
|
2 |
|
Saule Saule quid me persequeris - Sancte Paule apostole
|
|
Conflicting attributions
|
5 |
(V-CVbav Capp.Sist. 46)
Rome: Gellandi, Claudius, Bouchet, Claudius, and Orceau, Johannes, c.1508-c.1527
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(I-MOd IX)
Vecchi, Orazio, c.1520-1530
(Choirbook, MS)
#25
|
|
Attrib: P. Moulu |
|
Fior de motetti e Canzoni novi compos... (RISM 1526/5)
Fior de motetti e Canzoni novi composti da diversi eccellentissimi musici
[Rome]: Giunta, Giacomo, c.1523-c.1526
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Io. lebrung |
|
Liber octavus. xx. musicales motetos ... (RISM 1534/10)
Liber octavus. xx. musicales motetos quatuor, quinque vel sex vocum modulos habet
Paris: Attaingnant, Pierre, 1534
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Le brun |
|
(D-Mu Cim.44i 1-4)
Munich, 1536-1540
(Partbook, MS)
#38
|
|
Attrib: Jo. Lebrung |
|
|
Saule Saule sufficit tibi
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|
Saulus adhuc spirans - Dixit autem quis es Domine - Erat autem quidam discipulis Damasci - Et introivit domum et imponens
|
|
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
#116
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Saulus adhuc spirans - Et cum iter faceret - Saule Saule quid me persequeris
|
|
Copus, Caspar
fl.c.1550
|
5 |
|
Saulus ad hunc spirans
|
|
Anerio, Giovanni Francesco
c.1567–1630
|
5 |
|
Saulus autem adhuc spirans - Saule Saule quid me persequeris
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
(D-Mbs 69)
Munich, 1525-1549
(Choirbook, MS)
#3
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Saulus cum iter faceret
|
|
Leoni, Leone
c.1560–1627
|
8 |
|
Saulus cum iter faceret - Respondit Saulus
|
|
Hollander, Christian
c.1510-1515–1568/1569
|
6 |
|
Saulus qui et Paulus
|
|
Nucius, Johannes
c.1556–1620
|
6 |
|
S'a veder voi non vengo
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
|
6 |
|
Save me O God
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
The first book of selected church mus... (RISM 1641/5)
The first book of selected church musick, consisting of services and anthems, such as are now used in the cathedrall, and collegiat churches of this kingdome. Never before printed. Whereby such bookes as were heretofore with much difficulty and charges, transcribed for the use of the quire, are now to the saving of much labour and expence, publisht for the generall good of all such as shall desire them either for publick or private exercise. Collected out of divers approved authors, by Iohn Barnard one of the minor cannons of the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul, London.
London: Griffin, Edward and Barnard, John, 1641
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: M. William Birds |
Psalms 54 |
|
Save me O God
|
(Verse anthem) |
Blow, John
1649–1708
|
5 |
(GB-WO A.3.3)
Worcester, c.1660-c.1700
(Partbook/score, MS)
#106
|
|
Attrib: Dr Blow |
|
|
Save me, O God
|
|
Rogers, Benjamin
1614–1698
|
4 |
(GB-WO A.3.3)
Worcester, c.1660-c.1700
(Partbook/score, MS)
#72
|
|
Attrib: Dr Rogers |
|
|
Save me, O God
|
(Verse anthem) |
Portman, Richard
d.1656
|
5 |
Dunnington-Jefferson Manuscript (GB-Ym M29S)
c.1632
(Partbook, MS)
#129
|
|
Attrib: Mr Richard Portman |
|
(GB-DRc C1)
Durham, c.1660
(Partbook, MS)
#15
|
|
Attrib: Richard Portman |
|
|
Save me, O God
|
|
Bucknam
|
5 |
Dunnington-Jefferson Manuscript (GB-Ym M29S)
c.1632
(Partbook, MS)
#47
|
|
Attrib: Mr Bucknam |
|
|
Save me, O God
|
(Verse anthem) |
Hilton, John (i)
d.1609
|
5 |
Dunnington-Jefferson Manuscript (GB-Ym M29S)
c.1632
(Partbook, MS)
#130
|
|
Attrib: Mr John Hilton |
|
|
Save me, O God
|
(Verse anthem) |
Anon
|
5 |
|
Save me O God and that with speed
|
|
Mundy, John
c.1555–1630
|
3 |
|